I was watching All Creatures Great and Small a few days ago, and a thought occurred to me: Where do they find all of these castles, massive grasslands, and old villages? I asked myself the same question as I watched the 1995 BBC/A&E production of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

In American films, lots of scenery makes a film sometimes rather empty and flashy. For this miniseries, it enhances the viewing experience - especially for the novice reader who possibly would never read a novel by the author.

Much in the same way people appreciated Peter Jackson's attention to detail in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, Director Simon Langton does the same thing on a smaller screen, but with much greater emphasis on making the landscape connect to the world of the Austen novel. Much like Lawrence of Arabia, the locations are characters with their own distinct personalities.

While Langton works the scenery to this level, Andrew Davies' script works its magic on the story, especially between the two main characters Colin Firth (as cold Mr. Darcy) and Jennifer Ehle (as opinionated Elizabeth Bennett).

The DVD takes the smart angle of taking the six-episode mini-series and splitting it up into two discs (with disc one carrying "The Making Of Pride And Prejudice" as an extra). In this 10th Anniversary Edition, you get a biography episode on Jane Austen as well as another (I assume longer) documentary on how Pride and Prejudice was made. The DVDs come in a nice, thin storybook case which gives you three spots to put the DVDs (as well as jackets below the spots for extra security).

I’m sure BBC Films felt it wise to make their own version with an actress (Keira Knightley) from a popular franchise (Pirates of the Caribbean) to draw in people. However, as we all know, the hot item of the month can only be that for so long. Knightley couldn’t compare to Jennifer Ehle, nor could the leading man (Matthew Macfadyen), who replaced Colin Firth, take Firth's place. Donald Sutherland was good in it, but wasted and out of place.

I recommend everyone rent this or borrow a copy from a friend. It's a chick flick, but it’s an intelligent film from one unique woman's mind. I’d especially try this film with older people considering there isn’t much for them on television that doesn’t have explosions or a lot of curse words.