Reviews (596)

A marvelous adaptation of one of the great novels.
This A&E/BBC miniseries is a true masterpiece, bringing Jane Austen's most popular novel to life in a near perfect production. It has everything: authentic Regency Period atmosphere, costumes, settings, a beautiful musical score, excellent performances by a well-chosen cast. Andrew Davis's script does full justice to Austen's original. Colin Firth is excellent as Mr. Darcy, but Jennifer Ehle just takes my breath away with her magnificent performance, which catches every nuance of Elizabeth Bennet's character exactly right in every scene. It is a pleasure to watch all 4 1/2 hours straight through again and again. As a longtime devoted admirer of Jane Austen's works, I am very critical of any movies based upon her novels, but this has to be one of the very best adaptations of any major literary work.

WORTH OWNING AND REPEAT VIEWING
I'm usually very hesitant about adaptations from book to film (especially classics), but this movie does justice to Jane Austin's timeless masterpiece. I rented this movie on a whim, thinking that it would at least be somewhat entertaining, but to my surprize and great pleasure, it not only captivated the true essence of the novel but the characters really came alive and stayed true to the story the whole way through. I eventually bought the DVD and I have NOT had "buyer's remorse" ever since. I get caught up in every moment of every scene of every viewing.

There are no annoying "Hollywood stars" in it like in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, yet the acting is incredible. Although I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility (on the second viewing because the first time I watched it I fell asleep), it doesn't hold a candle to Pride and Prejudice. This adaption lets your imagination steep in the imagery, language, and essence of the film so you never get "pulled out" of a scence. If you're unsure as whether or not to buy this gem, just do what I did and rent it for the weekend. You'll soon discover that your movie collection will be lacking without this rendition of Pride and Prejudice.

Superb, true to Jane Austen adaption
This version of Pride & Predjudice is my absolute favorite. I have owned the tapes and the original DVD. As far as the movie itself goes, the characters are all perfectly cast. From the embarassingly annoying Mrs. Bennet, the sweet oldest sister Jane, the condescending and IQ challenged Mr. Collins, to the feisty Elizabeth and the Proud Mr. Darcy, you will find yourself engrossed in every character's story. The script was written to stay true to the original novel. The scenery in breathtaking, and you will find yourself paying as much attention to the beautiful countryside as you will the drama.
As for technical details, the biographies that are included on this special version are simply printed words on the screen. Interesting information, but each bio is only one or two paragraphs long with a complete list of credits for only a few of the characters. The mini featurette is okay.
My bottom line: if you love romance, drama, and history then this is the movie for you. If you already own it on tape or have the original dvd, save your money and enjoy the version you have.

Period Movie - Lovely to watch
As an avid lover of period movies, I received this particular one last Christmas. I've been able to watch it multiple times. I love Colin Firth's portrayal of a proud and prejudice man who finally learns there are more important things. It's funny and romantic and the dialogue, as with any period piece, will keep you on your toes . . . maybe that's why I can re-watch so many times. It is a timeless movie!

Colin Firth...need I say more? Great Movie Colin Firth aside
This movie is so amazing I've watched it so many times and I never get tired of it. I thought this was by far the best film adaptation of the novel. Colin Firth portrayed Mr. Darcy exactly as I pictured him in my mind. I loved all the characters and felt like the actors/actresses lived up the their characters in the novel. While the picture quality may not be that great (read several comments about it) it didnt bother me one bit. The locations they filmed were simply beautiful, the story and characters entralling, and the costumes and scenes eye catching....I didnt even notice the quality. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Oscars for Wilde
There can only be one explanation for why this movie wasn't revered and esteemed world over. Society really hasn't changed that much since the times portrayed in 'Wilde.' But this isn't supposed to be a social commentary, but a grand ovation for what is, in my opinion, one of the best movies ever. To begin with, the performances of Stephen Fry and Jude Law are really quite extrordinary. Stephen Fry, in particular, manages not only to look unnervingly like Oscar Wilde, but to embody the wonderful (and complicated) character to an uncanny extent. I applaud Jude Law as well for choosing movies like this instead of (or perhaps as well as ^_^) the normal Hollywood teen fare. He really does give a frighteningly good performance, manic depressive to the core. Jennifer Ehle is also very good in the understated but understanding role of Wilde's wife. All in all, I was really blown away by this movie. Not only is it an incredible tribute to Wilde's wit, but also to his life, to the "love that dare not speak its name" and how it is as true and wonderful a love as any other. Sometimes painful, always powerful, Wilde is a rare gem.

Beautiful, you will want to visit Paris...
In WILDE, Stephen Fry (Jeeves in "Jeeves and Wooster") is the consummate Wilde. Jude Law plays his lover Bosie Douglas. Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride and Predjudice") plays Wilde's long suffering wife. Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Wilkinson also have important roles. What a cast.

The Belle Epoch is beautifully recreated as Wilde travels between England and France--clothes, interiors, architecture, grounds. You don't even have to understand the story to enjoy "being there" in the parks, homes, carrriages.

Oscar Wilde was a writer, best remembered perhaps for "The Portrait of Dorian Grey" although modern audiences may be more familiar with his stage play "The Ideal Husband" (recently made into a film with Jeremy Northern and Cate Blanchett) or "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Wilde was a homosexual in England in an age when one could and did go to prison for acting on instinct. (Nowadays in Saudia Arabia they take off your head.) Although the public became aware of his proclivities, Wilde remained one of Europe's most admired writers. Unfortunately, his term in prison for his sexual preferences may be remembered longer than his works which contain a wonderful drawing room humor many folks fail to grasp. This is a great film, and if you're an Anglophile you must add it to your collection. -- And Paris?? That's where Oscar is buried.

A well-made depiction of Wilde's life
Wilde is a beautifully made film, and I agree with the other customer reviews that found it an impressive portrait of the writer's life. As an expert on Wilde myself (I am writing my master's thesis on him) I would like to comment on some of the objections raised to its handling of his life by scholars and critics. Several scholars whose comments on the film I have read (they know who they are) have pointed out its factual inaccuracies, and have complained about its emphasis on Wilde's love life rather than his literary career. Admittedly, if the viewer wants a more scrupulous account of Wilde's life than is given by this film, she/he would be better off reading Ellmann's biography, on which the film is rather loosely based. Artistic liberties aside, I think we would all agree that the sight of a man making love is more dramatically interesting than the sight of him writing; the film's depiction of Wilde's intimate experiences, speculative as they are, serve to give us additional insight into who he was and the emotions that drove him. The film's greatest strength is its depiction of the neurotic relationship between Wilde and Douglas, which helps the viewer to understand how Wilde got into the jam he did.
I'm sure nobody can complain about the performances in the film, which are dead on, especially that of Stephen Fry in the title role; unlike many actors portraying famous people he not only acts as Wilde must have acted but looks quite like him, which adds to the film's feeling of verisimilitude. Unfortunately, since we don't have a DVD player yet, this review is based on my copy of the video. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the DVD later to examine the extras.

Stephen Fry's memorable performance as the tragic Oscar
My introduction to Oscar Wilde consisted of three disparate sources. First, I read "The Importance of Being Earnest," the wittiest play ever written in the English language. Second, there was Monty Python's Oscar Wilde sketch, where Wilde, James McNeil Whistler and George Bernard Shaw force each other to turn insults into compliments for the Prince of Wales. Third, there was the "Masterpiece Theater" mini-series "Lillie," in which Peter Egan played Wilde and where for the first time I heard the speech from Wilde's court case where he explains "the love that dare not speak its name." It is one of the most unforgettable declarations from the docket in human history and I think I just about have it memorized because it was really burned into my mind the first time I heard it.

When I watched "Wilde," my knowledge and understanding of Oscar Wilde was extended in several key ways. In playing the title role actor Stephen Fry makes Wilde seem less the dandy and more the kindly man he must have been to be put in the situation that caused his down fall. In contrast, Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), known as "Bosie," might be beautiful of face but it is most decidedly skin deep. He is an ugly human being and when Wilde does what he does out of the goodness of his heart, the tragedy that it is for somebody who does not deserve it. I had not really thought much of Bosie before, but after watching "Wilde" I consider him a most despicable figure. Wilde was in prison within three months after the opening of "The Importance of Being Earnest," and the thought of what has been lost to literature and drama is rather sickening. It is only in the film's final scene that for the first time I found myself thinking of Oscar Wilde as a pathetic figure, and again it was because of Bosie.

I had long appreciated the irony that despite his homosexuality Wilde truly loved his wife Constance (Jennifer Ehle), but in Julian Mitchell's screenplay, based on Richard Ellmann's noted biography, I learn an even greater irony with regards to Wilde's downfall, namely that his physical relationship with Bosie had been of short duration and that they were not lovers at the time of the libel suit involving the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson). In that regard this 1997 film enhances the tragic aspects of the story. Of course, the essence of the tragedy is articulated by Wilde himself, who declares: "In this life there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants. The other is getting it."

Beautiful looking and sounding, and heartbreaking as well
This movie is everything about why I love the courageous, crisp, brainy and brilliant British media. Stephen Fry is a gem who could recite the phone book and turn it into a soliloquy on the cruelty of human history. His voice is marvelous, and he rolls his consonants around in his mouth like Jordan almonds -- all without affectation, somehow. Wilde's many quips and epigrams drop out of his mouth without the slightest artificiality, natural and thoughtless as dew rolling off a leaf. Jude Law's Bosie is terrifyingly unstable, and his beauty serves only to throw his instability into high relief. You can't take your eyes off of him while he's on screen at the same time you want to turn away and skitter under the cabinets to stop watching.

The rest of the supporting cast is magnificent (if only the American film industry permitted its great actresses to work past the age of 40, we might boast such luminaries as Vanessa Redgrave and Zoe Wanamaker someday as well as Helen Mirren and Judi Dench!), the directing is flawless, the costumes and set design stunning but never overstated. All of it is used only to support the story, and as beautiful as it all is, it never pulls you out of the story or distracts you, only providing a seamless and textured foundation for the action.

I admit, I'm somewhat amused at the reviewers who imagine that this film shouldn't have concentrated so much on Wilde's sexuality. This is the story of him as much his work -- and his work at any rate was quite informed by his sexuality, nebulous at best during a time when anything but rigid adherence to a particularly joyless version of heterosexuality was a sin and a crime. Beautiful as this film is (and delicious as it is to see so many gorgeous young British men running around au naturel), it breaks your heart with the realization that happiness and fulfillment in life, as well as success and self-respect, can be so profoundly influenced by nothing more significant than the year in which one was born. In a hundred years, what will people be saying about the great women, gays and lesbians, and other minorities who lived in our time? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although Sunshine was made by a Hungarian, István Szabó, and deals with the history of Hungary as refracted through three generations of a Jewish-Hungarian family, you might be more inclined to give it three hours of your own life if you approach it as a David Lean movie in spirit. It is an English-language picture, and Maurice Jarre's music recalls his score for Doctor Zhivago. Szabó emulates Lean's intimate-epic style of merging the sweep of history with the crystalline detailing of individual lives, so that the shape of destiny is glimpsed through personal moments that feel at once evanescent and eternal. His lighting cameraman, Lajos Koltai, is one of the handful of cinematographers equal to capturing these moments in lapidary images--cinematic sunshine of the highest order.

"Sunshine" is a literal translation of Sonnenschein, the family name of the central characters. And "destiny" is one meaning of Sors, the name three Sonnenschein offspring choose for themselves to better assimilate as subjects of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Two are brothers, Ignatz (Ralph Fiennes) and Gustave (James Frain); their sister (by adoption) Valerie (Jennifer Ehle) is really their cousin. Both men love her, and Ignatz rocks the ultratraditional family by taking her as his wife. Nevertheless, the Sonnenscheins and the Sors enter upon the 20th century in loving solidarity, grateful to live under a liberal and tolerant regime. That's all swept away by the Great War, the rise of Nazism, and its replacement, the new fascism of Stalinist Communism. Valerie survives them all--though she's played later on by Rosemary Harris, Ehle's own mother. For his part--or parts--Ralph Fiennes goes on to embody two later generations of Sonnenschein/Sors men, the proudly patriotic Adam and his son, the rudderless Ivan, whose guilt over being a compliant prisoner at Auschwitz leads him to buy into the passionate puritanism of the Stalinist purges. Fiennes rises to the awesome challenge of creating three utterly distinct characters who all share the same congenital weaknesses and aching potential for greatness.

This is a film of considerable beauty and sometimes shattering power. Even three hours is not enough to do justice to all the characters, all the wrenching turnarounds of history and political allegiance and rectitude. But the film is never less than gripping, and as an essay on "family values," it's well-nigh definitive. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (55)

GLORIOUS. BUT COULD HAVE BEEN AN EPIC.
Can't remember the last time I sat through a movie for a full 3 hours, but Sunshine had me riveted. What a glorious message of love and joy subordinating almost every other pursuit in our lives.

We follow the travails of a Hungarian family through three generations -- and three political/ideological regimes. The first forty minutes are replete with their own elaborate costume sets and gorgeous locales of Budapest. The second and the third generations depicted find themselves smack in the middle of the Holocaust and the follow-up Stalinisque regime. As the Sonnenchiens (the Sunshine family) live through these times with a great loss of life and blood, there're also invaluable lessons to be learnt.

I felt the movie did not sufficiently capitalize on the emotions between men and women except for the first Sonnenchiens. Instead, there's a lot of unnecessary nudity. I'd be stupid to mind seeing Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) and Deborah Kara Unger (Crash) in ecstasy but it got to be almost redundant because the man was the same, Ralph Fiennes playing a different generation. The music for such an epic could have and probably should have been much more memorable, it was just any generic symphony you'd expect from a romanticized epic-mode film.

But these are petty quibbles. Like other movies of its kind, e.g., "House of Spirits" or "American History X", Sunshine certainly has its faults, but its messages about tolerance, humanity, and redemption are absolutely glorious.

For a 3 hour film, the DVD could surely have done a lot better by breaking the movie into Sors I, Sors II and Sors III sections. It is still a very worthy rental especially if you care about period peieces, political ideas, Ralph Fiennes, or Hungary.

take my wife please
A lighthearted romp through Hungarian history, "Sunshine" follows the trials and tribulations of three generations of the Sonnenshein family. Ralph Feinnes, in great comic form here, plays all three roles: Grampa, Pops and Junior. While the director was obviously thinking of structuring this movie along the lines of Alec Guinness's great "Kind Hearts and Coronets," in which Guinness played (I think) seven roles, many times "Sunshine" seems to have more in common with an Eddie Murphy film like "The Klumps." Be that as it may, the laughs keep coming when the recipe for the fabled health drink, which has brought the family fame and fortune, becomes lost. Add a few crazy women as love interests (including Deborah Kara Unger who seems ready to reprise her role in "Crash" here) and you've got the kind of film Mel Brooks used to make before "Blazing Saddles." "Sunshine" also has its serious side, as it is set against the backdrop of WWII and Stalin's pogroms. Still, in the tradition of Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and Jerry Lewis's "The Day the Clown Cried," the serious undercurrent never gets in the way of some inspired sight gags, fabulous one-liners (listen carefully during the "pass the salt sequence") and general silliness.

What a fantastic movie!
This movie is a must-see!
It is a relativly long movie but you won't feel the length since it is very amusing and it absorbs all your attention so well that you barely notice the passage of time.

Epic multi-generational view of the last century in Hungary
By taking a slice of Hungarian history spanning roughly the last century, this movie chooses a historical setting which provides a concentrated message of human frailty and idealism amidst social and political change. In this microcosmic world of a century of Hungarian history, we encounter some broader familiar themes of social mobility (both economically and politically) of a religious minority in a country with its own conflicted sense of national identity through different political regimes. Ralph Fiennes (of the more familiar movie "The English Patient") superbly plays multiple roles, as a male member of three successive generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, spanning the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the two World Wards to (briefly) modern post-communist Hungary. Fiennes' presence throughout this movie in multiple roles lends a curious continuity to several recurrent themes in this tale of political and family loyalty and betrayal. Haunted by the image of his impotence at watching his father being tortured and killed in front of several hundred Jewish prisoners, the leading male character struggles to expiate his guilt and avenge the shadowy forces of anti-Semitism. But his own ideals are dashed as his police interrogator role in communist Hungary leads him to confront the hypocrisy of yet another regime in which ideological purity and political expediency are hard to distinguish. With his own fanatical commitment to pursue the fascist elements in post World War Two communist Hungary, the leading character shares much in common with his grandfather's loyalty, as a high level magistrate, to the monarchy of a crumbling empire of which Hungary was a part, and with his father's blind faith in the willingness of the newly recreated Hungary to assimilate a Jew who converts to Catholicism as he also becomes a national Olympics fencing hero. In the end, all three characters of three generations of the same family become victims of different political regimes, all of which learn to use their willing victims as pawns who become betrayed with their blind loyalty. Oddly, it is the several women characters who invariably become amorously entangled with different male characters, who seem most skeptical of the promises of different regimes. Unfortunately, it is not often we find this kind of epic movie which personalizes large swathes of history through the saga of several generations of a single family - and it is often compared to Dr. Zhivago. Highly recommended.

A masterpiece of WWII storytelling
If you were appalled by films such as Schindler's List, wait till you see this one. Many people consider WWII storytelling an exhausted topic, which is simply not true, as witnessed by the popularity of The Pianist and Adrien Brody's consequent though well deserved stardom.
"Sunshine" has all the elements of a great movie. A top of the line cast, to start with Ralph Fiennes whose performance is superb (in my opinion Fiennes' greatest masterpiece). You might be put off by the length of this movie, though the story carries itself very well. Simply told, it will move you. ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Best movie you didn't see this year
This was the best movie of 2002 that absolutely nobody saw. (There were better movies, but they all found their audiences.) The movie follows two stories -- the 19th-century romance between writers Randolph Henry Ashe (Jeremy Northam, "Gosford Park") and Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle, "Wilde") and the modern-day story of two researchers (Aaron Eckhart, "Erin Brockovich," and Gwynneth Paltrow, "Shakespeare in Love") who are trying to find the truth about them.

The two love stories are both really strong and have strange parallels, but are never presented in a confusing or inaccessible manner. Director Neil LaBute (Nurse Betty) told a very hard story in a very powerful way. Eckhart redeems his turn in the pathetically overrated "Erin Brockovich" and Paltrow yet again plays a Brit so convincingly you figure she's never coming back to America. Oh well -- at least she's good at it.

Passion inspires passion!
The film has some superficial similarity to The French Leutenant's Woman. Both films are based on novels about 2 love affairs separated by a century. But that is where the similarity ends. Possession is a love relationship that develops between an American grad student (Roland Michell) and an English Woman (Maud Bailey) who already has her Ph.D. She is drawn into a research project by the young American to uncover a secret love affair between a famous poet (Randolph Henry Ash) and a poetess (Christabel LaMotte) who was related to Maud Bailey. Like her she was, for her time an independent woman. Unlike her she was living in a lesbian relationship. The poet,Randolph Henry Ash, was married, but the marriage was childless. As the two researchers conduct their secret reconstruction of the affair from secret lost-- until now -- love letters, the British woman (Paltrow) and the American student begin to fall in love. Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart play their parts well and are quite believable even if Gwyneth's English accent is a little over done. Jeremy Northam is excellent as always as Ash. And Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice) was outstanding as Christabel LaMotte. This is not the typical Hollywood love story. Lesbians might be offended as well as the feminists who might think this is some kind of ... against the independence of women. Only women can have children and to point that out might be thought politically incorrect. The thoughtful folk will ignore this nonsense and just enjoy a good story in a film with superb performances.

huh?
I give this one 2 stars for the period sequences. I found the actors in these scenes were very good..much better than the scenes starring Ms. Paltrow and her companion. I got bored with this movie very fast. The only thing that kept my attention was the story behind the story. I really wanted to love this movie.

This was an excellent movie!
Gwyneth Paltrow played the part of a British ice queen to perfection. Aaron Eckhardt was pretty decent as a brash American. And Jeremy Northam was, as usual, sultry, sexy, and incredibly effective in this (sort of)period piece. I found the woman who played Cristabel to be a little wrong for the part, but she was okay.

The first 3/4 of the movie was good, but the ending is what cinched it for me. I bawled my eyes out and walked away affected.

I do think it could have been a more passionate film. I think the passion was displayed between Ash and Cristabel adequately, but the filmmaker never let the sparks fly with Roland and Maude.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys films about romance and English history.

worth seeing for the acting
this is a really good movie made by one of my favorite directors. i don't know why some people don't like this movie. it has good acting, good directing, and very good cinematography. watch asap. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Leo (Kevin McKidd) is an endearing pup of a blue-eyed lad lookingfor old-fashioned romance with a happily ever after. Convinced to join afriend's drum-thumping New Men's Group ("Let these strong loving menheal you!" begs leader Simon Callow, who all but steals the film as a manin touch with his inner guru), Leo confesses an attraction to anothermember of the circle in the spirit of sharing. He's the only gay man in the group but his confession starts a cascade of sexual reassessment, allencouraged by Callow's hilarious new age Iron John. Meanwhile Leo's gadflyof a roommate is having sex in other people's bedrooms all over town withhis new real estate agent lover (a sly, haughtily confident Hugo Weaving)and Leo reconnects with his childhood girlfriend Sally (Jennifer Ehle), who brightens the film with her sunny smile and wounded yet spiritedtenderness. Rose Troche, whose guerrilla American indie Go Fishtransformed a lesbian love story into a classic romantic comedy, herestraddles screwball farce and sophisticated sitcom with a clumsy style that skews more toward the latter, but she invests it with genuine affection. As the funny but flippant comedy winds up to almost painfully trite pairingsbetween the ricocheting couples-to-be, Troche's loving direction allowseveryone their dignity and their charm, even through the most contrived and kooky complications. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Wonderfully comical
I just spent a hilarious three hours (well, the film is only 105 minutes, but I kept hitting the reverse button on the remote) watching Bedrooms & Hallways. This film is clever and funny.

Leo and Darren, both gay, search for romance in their own individual ways. Leo is attracted to someone whom he thinks is straight. Darren just has one hell of a good time, often. And life falls apart from there.

The film begins with a surprise party for Leo, at which we meet all the principal characters of the film. Then by means of one long flashback we enjoy what led up to the current state of affairs (of which there are many). The ending is hair-brained and implausible but many of these films usually end absurdly. So, not an issue.

What makes this film so lovably wonderful are the characters. As for Leo, take him or leave him. He is one of those tiresome individuals who obsesses his way out of what could have been a meaningful relationship by insisting on 100% commitment. Oh, yawn. We've seen it a million times, so ignore him. Tom Hollander plays Darren to delicious excess. You may remember him from the "Absolutely Fabulous" episodes, "The Last Shout," in which he almost marries Saffron. Hugo Weaving (Priscilla: Queen of the Desert) plays Jeremy, Darren's love interest. Jeremy is a real estate agent, which gives him access to empty houses in which he and Darren meet to fulfill some eccentric fantasies. But Jeremy has to have the right decor. These two are the joy of this film. Simon Callow, as Keith, oversees a New Age men's therapy group that is hysterical. And James Purefoy is gorgeous as Brendan.

Finally, a gay film in which there is lots of kissing! And it's the good old fashioned open mouth, "I think you're so hot!" variety. The DVD lacks features, but it has a short and enlightening interview with the director, Rose Troche. One point - ignore the cover. It shows Weaving looking lasciviously at Purefoy. Those two have nothing to do with each other in the film. They never even meet. Just another example of marketing ineptitude. But the disk inside is wonderful! Now go buy it, Honey.

Fluffy but funny
Charming little film about a gay man and the crazy world that surrounds him, the film is delightful but doesn't stand too far above the many charming and delightful gay-themed British films that we've seen in the last little while (Get Real, Like It Is), but is probably most notable for being the one that really makes a concerted effort to stretch people's guidelines of what constitutes sexual orientation: the main character finds himself attracted to a straight man in his all-male therapy group, and the straight man actually goes out with him and ends becoming quite enamored in their relationship. The latter guy's girlfriend turns out to be our hero's ex-girlfriend from college, and they in turn find a possible reignition of their young puppy love. While not anything worth writing home about, the film is bright and lively and features a great Jane Austen-themed sadism dream sequence, complete with one of the film's stars Harriet Walker, who you might remember as the evil Fanny in Sense and Sensibility. Her scenes with Simon Callow are among the film's best ("I love being a woman," she says, "Not because of you but because of me.")

Amazing, funny, open minded...
A very original and satiric comedy ! A great pleasure: very nice story, good study of human behaviours, very well played by many talented actors and actress, never coarse and first and foremost it makes us learn being more tolerant and open minded towards other people. It doesn't matter if people are gay or hetero or anything else ; there only one thing interesting : they are all simply only human with qualities and fairlties.
A very good time in forecast...

Unexpected Twists and strange effections
Bedrooms and Hallways is an enjoyable and at times witty film that follows the lead ( Leo ) on his quest to find romance, love or a husband of sorts. It has the feel of a sit-com with undertones that hit on issues most of us can understand. It's more like light entertainment with a few fairly heavy moments. The production quality is good and the acting was right on. As a note, the actor that plays a kinky real estate salesman is the same actor that plays Mr. Smith in the Matrix movies and it was fun to see him in the truely twisted roll as a Gay sex monger with strange kinks. He hates cheep house wares. Maybe you have to see it to understand. The movie was good and worth picking up and adding to your collection. Its suggestive but tastefully done and would be OK for mixed crowds.

Cliched, but still entertaining due to unexpected situations
First fifteen minutes: the sledgehammer was out and the condescension began. Film was saying "all you people out there who have stereotypical notions about gay people...you're WRONG!".

Next half an hour: sledgehammer goes away, but a dreadfully rehashed plotline comes out. Gay man falls for straight guy who -- shut my mouth! -- may be interested in our hero after all. Agenda is out on the table. Can a moratorium be declared on this plotline?

Next 15 minutes: Straight girl (aka "former girlfriend) appears and wants our gay hero. Because straight girls are ALWAYS in love with their gay male friends, didn't you know.

Last half hour: This is where the story took a turn I had not seen before. People who believe a person is either gay or straight may be dissatisfied with the outcome, but I found it to be very true to life (including, but not limited to, mine). Love and friendship can be confusing enough as they are; throw sex into the mix and one inevitably starts questioning one's own assumptions.

Plot machinations aside, the perfomers are genial and it is nice to see films about modern Britain. There are some truly funny moments and everyone feels like a friend. I wound up enjoying this film a lot. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

At Best This Is a Once in a Lifetime Movie, A True Must See
This in my estimate is one of the best movies ever-made. I highly recommend it to anyone male or female. I don't watch R-rated movies... This is one of those you can't figure out why it's rated R... Other than minor war violence. As a Christian, I found that the story-line is rich, hopeful, faith building and lively. This movie will stay with you for a very long time. There are so many different facets... The missionary character is my favorite. But each person that I have recommended the movie to, relates to a different character. This is not just a movie for women... Trust me on that! Paradise Road tells the story of many different European women held prisoners of War, by the Japenese, by exploring each character in a very simple way. The symphony that is created is spectacular. Glenn Close was flawless. I'm a guy who likes truely well thought, written, produced, and acted movies... Paradise Road is all that and then some. I can't say enough... Watch it and write your own review!

Paradise Road - Song of Survival
This is one of my all-time favourite films.

The moving tale of women POWs who form a chorus and use vocal music to help cope with the harsh reality of Japanese internment.

Paradise Road is a wonderful movie, a true story wonderfully told. It never fails to move me everytime I watch it and I have watched it a few times! ;-)

AMAZING
This movie was awesome!!! At first I was reluctant to watch it but my girlfriend forced me to. If it wasn't for her I never would have seen it.

Scenes Missing
I just watched Paradise Road on DVD and was very disappointed. I didn't see scenes I remember in the VHS version. I like the movie very much, but would not have purchased a version that was shortened. There are two scenes I remember from renting the movie previously. Those being where Jennifer Ehle meets her husband while he is attempting to escape the men's camp, and also the scene where Miss Drummond is buried and Glenn Close's character begins to hum and tap the Bolero piece the orchestra did. I have no idea why Fox would delete those scenes. The cover of the DVD indicates the movie is 132 minutes long, however my counter stopped at 110 or so. So please be forwarned, if you purchase the DVD you will not get the whole movie. Other than that, I would say the movie is worth having in a home collection.

Moving, Magnificent, Mesmerizing!
Paradise Road, has got to be the most moving War Time movie I have seen (the Patriot coming in at close second).
It is of a POW camp of woman in Sumatra who undergo terrible conditions where their own friends drop - one by one from disease, or perhaps execution. In spite of all this they still manage to show the barbarious Japanese that they still had some spirit left by forming their own vocal orchestra.
Cate Blanchett's performance is to be noted as in it she faces death were it left me in tears to watch her demise in the Pacific sun. She moved me incredibly and when I watched it I was sure she was my favourite actress.
Paradise Road is a must-see! If you have to see two films in your whole life-time watch this.... then watch it again! ;-) ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Mediocre
This movie is okay--at least there's a minimal resemblance to the real people. Based on what I've read about the Beatles over the years-there seems to be a bit of revisionism in this movie--examples are Stu Sutcliffe mentioning "8 days a week" and John, "A Hard Days Night" even though Paul says a taxi driver gave him the words, "8 days a week" and Ringo is credited with "A Hard Days Night" as one of his more famous malapropisms. Despite these type incidents-the movie is still fairly enjoyable, although it's really the Stu and Astrid story with a lot of John Lennon. Paul to a slight degree and George and Pete are treated as insignificant characters. Still, it's worth watching if your a Beatle buff/

SIMPLY A GREAT MOVIE
I got a kick out of the current "Spotlight" review of this DVD, the one referring to a portrayal of an unrequited "homosexual" love affair between Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon. People see what they want to see, I guess, but I didn't see that at all in this wonderful movie. Sure, the John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe characters experience a deep felt "love" for each other, but love in a non-sexual sense. A man can feel intense love for another man (or a woman for another woman, a mother and daughter for instance)and it doesn't have to be (nor is it usually) sexual. Maybe it takes a quite a few years to realize it, but sexual love is really the weakest kind of love out there. Sexual love often boils down to nothing more than lust, and the friendship between John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe that is portrayed in BACKBEAT is in a world apart from than that.

As most everyone has said, the movie is a absolute delight. The performances are all strong and the cinematography just right. It's one of those films you can watch over and over again, and see something different each time. Most highly recommended, especially to fans of early Beatle music.

Great DVD release!
I taped Backbeat from cable two years ago. I had no idea how much my tape sucked until I saw the special features of the DVD. First off I taped it off a bad cable channel so the film was gray and full of snow the entire time. So when I heard the DVD version was coming out, I shouted for joy! I am a hugh Stephen Dorff fan ( he hasn't made many good movies ) which makes me buy any decent film he's been in. DVD lovers will enjoy this special edition release. It has the usual special features like commentary, but it has a screen test section! You get to see the actors studying the part! You get your money's worth buying this on DVD. The only complaint is the photo gallery section. The photos are scrunched in the corner. You can hardly see the pictures. Backbeat fans should get this on DVD now!

Finally! BackBeat on DVD! A must own for all you rock fans
Ok, this is one of the greatest filmes of all time. First off, The cast memembers that they got to play the Beatles were very uncanney. You couldnt have picked a better cast! The Script was fantastic. Full of Great dialogue! and last, but certainlny not least, The Cinematography. What more can I say? The picture itself is beautiful! It totaly makes the movie. The Characters themselves are so surreal, I just loved them all! They made you feel like you could have had a good chat with anyone of them. They brought to life a part of the Beatles that very little people saw. You must see this movie if you already havent!

Backbeat DVD is done right!
I'm posting this review to let Backbeat fans know how great the extras are on the disc. The DVD is anamorphic widescreen. The features include the following: feature commentary with director Iain Softley, deleted scenes, interview with director Iain Softley, stills gallery, interview with actor Ian Hart, director's essay, casting sessions, and TV featurette.

Ian Hart is my favorite actor and this is the role that introduced me to him. Backbeat is my favorite film and I am thrilled with finally having it on DVD. This is a film that you will never forget. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Jane Austen's classic novel of 1813, Pride and Prejudice, still winsthe hearts of countless schoolgirls with its romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy. Now, the 1996 BBC miniseries is winning over adults, with its faithful adaptation, gorgeous scenery, and superb acting.

The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother's attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own.

For those who have been on an Austen binge--enjoying such excellent adaptations as Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion--this miniseries will round out the ultimate Austen video library. For those new to these romantic period pieces, this version of Pride and Prejudice will have you hooked and longing for more. One caveat, however: plan to watch it in an entire day, because very few have the self-control to not watch all six hours in a single sitting. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (596)

good, not great
Colin Firth is outstanding, but the others in the cast? The female lead goes through most of the movie with the same blushing smirk. Expression to show dislike of Darcy: smirk. Expression to show love of Darcy: smirk. Love for Wickham: smirk. Contempt of Wickham: smirk. This is fatal, because her change of heart re Darcy is the heart of the story.
Am not sure I approve of the way the director tries to put a modern day spin on Lizzie's materialism. In the book she says she began to love Darcy when she saw his huge estate. I know, it's also a very well designed, landscaped estate - but Darcy's father or grandfather did the designing, so it's hard to accept this as anything other than a sign that Lizzie is not as much a romantic as she claims to be. But the movie has Lizzie laughing as she says this - a cop out. Anyway - Firth is great, but the scenes without him are either dull or over-the-top, and Lizzie's mother seems to be doing a Dame Edna impression.

EXTREMELY POOR VIDEO QUALITY - Buy the tape instead
I had the tape of this series, and it was excellent. I wanted the additional information, however, so I bought the DVD. The quality was so poor, it looked almost like a black and white movie! I returned it.

A huge Thumbs up!!
Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful book and movie. What's there to say? The breathtaking Mr. Darcy and his sweet-tempered friend Mr. Bingley are the dream of every lady! As for Jane and Lizzy Benett, every girl wishes to be like them. We ladies are able to relate to their situation... (society,love,friendship,pride,and honesty). The movie captures the heart of the book. Read and watch it!!

awaiting the Extra-special edition as well
I have to agree with the previous reviewer about the quality of the special edition DVD of Pride and Prejudice. The colors were "off " and washed out and the whole movie seemed to have blurry outlines. I too, had to increase the brightness and should have lowered the contrast but was unwilling due to an already blurry picture. I was very dissapointed =( I watch the VHS version all the time when im cleaning downstairs and bought this edition to use on the computer upstairs in the same manner. Very dissapointed. I give the movie 5 stars. I give the DVD edition 3 =(

Perfectly Perfect
I very strongly reccommend this movie. I have watched it 5000 times and I havn't gotten tired of it yet! ... Read more