Jane Austen Visualized, Film versions of her novels

Libraries nowadays have videos/DVDs as well as books, so I decided to post this topic here. I was fortunate enough to catch Persuasion (the 1995 BBC version) on TV this week and recalled that for some reason, I never got around to reading the book. The film inspired me to order and read it!

Researching the films, I found that there are multiple versions of most of Austen's novels. There are big name theatre versions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility, which I've seen, but I've only recently discovered the BBC made for TV movies/series.

I absolutely love the BBC's Pride and Prejudice! It has more time than the theatrical release, and for some reason, Keiry Knightley just wasn't Elizabeth for me, and the male actor who played Darcy didn't personify him like Colin Firth did. I thought the TV miniseries caught the spirit of the story and its characters very well indeed!

I did like Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma; however, I can't compare that movie to other versions, as it's the only one I've seen.

It's been awhile since I saw Sense and Sensibility (theatrical); I remember thinking that both Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet played their roles very well, and the English countryside was gorgeously filmed. Again, I haven't had opportunity to see any other versions.

The Persuasion film I saw on TV was the BBC adaptation. As I haven't yet read the book, I can't say how well it was adapted, but it seemed very well done to me. I liked the fact that the actors were unknown to me; that way, I was able to see the characters, not the actors, as so often happens when stars play a role.

So much for now - I hope others will add their opinions, and we can get into detail then. As an introduction, this should suffice!

I second the affection for the BBC's Pride and Prejudice! They adapted the book and brought it to life and was blessed with excellence in every department (acting, script, direction, locations, etc ... ) : the movie lacked many qualities, most importantly the spirit of the book. It felt rather like the movie's spirit had been siphoned off a Bronte novel.

There was a series of ITV adaptations earlier this year. They did Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. I really was not fond of the last one; Persuasion was all right; and I absolutely loved the Northanger Abbey one! It had Andrew Davies at its helm - same man as did P & P - hence part of the excellence, I think! It also had superb actors. Very enjoyable.

I like Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma: I think there were a few problems here and there in the movie, but by and large it swept along nicely and had some flashes of brilliance.

Sense and Sensibility - the version with Emma Thompson. I hate Hugh Grant in this: completely the wrong role for him. But I could kiss Alan Rickman for being an utterly perfect Colonel Brandon, and all the other characters too for being so good.

I've seen other Austen adaptations - but not recently enough to really say anything about them, I'm afraid - so this is me for now. :) Nice topic, Estelyn!

~ E

Ahem. Nobody does *anything* like Colin Firth did. (I stood behind him at a cashpoint once, you know...maybe my fingers even touched the same number keys as his....sigh....)

Anyway. Fangirl gushing aside...I preferred the BBC P&P to the recent film version. Mainly because the film Darcy did nothing for me. There was also a 1980s BBC P&P which I dimly remember watching once...the Darcy was very classically handsome but a bit wooden, and Elizabeth quite sprightly.I've also seen the Hollywood version with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, which was inexplicably moved forward to the 1830s. It was quite fun, Olivier rehashing his Maxmillian de Winter, really. But *every* version I've seen makes the same mistake...Elizabeth is always too pretty - much prettier than Jane. It should be the other way around.
(Except maybe the 1980s version)
I love Persuasion, the book - possibly my favourite Austen (re-read it this holiday) and really liked the BBC version. A friend of mine who is a big Jane-ite (and is also called Jane, funnily enough) disliked this version however, she didn't like the way Anne Elliott was portrayed.
I thought Sense and Sensibility was excellent.
I didn't see the recent Mansfield Park, or the ITV versions. There was a good Northanger Abbey done years ago, where they were all walking around in the baths with little trays round their necks.
The Paltrow Emma was ok, but there's something about her that annoys me. (Mind you, there's something about Emma Woodhouse that annoys me, too...)
I preferred Clueless, actually...

This post has been edited by Lalaith on August 22, 2007 03:07 pm

Lalaith

The recent ITV version of Northanger Abbey was good! I preferred it to the 1980s (horrendous 80s music) BBC version. Mansfield Park with Billie Piper was a bit weird and Persuasion was ok. What about the BBC Emma with Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong? I felt that was closer to the book than the Paltrow film.
Emily

I do not like the modern P&P at all!! <_< The "goddess divine" part at the end totally ruined it for me- I can not imagine Elizabeth in the book being so silly.

I love the BBC P&P :D


This post has been edited by Lufra on September 14, 2008 05:07 pm

Do you mean 'Lost in Austen'? I thought it was entertaining and some parts hilarious, but many more parts annoyed me. I think there must be wrong with a P&P film adaptation which makes you hate Darcy and really like Wickham!!!!! <_<

That really sounds very wrong!! :blink: "Lost in Austen" hasn't made it to Germany, and I'm not sure it will; Austen's books just aren't as well-known here as in English-speaking countries.

I brought back a few more Austen DVDs from my trip to England and have been watching them. Here are a few thoughts:

'Miss Austen Regrets' - a bio pic, taking place in the last years of Austen's life. She looks back; the feeling is often wistful, even melancholy. However, there are lots of humorous dialogues that show her incredible wit. The actress does a very good job in my opinion. This is definitely a movie (made for TV, I think) that I will watch again.

'Sense and Sensibility' - the new BBC adaptation. As I am not a fan of Hugh Grant, I looked forward to seeing a film of this novel that doesn't include him! :P I thought it was well done as a whole; the actors were well chosen, and the story came across convincingly.

'Persuasion' - the new version starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. I liked some aspects of this adaptation very well, though I have a few gripes. The actors who played the main characters were good; the hero Wentworth was definitely more attractive (psst, you could say "smokin' hot"!!) than in the earlier film. The story suffered somewhat from being cut down to 1 1/2 hours, but most aspects came through well enough. I did not like the scene near the end - without spoiling it, I can only say: "Run, Lola, Run" in a Regency version! :o

If you have seen these movies, I'd very much enjoy hearing your opinion!

I've seen them. I loved 'S&S'. I too am not a fan of Hugh Grant as Edward. I thought Dan Stevens was a fabulous Edward. The only thing about the film that really annoyed was the costumes. Eleanor, Marianne and Margaret's clothes all looked like they had been in the washing machine at least a hundred times and then dragged through a few hedges.

Out of the 3 ITV adaptaions I thought 'Northanger Abbey' was the best. I loved JJ Feild as Henry Tilney :wub: ^_^ and Felicity Jones was very good as Catherine.

I hated the new 'Mansfeild Park'. So many things annoyed me, the costumes, the actors/actresses (none really seemed right for their part except Blake Ritson as Edmund) and that they took out the Portsmouth scenes. Also the who filmed seemed so rushed.

I thought 'Persuasion' was great. I agree that the actors were good and Penry-Jones is a perfect Wentworth. The running scene was weird. I don't know if anyone has seen this video that someone posted on youtube, it is so funny :lol: .

It thought 'Miss Austen Regrets' was really interesting and very well acted.

This post has been edited by Georgiana on November 16, 2008 03:04 pm

Thank you for linking to that video, Georgiana! That is so funny - and I'm not the only one who connected Anne's race with "Run, Lola, Run"!

I haven't seen or read Northanger Abbey yet; since you recommend it, I'm sure it's worth a try.

I would definately recommend the book it is my favourite of Austen's novels tied with 'P&P' of course ^_^ . The most recent 'NA' adaptation is definately the best out of all the 'NA' ones. :)

Do you mean 'Lost in Austen'? I thought it was entertaining and some parts hilarious, but many more parts annoyed me. I think there must be wrong with a P&P film adaptation which makes you hate Darcy and really like Wickham!!!!! <_<

Or did Lufra mean that really Bronte-esque adaptation of P&P with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen? It was released a couple of years ago if I remember correctly, and although it had its good points I thought it had a lot more bad points ... <_< P & P is just too wide a book to be condensed into film length, plus the scripwriters had tried to make it very dramatic like Wuthering Heights or some such. For example one of the final scenes was an open-shirted Darcy striding across moors at sunrise to meet a nightgowned Elizabeth. But Jane Austen of course was a writer who tried to go the other direction, to mock high drama and show the ordinariness and charm of real life. So I felt the adaptation lost the spirit of Austen and didn't gain much in return ...

I too love the recent adaptation of Northanger Abbey! It was so charming and witty and so true to the spirit of the (wonderful) book. :)

~ E

Oh I hated the 2005 P&P. The ending was really weird, the costumes were wrong :angry: , Keira Knightlely did not suit the part of Lizzie, they made the Bennet's too poor and I agree it shouldn't have been cut down to film length. I could go on and on with things I hate about it. When it first came out I read a review by an Austen fan who said that half way through watching the film in the cinema she wanted to stand up and start shouting "NO, NO" at the screen. I really wanted to do that as well! There were a couple of things I loved about it though, Simon Woods as Bingley :wub: and the soundtrack. :)

I have to agree with the general disapproval of the modern P&P - I can deal with changes when a book is filmed, but when the whole spirit of the original work is altered, I don't like it. I thought the casting was not as good - after the wonderful BBC Mr Bennett and Cousin Collins, the actors playing the roles in the new movie simply did not measure up. I'd have to see it again to go into detail though; I must admit, I haven't been tempted to buy the DVD. Maybe when it comes on TV, or rental...

The change in appropriate period behaviour is even more astonishing when it comes at the end of a film that was otherwise well done, such as the running scene in the new "Persuasion".

Yes! "Bronte-esque adaptation" is a wonderful way to describe that monstrosity that they were puffing off as P&P. The Bennetts were definitely less than satisfactory in social status and attire!