Jane Austen-at the movies

This is a doozy of a post...mainly for the girls.

I just finished watching the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice for the second time and realized as it was ending that Jane Austen has had a really good run of movies lately.

The six hour miniseries from 1995 definitely impressed many. Jennifer Ehle was such an exquisite interpretation of Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth certainly made a dashing Mr. Darcy. Our mothers and grandmothers had witnessed Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier in those roles many years before BBC attempted it's mammoth adaptation, and they were understandably leery. The 1940 film was stately and romantic. Olivier was gorgeous and Greer Garson is hard to beat in the looks department. But the great thing about the miniseries is that it never tried to compete w/ the classic film. It stayed extremely faithful to the book and in accomplishing that, succeeded in winning over its audience. Ehle is lovely but human. Her 'fine eyes' are always speaking, even when she is not. Firth is handsome but always a little awkward, an endearing trait. He stays austere but still manages to draw the viewing audience in, making them completely understand Elizabeth's quandry.

Pride and Prejudice is such a satisfying love story that it is difficult to screw up a film adaptation of it, as was evident in last year's shamelessly romantic version starring Keira Knightly. I went into it expecting to be underwhelmed but was every bit as enamoured of Knightly as I was of Ehle. She was a little more giddy and vivacious but still retained that wonderful intelligence I love, with an absolutely beautiful smile. The scene where she sees Pemberly for the first time is my favorite of both movies, I think. It was my favorite part of the book (oddly enough) and translated perfectly to film. I loved Matthew MacFayden as a darker, brooding, Mr Darcy...a little more to my physical taste as well. The romantic atmosphere was prevalent throughout the movie; lots of figures standing against sunsets, emerging from fog, enjoying the elements. Once again, Jane Austen SCORES!

Let's backtrack a bit. To another Jane Austen classic, Mansfield Park. The book was not my favorite of Austen's works. I found Fanny to be a tepid, bland sort of heroine. But lo' and behold! Here comes Frances O' Conner to prove me wrong. The 1999 film is a sheer delight, in spite of the quiet story from which it comes. Some fans of the book have really given me a dirty look about this, but there it is. The movie gave Fanny a new voice, a very hot love interest in Johnny Lee Miller, and a formidable family that you just love to hate. There were some liberties taken with the story that got alot of flack, but I actually enjoyed the slavery angle. Not the slavery itself, mind you, but the human quality it gave some of the more one-dimensional characters of the book. Another Touchdown for Jane!

Backtracking a little more: Sense and Sensibility was nominated for 7 oscars in 1995. And for good reason. While I don't believe it merits the same consideration as a book that Pride and Prejudice does, I believe this movie is one of the five best of the nineties. Every time I watch it (and we're in the double digits now, people), I am more impressed. Ang Lee has proven himself to be a brilliant director (gay cowboys aside) and this is , I believe, his best film. If you haven't seen this movie, if you hate Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant gets on your nerves, if you aren't a hopeless romantic, if period dramas aren't 'your thing', you will still love this movie. The screenplay is impeccable, the acting is superb by everyone involved (even Hugh Laurie's tiny role is standout), and it's gorgeous to look at. It's hard for me to pick out another movie that succeeds in making you love as many of its characters, as this one. GOAL!

And then, there's Emma. Emma of the muddled mind and good heart. Yes, the book is brilliant even if the lead character does make us shake our heads a few times. And all the movies are worth watching. I say 'all' because since 1995, there have been at least 3. Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone is the loosest adaptation of the story. But it still, despite all its silliness, tugs at the ol' heartstrings a little. This could partly be due to Amy Heckerling's deft handling of superficial teen angst (ala Fast Times at Ridgemont High) but I credit most of it to the timeless story of a young rich- girl attempting to better herself through matchmaking.

In 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale both tackled the role; Paltrow in the much touted cinematic adaptation and Beckinsale in the A & E version. While Paltrow was very good in her first (of many) british accented performances, Beckinsale was the winner here. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. The beautiful, pastel landcape and costumes of the big budget version are very appealing and like I said, Paltrow was very good. But the rest of the cast falls a little flat. Jane Fairfax was sadly overlooked in this version and barely says two words while Harriet (ably played to a klutzy turn by Toni Collette) is a bit too wide-eyed and klunky for the waifish Harriet of the book. Alan Cumming was sufficiently smarmy in his role but it was overdone for comic value...a little too overdone. Northam is beautiful and was every bit the stately aristocrat he should have been. But he and Paltrow both came up a little short in their ability to provide a 'human' quality to their characters and chemistry. And Ewan McGregor (with his dreadful hair extensions) was horribly miscast.

I can speak quite freely about that movie because, in my opinion, the A & E version is so superior in every way (excepting the aesthetic). Beckinsale is fantastic as Emma, providing just the right mix of priss and philanthropy. She's a wonderfully human, endearing, and coquettish little snob. Mark Strong lacks the physical good looks that Northam posseses but his Mr Knightly is absolutely engaging. I was truly in love with him by the end. Olivia Williams as Jane and Samantha Morton as Harriet are both perfect. They are given large, meaty roles that truly require intelligent delivery. Raymond Coulthard's 'puppy' of a Frank Churchill is so memorable that I am astonished I've never seen him since. And Mr and Mrs Elton are two of the funniest 'baddies' to grace the screen. Jane shoots-she SCORES!

Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Ciarin Hinds was also released in 1995 and is another worthy film. I saw it once, the year it was released, and it isnt fresh enough in my mind to justifiably review. Suffice it to say that Jane Austen would be proud.

So what about Northanger Abbey? I'm sure in the next few years we will hear it is indeed being adapted, possibly w/ Joel Schumacher at the helm and Lindsey Lohan tackling Catherine Morland (ach-can you imagine?). But until then, we will patiently wait.

Because hey, it's bound to be good.