Back to school...fun quotations from my favorite authors

"Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody. "
Jane Austen-Mansfield Park


Still true today and goes for both boys and girls I think.  I am so glad to know that Jane Austen thought an education important even back then and it is even more so now.  So this one is for all of you who have just sent your kids or grand-kids off to school.  Whether it be elementary school, high school or especially college or university, my thoughts are with you.

We just moved our eldest son into his residence room at University for his first year away and our youngest just went out the door for the first day of grade 11 so here I am blogging away.  As Tuesday is my day off, I always have time after everyone returns to school after Labour Day to relax and reflect on another year.  A bit more adjustment required of me this year, but they are both happy, and so am I.  Or I will be very soon.

"Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything. "
Jane Austen-Persuasion

"A wise parent humours the desire for independent action, so as to become the friend and advisor when his absolute rule shall cease. "
Elizabeth Gaskell-North and South


Very wise words, and so I will not call my eldest for a few days at least.  But I may send an email, just to say I hope he is having fun and "making good choices".  That one is a family joke and if you have ever seen the genius of Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday, you will get this.


So perhaps if we have a rainy night this week, I will watch Freaky Friday again and remember the first time I watched it with my sister, on a really hot day in Toronto, when we were both taking a little break from motherhood to celebrate sisterhood.  Cheers!

Note: (added Sept 12)-Watched Freaky Friday on Thurs night as it was raining and cool.  Jamie Lee Curtis is fantastic and it was very sad in a way to see how talented Lindsay Lohan was.  Not sure if she still is.  I just know that she didn't "make good choices" after this was filmed.  Still a great film however and the music rocks!

Emma 1996 revisited

I just re-watched the Gwyneth version of Emma last night and I have to revisit my previous way too short review.  This adaptation really has to be taken on it's own and not compared to the newer, longer BBC miniseries.  This one is absolutely lovely.  The line when Mr. Knightly proposes to Emma, "Marry me...marry me my wonderful, darling friend." cannot be beaten.  What girl would not melt into a puddle if these words were spoken to her?  Not moi.

And although I have mixed feelings about Gwyneth Paltrow, (you only have to check out her website, GOOP, to know what I mean-it's filled with instructions on how to dress, eat, exercise and think like Gwynnie) she does a very affectionate, fun version of Emma and I really love her dresses in this.  OK, very shallow, and yet very true.  I really want this one for myself:

And yet, it would look totally stupid on me.  OK, I want her toned 24 year old body as well (or for that matter her toned, post baby 37-year-old body). 

Anyhow, enough with Gwyn, and on to the perfection of Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley.  Except for the excess of hairspray, which is likely attributable to the mid 1990s filming time and gives him rather the look of a newscaster, he is truly hard to beat in this role (OK, he is tied with Jonny Lee Miller in the new Emma).  He does a great job of joining understated comedy with leading man yumminess.   I have to say that the only quibble I have with his portrayal of our leading man was the slightly effeminate nature of his dancing with Emma at the ball.  I had to look him up on IMDb to make sure of his orientation, but as he was married in 2005 to a Liz Morro, apparently the unmanly dancing was only that.  Still, badly done...badly done Mr. Knightley (just kidding, only my husband rolls his eyes excessively anyway at these English Country Dances and I have to admit this one [see You Tube video at bottom] makes me want to burst out laughing).

Now, while on the topic of rare criticisms of this film, the only other thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the fright wig on Ewan McGregor as Frank Churchill:

I mean really!  It is only outdone by his real hair in mullet style from about the same era:

Tee hee.  I had to pop that one in.  Although we all have photos from the 1980s and 1990s which we would like to forget, so I really shouldn't have...If you really want to get a good dose of Ewan looking very cute in Victorian garb, check him out opposite Renee Zellweger in Miss Potter.  Cute and sweet all at the same time.

And there are wonderful, exquisitely acted scenes throughout which did not register with me in the previous dozen or so times I have watched this over the years.  If you watch the performance given by Phyllida Law (mother of Emma and Sophie Thompson) as old Mrs. Bates...I have never seen a wordless performance so nuanced and hilarious.  Now I see where her daughters got their talent.  She randomly tunes in and out, and watching her pick at some dainties on a plate, well...take my word for it.  It is worth another viewing just for her performance.  I believe she may have gotten her inspiration for this character from her mother-in-law Annie, who was deaf and lived with the family for 17 years.  She turned her notes (the best way to keep Annie involved in the household gossip and funny stories) into a book , Notes to my Mother-in-law, which will be on my Christmas list this year:

And her daughter, in real life as well as in this film, Sophie Thompson, gives the ultimate performance of Miss Bates.  Just watch her adjust those spectacles and talk, talk, talk.

Toni Collette does deserve a mention for her sweet Harriet in this version.  On watching this again, she is not so over the top as I remembered, and altogether really delightful.  I think it was just swinging that stupid butterfly net that put me off her performance.  The final scene between her and Emma where she explains how she had accepted Robert Martin's offer of marriage is adorable.

And I will repeat that Juliet Stevenson as Mrs. Elton, "There is a shocking lack of satin",  is another joy to watch.  This is a role that she absolutely owns.  Every time she cuts off Mr. Elton's speeches, or when she chomps that sandwich and then rubs her fingers together, or speaking with her mouth full...she is so much fun to watch, it is hard to feel for her the disdain which I am sure Jane Austen intended us to feel.  I think the only role in which I love her more was as the mother of Kiera Knightly's character in Bend it like Beckham, "Get  your lesbian feet out of my shoes!".  Bwah ha ha!!!


Well, if that doesn't make you want to rent this version of Emma or buy it, or dust it off from your collection, then you might want to find another blog dedicated to another topic.


P.S. To my sister-you were right about this one.  I stand corrected!

Northanger Abbey

 
This happens to be one of my favorite Jane Austen novels and one of the best adaptations of her work.  The youthful exuberance of both are quite delightful. There are many parts of this adaptation during which I cannot wipe the grin off my face. Andrew Davies has tapped into the teenaged spirit of her early work to bring this tongue-in-cheek gothic satire to life.  It is lovely to see the world of Georgian Bath through Catherine Morland’s eyes and Felicity Jones is perfectly cast in the role.  With wide open eyes and a hugely expressive face (countenance shall we say?)  she makes me feel like a teenager again and has me longing for another trip to Bath.

JJ Field has obvious fun with the role of Henry Tilney, whom screenplay writer Andrew Davies called the Austen leading man with whom he would most like to share a pint at a pub (he said Mr. Darcy would be too haughty).  Henry’s delight with Catherine’s naivete and her appreciation of Mr. Tilney’s sense of humour is spot on.  He may not have the smouldering sexiness of Mr. Darcy or Mr. Thornton but he is a lot of fun and has some great tender scenes and a few aroused looks when looking at Catherine. And, oh those sexy big ears...sorry, lost it for a minute there.  Actually, I think his smirk is his most endearing feature.

 (This photo shows both smirk and ears to best advantage, although the high collar is sadly missing.)

Carey Mulligan, who has received so much acclaim for her recent role in An Education, is wonderful here as the shallow, fickle friend Isabella Thorpe.  One almost feels sorry for her as her world starts to unravel.  The role of her brother John Thorpe is played by an actor a bit too creepy looking for my taste. Eeeewwww.  I think his acting is quite good but he makes Henry Tilney look like a heartthrob.  His hat, I think, does him a disservice as it makes him look like a lecherous leprechaun.

In any case, Andrew Davies has done it again with his humour and his insight into what makes us swoon.  The scene where Henry wipes the mud off of Catherine’s face is pure electricity and the proposal scene when she backs him into the shrubery with her kiss is classic Davies fun.

The acting and direction are superb.  Catherine’s facial expressions, such as when she is introduced to the snooty brother Captain Tilney and she curls up her lip at him, are priceless.  The younger siblings of Catherine are used to full comic extent here also and they obviously enjoyed the over-the-top dialogue -from the saucy “Cathy, mama says will you bring Mr. Tilney to the drawing room.” to the eye rolling ”But you can see their house from the window!”.  And Felicity Jones’ mouth hanging open for a good part of the film is actually very endearing.  She takes Catherine from sheltered teen to budding bride-to-be at a romping pace.  

This is now right up there with my most beloved adaptations and the short length makes it perfect for an evening’s fun.  However, I leave it to be settled  whether the tendency of this story be to recommend  parental tyranny or reward filial disobedience.

Mansfield Park (1999) - Trailer #2

Mansfield Park 1999 & 2007

Well, here we have many people’s least favourite Jane Austen novel and two adaptations which are also not on the top of most lists.  Not that the novel or the adaptations are not enjoyable...well, you know what I mean or you will after you see them.

Fanny Price, the heroine of the book is a rather quiet, mousy, stubborn and highly moral girl,  who is hard to love readily, but she definitely grows on one, as she does on Edmund Bertram.  This works well in novel form but is difficult to get a film audience to hang in there until the story develops.

The first recent adaptation, from 1999 tries to get around this problem by making Fanny a sort of copy of Jane Austen herself, feisty and a budding authoress.  To say this was inspired by Jane Austen and her works, rather than an adaptation of Mansfield Park would be very fair.  It is almost along the lines of Becoming Jane in the way that it blends fiction with fact.  So the only way to enjoy the 1999 Frances O’Connor Mansfield Park is to forget the novel.  Truly. It will also work better if you have not recently finished reading the novel, so that the departures will not seem so glaring.

If you take it for what it is, basically,  a “What if Jane Austen was plopped into Fanny Price’s body?” exercise, you will likely enjoy the ride.  Frances O’Connor is winning as Fanny, Jonny Lee Miller is an engaging Edmund and the two sisters are sufficiently shallow to serve as contrast to Fanny’s depths. Bridget Jones fans will recognize the actress playing Mary Crawford as Embeth Davidtz, who played the hateful Natasha. I loved her costumes and her acting in this film but I must stay true to Bridget and hate her otherwise, on principle.  I did like the way they made Henry Crawford very likeable and the way they had Fanny accept him one day and reject him the next, a la Harris Bigg-Wither.  It took her inner conflict about him to a new level and truly, who among us would not have run off with him, as Alessandro Nivola plays Henry as the bad boy that girls love to fall in love with.  But not Fanny Price however.  She foresees the evil that would befall her as his wife and knows that their morals would never mesh.  Sigh. Oh well, Edmund is cute too, and oh so reliable (and those lips!).

I did think the Mrs. Norris character was well played.  I always laugh when I think of JK Rowling’s tip of the hat to Jane Austen in naming the nosy, trouble making cat in Harry Potter after Mrs. Norris in MP.  I did however think that making Lady Bertram an opium addict instead of just lazy was going a little far. The slave trade story line was another non Austen twist and I suppose is one of those dirty little secrets that Jane Austen could only allude to obliquely.

Anyway, just take this film for what it is, and it won’t raise your blood pressure. The opening credits state openly that it is “Based on Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park and on her letters and early journals”.  Enjoy the scenery, such as Charlestown, Cornwall standing in for Portsmouth which gives the feel of Fanny’s maritime upbringing.  Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire as Mansfield Park is beautiful and intimidating although the room used for the sitting room seems cavernous and hallway-like in it’s lack of intimacy.  The music is quite lovely and adds to the atmosphere.  Other than Sir Thomas and Mr. Price leering at and/or feeling up poor Fanny (which gave me the willies), I rather enjoyed this film.

Now, on to the newer version, the ITV 2007 version starring Billie Piper and Blake Ritson.  I was prepared to hate this one from what I had read on IMDb, but I didn’t hate it.  “I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of it, that I esteem it... that I like it”.   Yes, it is fluffy and cute and sexes up (!?) the role of Fanny Price by casting the British equivalent of Britney Spears.  Yes, her straggly bleached blonde hair and dark brows are distracting (especially when mimicked on the poor dear who plays young Fanny).  Yes, there is an alarming amount of cleavage for a Jane Austen film.  However, considering they were trying to fit a very long book into two hours, and apparently on a tight budget, I think they did a fair job.  Much snipping and condensing of plot will always take place in such a short adaptation.  I did enjoy the presence of Fanny’s brother the sailor William Price, as he is much more important to her than sister Susan who was left out of this version.  His explanation of a battle at the dinner table using salt shakers was reminiscent of the scene from Bend it Like Beckham, and very endearing.

It was hard to judge whether Billie Piper’s acting was any good in the first half as all she did was stand in the corner with her lips wrapped around her teeth and peer out from under her bushy dark brow.  Her fellow actors were good, especially Hayley Atwell as Mary Crawford who was delightfully scheming.  And I love Jemma Redgrave, but when the DVD jacket touted “starring Jemma Redgrave (Bramwell) as Fanny’s observant aunt” I almost fell off my chair. Again, you have to forget how Jane Austen created the character and just enjoy Ms. Redgrave’s more wide awake interpretation of Lady Bertram.  Mrs. Norris wasn’t nearly mean enough in this one either.  Come on, the cat in Harry Potter was wayyyyy nastier.

I know, you are thinking, I thought she said she kind of liked it.  And I did, truly.  Perhaps it was the lowered expectations from all the reviews, or maybe I was just in a good mood. Cutting out the Susan character and the location of Portsmouth were not really distressing (although punishing Fanny by leaving her alone in a large country house without any tiresome relations is not going to make her want to marry Henry).  And the dancing on the lawn, although odd, can be forgiven.  But the scene when Edmund is struck by a thunderbolt of love, not 3 minutes after learning that his adored Mary is actually a cold hearted, conniving b___, and utters the line “Fanny, I have always loved...(wait for it)...this room.” (?!?!) Really! Where is Andrew Davies when you really need him?  Poor Blake Ritson. He is very cute however and the young girls seem quite happy with his dishy Edmund.

But, the scenery is gorgeous, the actors are fun to watch, and sometimes it is actually enjoyable to shout “Nooooo.......” at the screen in mock disgust.  

So, if you haven’t seen this one yet, lower your expectations and enjoy it for what it is.  Jane Austen-ish and very pretty to look at.  And feel free to shout at the screen at any time. It’s very cathartic.

Run of Anne from Persuasion 2007

Persuasion 1995 & 2007

Persuasion is beloved by many of us as Jane Austen’s swan song, perhaps a look at how she would have liked her own story to have played out.  A tale of second chances.  It has had two recent and affectionate adaptations, one by the BBC in 1995 and one by ITV in 2007.  They are both rated almost equally by IMDb and are both equally well worth watching.  You will find many things to like about both and will probably find a few irritants also, but that is how these films go!

1995-This version rates slightly higher in my estimation for a few reasons.    It is beautifully shot cinematically and I adore the classical music soundtrack which is appropriate and also gives a slightly nautical feel at times (although my husband found the music annoying, so it is all personal taste).  Ciaran Hines is weatherworn and looks like he could have been at sea for 8 years. Amanda Root is quiet, strong and makes you want to root for her (OK, I couldn’t resist the pun). The other reason for placing this adaptation slightly higher on my list would be the fact that they kept the "best scene"  basically intact as Austen wrote it.  When Anne is overheard by Captain Wentworth in the room at Bath, debating with Captain Harville whether man or woman is more constant, my heart soars.  “You pierce my soul.  I am half agony, half hope.”   This is one of Jane Austen’s best scenes and in this film it is very well done.  I also love the minor characters in this one, particularly Phoebe Nicolls as Elizabeth Elliot-”She is a Viscountess!” and Corrin Redgrave as Sir Walter Elliot.  His slight lisp makes me laugh.  Sophie Thompson was at her best, being a just neurotic enough Mary Musgrove who will now always speak in my head as I read the book.  And Susan Fleetwood (sister of Fleetwood Mac’s drummer Mick Fleetwood) was luminous as Lady Russell, although she was battling ovarian cancer while filming this and died soon after.

2007-  This version is also very well done, even though all the running of Anne around the Royal Crescent and through various streets in Bath has been parodied on You Tube and seems very modern, however we do see a lot of lovely Bath scenery this way. The dragged out kiss at the end as well made me want to throw something at the screen so that they would just get on with it, and yet there are many tributes to the ending kiss on YouTube, so many would disagree. Ah, one person finds this scene sexy and another person fixates on the spittle at the side of her mouth.

However I cannot deny that Rupert Penry-Jones makes a delightful Captain Wentworth and that Sally Hawkins does a kick ass job of Anne.  She can even fix a dislocated collar bone.  Why wait for the apothecary?  And it is filmed mostly in Bath, which adds to the visual appeal.  And although they do tinker with my beloved eavesdropping/note writing scene, it is done for plot reasons and comes off fairly well with the letter being delivered to Anne instead of being surreptitiously passed to her.  One does certainly feel Anne’s anxiety as she searches the streets of Bath for her yummy Captain, determined not to lose him once more.  

No, both of these adaptations are quite welcome in my DVD library.  And I like that Wentworth buys her Kellynch Hall at the end of the new one.  Apparently the Elliots really mismanaged their fortune, although wouldn’t Anne sort of be forced to then invite her stupid father and sister to live with her there?  I rather enjoy the end of the older version, where Anne is on board ship with her Captain and leaving her inane family behind in England. OK, I know I am over thinking these adaptations, but when you get fond of a character, you wish to have them really live happily ever after.

And, as Anne always gets her Captain, I will always be happy with the ending.  So I guess we won't have any more Persuasion adaptations for a while.  If we do, perhaps we can get a true longer miniseries so that we get more of the juicy bits between Anne and Wentworth.  Come on BBC, adapt this again like you did with the recent Emma.  Sigh.........

Emma 1996 BBC

The other 1996 version done by the BBC and starring Kate Beckinsale with screenplay by Andrew Davies. The poor BBC had the bad luck to bring this out the same year as the above Hollywood version. This is also a lovely version of Emma. We are spoilt for choice with Emma.  Kate Beckinsale does a great job of bringing Emma to life. This version is a bit darker looking and perhaps then more realistic version.  Mark Strong is a yummy Mr. Knightly.  Any of these Mr. Knightlys could scold me any day.  

I am not so fond of Lucy Robinson as Mrs. Elton. She sounds positively American at times (I suppose this is how Brits try to sound annoying!).  And Prunella Scales was too old to play Miss Bates at 63, I thought, although she did a fairly good job of it. Samantha Morton was cute as Harriet Smith.

Overall, another great job of adapting Emma.  I will continue to watch all three adaptations as they are all satisfying in a different way.  I do love the new 2009 longer miniseries version the best, partly from the casting and partly from the extra length allowing plot development.

Now, we must not have any more Emmas for a while but perhaps instead, try a stab at Mansfield Park by the BBC in a longer miniseries with a real Fanny Price. There’s a thought.

Emma 1996

I will give a nod to the other Emma versions here, as there are many fans who adore them.  First, the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow version.  This is beautifully filmed in true Hollywood style.  The costumes are to die for and Paltrow does a good Emma, although I wouldn’t really want to be her friend.  And I must say that Jeremy Northam’s Mr. Knightly is sooooo sexy. Mmmmmmmmmmm.........  
Harriet Smith’s character occasionally gets lost in Toni Collette’s high comedy, although my sister will kill me for this as she loves her version of Harriet.  And Allen Cummings is at his best in the carriage proposal scene.  Bravo. Sophie Thompson’s Miss Bates is also basically perfection.  And my sister also likes to point out that you would be hard pressed to find a better Augusta Elton than Juliet Stephenson.  Agreed. Still, the main character of Emma is in my humble opinion better played by Romola than by Gwenyth but I do still love this much shorter version.  “Try not to kill my dogs.”  Yes,  this one has a permanent spot on my shelf.

Emma 2009

This new 4 part miniseries by the BBC is hot off the presses as I write this.  I love it! Oh my goodness this one is a keeper. Romola Garai brings a fresh take on Emma and is more likeable than either Gwyneth  or Kate B.  She truly pulls you into the story and it really tugs at your heart when things begin to go awry for her. Romola’s facial expressions throughout are delightful. 
The scenery as usual, is heavenly.  I was especially enchanted with the location for Hartfield which was filmed at the unusually named Squerrye’s Court, Kent.  I absolutely want to move there. Ok, visit there?  It is very pretty inside and totally breathtaking outside.  The grounds, the house, I even liked the 6 chimneys on the roof.  I very rarely have house envy in these adaptations, but I really could live there.  Anybody want to come with me?  It is open Wed and Sun all spring and summer and only £7!  The house used for Donwell Abbey is not really too appealing, so I can understand why Mr. Knightly is not bothered at all to move in with the Woodhouses.BBC obviously spared no expense on this one.  

Well cast is Jonny Lee Miller (aka the former Mr. Angelina Jolie) as Mr. Knightly-very yummy indeed. His scolding isn’t really too heavy handed and the chemistry between him and Romola Garai is lovely.  So much said with only a few wistful looks on each side.  Sigh.Mr. Woodhouse is lovingly played by Michael Gambon, who has enchanted us before as Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters and Mr. Holbrook in Cranford.  He gives a more sympathetic portrayal than others have done.  You can see that he was devastated by his wife’s sudden death and all of his fussing actually seems justified in this light.  He is also more active, outside more and less feeble than we are used to in a Mr. Woodhouse, although still very well bundled up.Miss Bates, Tamsin Greig, is very good, although she channels Sophie Thompson’s version a bit at times.  But again, more sympathetic and less over the top than in other versions.

Mr. Elton, well, what can we say here?  They have certainly made him more handsome by casting Blake Ritson, which works well with his foppishness and conceit and also makes it more likely that he could have the girls of Highbury swooning.  This also shows that Emma is not impressed by a handsome face alone. The fact that both he and Jonny Lee Miller played Edmund Bertram in the last 2 versions of Mansfield Park is unusual to say the least (as is the fact that Jonny Lee Miller’s second acting gig at the age of 11 was the role of Charles Price in the 1983 BBC Mansfield Park).  This just goes to prove the 20 British actors theory of my sister’s.  I have to complement Blake’s acting, both in the carriage proposal scene and at the end where he is joining Harriet and Mr. Martin in matrimony.  Priceless!

Christina Cole as Mrs. Elton (Augusta!) is starting to get a little typecast in the witchy-poo role in so many productions, starting with Clarissa in What a Girl Wants and more recently as Caroline Bingley in Lost in Austen.  She does it well however, and she looks to be having a great deal of fun tossing her curls and attacking Jane Fairfax at every corner.

Now the role of Harriet Smith is rather tenderly done by newcomer Louise Dylan. She plays more of the innocence and naivete of the character rather than the stupidity and goofiness of other Harriets (sorry Toni Collette).  I thought she did a lot with a rather difficult role.

Jodhi May is a little under utilized here as Miss Taylor/Mrs. Weston.  To truly see her act, just pop in Daniel Deronda (you will also not be disappointed with Hugh Dancy’s countenance or with Romola Garai’s dresses in DD!)  The actress playing Emma’s sister, Poppy Miller, sort of steals the show at the end where Emma and Mr. Knightly set out on their honeymoon.  For that matter, the character of John Knightly is a lovely surprise as played by Dan Fredenburgh.  He is playful and fun to watch.  The Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax characters are well played but unexceptional. Perhaps this is more to do with the fact that I never really warm to these two in any version.  Must be how Jane Austen wrote them.

I have to say that I love to get a little misty eyed when watching an adaptation for the first time and I counted at least twice that I was a little sniffy.  Maybe it was hormones but I think the production must be given credit for the tears.Well done Emma, well done indeed.

Sense and Sensibility 1995

Emma Thompson is a goddess.  I just want to put that out there as a fact, as irrefutable as the earth being round.  Her version of S&S from 1995 will be watched 100 years from now.  It just will. This film is one which I pop in to the DVD player when I feel like I need a good cry.  As I am typing this the music of Marianne at the piano playing her melancholy tunes instantly pops into my head.
 

 I am afraid of going on for fear of gushing here.  Of course, the main reason for the success of this film is Emma Thompson’s script (and she truly channeled Jane Austen for this) and her vision for the film.  Ang Lee as director gave the beauty of the locations and the talent of the actors the ability to shine here. Yes, there are small annoyances like Hugh Grant’s stiff neck substituting for real acting.  But Sir John and Mrs. Jennings are hilarious, John and Fanny Dashwood in the scene where she talks him out of giving the girls any of the inheritance is just as Jane Austen would have wanted it done.  The three sisters and their grieving mother draw you into their world.  Alan Rickman is wonderful as Brandon with his silky voice and sad eyes.  And Greg Wise is so dashing as Willoughby that Emma Thompson just had to marry him 8 years later, the lucky girl.  She deserves him.

 Music....perfection.  Beautiful scenery and locations....check. Top notch acting.... all there.  Very little to gripe about here other than the fact that it was only 136 minutes long and that she has not adapted any other Jane Austen novel or any period drama for that matter.  Nanny McPhee is cute, but we need your Cambridge trained brain working on other pieces for us Emma.  We love you. Actually, I just looked on IMDb and she is apparently the writer of the screenplay for My Fair Lady 2012.  I wait with bated breath.

One more note for anyone who loved this film.  You can purchase the screenplay (mildly interesting) which also includes her diary from the making of the film (hilarious and incredibly interesting). 

And now, I must also request some more non fiction writing from Ms. Thompson as her wit is too good to keep to herself.

Pride and Prejudice 1995

For many of us, this is the one that started it all.  Some of you read the book first, however many more of us were hooked by either the Colin Firth wet shirt version of 1995 or with the Keira Knightly muddy hem version of 2005 and then went on to read the amazing book.  The adaptation you saw first probably says more about your age than anything and it is probably the version you prefer. One of my former work colleagues actually disliked Colin Firth as Darcy (?!?!) and preferred the old BBC version from the 1980s.  It would seem that every generation needs its own Darcy.

So, with my own prejudice, I will start with my 1995 version.  This one got me through a long winter with a baby and a 3 year old as I videotaped it from television and just about wore out the tapes before I  could purchase the VHS videos.  Yes you young ones, this was before DVDs were widely available.  As a small aside, the VHS tapes had better colour (really noticeably) and were the perfect length at 1 hour each on 6 tapes.  The DVD is broken up as two 3 hour discs which one is tempted to watch all at once but all too often have to abandon mid disc when real life intrudes,  e.g. “Can I have a ride, Mom?” Honestly!

Well, Colin Firth was for me, the definitive Darcy.  He just owned the role and scenes like “the look” over the piano at Pemberley still make me swoon.  Certainly, it is not a perfect production, but there are so many perfect moments that the over all effect would make Miss Austen proud, I think.  Alison Steadman as Mrs. Bennett is a little shrill, or a lot shrill depending on your tolerance level but the rest of the casting is spot on.  Jennifer Ehle has the confidence and playfulness to be quite believable as Lizzy, even if she was a little older than Lizzy.  I love the fact that Ehle and Firth had a fling while filming this.  Even she couldn’t resist Colin’s Mr. Darcy.  And I think that Benjamin Whitrow will never be equalled as Mr. Bennett.  When he kisses her forehead in his study near the end, it makes me wish my Dad was still around. 

At 300 minutes, the amazing Andrew Davies was able to make a script that really did justice to Jane Austen’s book without being too slavish.  He added some things and changed others to the benefit of the story.  However, at times such as the proposal scene at Hunsford, Miss Austen’s words are kept virtually intact and brought to life better than I could ever have imagined in my head. Colin Firth’s proposal “In vain I have struggled, it will not do.  My feelings will not be repressed.” is perfection.  In this production, even the minor characters like Mary Bennett, the Bingley sisters and Maria Lucas are done justice and really help us to be in the story.  Only at the very end does one wish that there were more time to spend with Lizzy and her Mr. Darcy before they drive off in their carriage.  There are actually some conversations between them at the end of the book which have never been dramatized. P&P 2015 perhaps?

I am surprised at how many men actually love this production.  But why shouldn’t they love Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth as much as we love Darcy, and the sheer magnificence of the production with it’s attention to detail, gorgeous sets and impeccable acting and direction should bridge the gender gap. The music is also very in tune with the entire production and brings it to life.

I am considering purchasing this new restored edition as my DVD edition has washed out color in it.  It was very surprising to me that my old VCR tapes gave better color than the DVDs.  I guess that is why they restored it.  If someone has this, please post and tell me if it is worth replacing my DVDs.  Mine are getting pretty warped and just about to be relegated to drink coasters as it is, but if this is better (or the Blu-ray), let me know.

In any case, this one is hard to beat and is very dear to the hearts of many viewers all over the world.  This is the one that really started the resurgence of Austen mania the world over.