Earlier this week, the BFF kindly sms-ed telling me of JA shows to be aired later this month. Mr. Darcy also noted this for me. Upon asking him what the shows were, he said something along the lines of "some bookclub and sense & sensibility".I retorted, "Oh Jane Austen Bookclub and what version of SS?" Mr. Darcy shrugged. Typical :-)
Yes, chances are and unless they are pre-90s versions, I would've seen 'em all. Which then caused me to think which versions of the shows I liked best.
So here goes:
Pride and Prejudice
Initially titled "First Impression", PP first published in 1813 was JA's second published novel. PP is perhaps the most 're-made' into movies of all JA's novels. The first movie was made in 1940, followed by 're-makes' in 2003 and 2005. The most notable TV series were made in 1980 and 1995 (my favourite!!). Stage/broadway versions (yes, there were!!) made in 1936, 1959, 1995 (album concept only) and 2008! There were also numerous related works of PP; namely Bridget Jones Diary' (Colin Firth aka Mr. Darcy was Mr. Darcy here!) and Bride & Prejudice. Very good shows too, might I add!I've only seen the 1980, 1995 and 2005 'true' PP versions. Of these, I am very much in favour of the TV series 1995 starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Being the longest version (gosh, can't remember the show duration!) it expands the story line better than the 2005 movie. The 1980 version was 'staged', typical of 70/80 TV series work - didn't like it! From then on, all 'other' Mr. Darcys had to knock Firth off his pedestal. He IS Mr. Darcy! Even Matthew Macfadden's " you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love..I love...I love you" *sigh* couldn't move me....well very nearly did...okay, it did!
:-) As for Lizzy Bennet, Jennifer Ehle was perfect, I thought. She embodied fiestyness, maturity and sweetness all in one! Much better than Keira did - she was little too modern and ugly for my liking, plus she looked like she needed to be fed more than she needed Mr. Darcy!! Finally the WHOLE supporting cast for PP95 blew PP2005's cast out of the water for me.
On the note of Mr. Darcy, Elliot Cowan of "Lost in Austen", a parody of PP was also an excellent brooding Mr.Darcy! Its too bad, the show was NOT a remake of PP, else my loyalty to Colin Firth would be shaken to the core!!
Sense & Sensibility
I have seen Emma Thompson's adaption, SS95. Made by Hollywoon, it boasts of stars! Hugh Grant, Huge Lawrie, Kate Winslet, James Fleet (Didn't make the connection that he is Hugo Horton of Vicar!!) , Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. Yes, celebrities gallore. I really loved the story.
Then I came across Sense & Sensibility 2008, an adaption for TV by Andrew Davies. Amidst the many debates surrounding which version was better, SS08 won me over!
While the general casting of SS95 were excellent, I didn't quite buy Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson as Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood! Hugh Grant was too 'clumsy' and insipid to be Edward and Emma was just way too 'old' to be Elinor. However Kate Winslet, Gemma Jones and Greg Wiese were excellent as Mariane, Mrs. Dashwood and Willoughby! I have mixed feelings about Alan Rickman as Col. Brandon. David Morrissey as Col. Brandon is worse!
In SS08, Hattie Morahan was the PERFECT Elinor! Young, matured and emotionally trapped. A lovely sister and daughter, you understood why Edward fell in love with her from the get go! The casting of Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars caused quite an uproar amongst hard-core JA followers, for being too handsome! Of course JA wrote Edward as being 'boring' and 'plain'; I totally agree but don't complain! He complements the 'wet-shirt' scene beautifully! As for the other cast members, I am not too crash hot about i.e David Morrisey as Col. Brandon was just tooo creepy! Dominic Cooper as Willoughby was too sinister! Charity Wakefield as Marianne was too sappy! Etc etc!
But aside from gawking Dan Stevens and adoring Hattie Morahan, SS08 expands the novel a little more than the movie. Plus I love the proposal scene in the end! Classy!
Ok that's Sense & Sensibility
Next
Persuasion
What can I say about MY most favourite JA's movie! The adaption in 1995 starring Amanda Roots & Ciaran Hinds is so beautiful! This version is more succint to the novel, albeit not that much longer in duration than the newer 2008 version. I find Amanda is just a little haggard but still excellent as the very sad turned very happy Anne Elliot. You can feel her sadness and her wanting to be forgiven by the captain; your heart just goes out to her!And Hinds rock as Captain Wentworth. His long-held anger towards her is evident, yet his eyes betrays still how much he longs for her!! This version, you hear the FULL length of his 'proposal letter "You pierce my soul, I am half agony, half hope" OMG! And oh, how they made up in the end is just so sweet "I tried to forget you, I thought I had" *someone please slap me!*
Andrew Davies (he's a busy man!) made adaption for TV series in 2008, starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry Jones (OMG!!!). I cannot say if I like this version better because I wasn't drawn to the rest of the cast. I felt the story line was in 'shambles' and way too rushed. The scene where Anne runs (yes RUNS like a mad woman) through Bath to catch up with Capt. Wentworth was utterly ridiculous!! I was also very 'disgusted' with the kissing-with-spit-hanging-out-in-the-corner-of-her-mouth scene in the end! And with Sally gasping to breathe as she reaches for Rupert! Why couldn't he just jolly well stoop a little to make life easier for poor Sally! And you doNOT get the full length of that famous proposal letter! So apart from swooning over RPJ, this version was so-so!
Nexxxt...
Mansfield Park
I've only seen the adaption for movie in 1999 by Patricia Rozema starring Frances O'connor and Johnny Lee Miller (MP1999) and an adaption for TV in 2008 by Maggie Wadey starring some very weird people, save for Blake Ritson (fiance of Hattie Morahan). Having Billie Piper play Fanny Price is ludicrous! How do you get a tart play a prude?? Go figure!I had so much trouble with this, I couldn't get past the story. I thought Frances was better as Fanny in MP1999. Would be nice to have Blake play opposite her though, but Johnny Lee was good as Edmund too. MP1999 was also better casted.
Nexxxxt
Emma
The 1996 movie version starring Gwenth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, wins for me. Its was shot beautifully and the casting excellent. Having said that, I have not really seen the 1996 TV version featuring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. I can imagine that would be a good one too. I will have to actually SEE it to make a comparison of sort!
Finally
Northanger Abbey
I remember watching a 1986 version of this show. It must've been so unentertaining and unimpressive that I had even forgotten I have the VHS version in my cabinet!! It was a weird show!!
Then I came across the adaption made for TV in 2008 featuring Felicity Jones and JJ Fields. I quite liked the story! Very different from other JA novels but entertaining all the same, with gothic influence (hah, bet you didn't think JA was capable of that!). I think JJ Field was absolutely charming as Henry Tilney but I felt Felicity Jones was a little 'off' as Catherine Morland - yes, like Billie Piper I thought she looked a little tart-ish, all pouty and just waiting to be kissed up! Blech!!
What I find really ironic is that JA wrote about the women; Lizzy, Elinor, Anne, Emma, Catherine and Fanny! Yet in the movies, it's the men that draws the viewing audience. We want to see a dashing Mr. Darcy, Mr. Ferrars, Capt.Wentworth, Mr.Knightley, Mr. Tilney and Mr.Bertram! We want to be swept off our feet by them! Why has JA and movie-makers like Andrew Davies captured our imagination? I guess its because somehow, somewhere (or just hoping that we do!) we identify with the girls! There are bits of Lizzy, Elinor, Anne, Emma, Fanny and Catherine in all of us. I think, anyway. So we would WISH our men are those depicted by screenwriters.
*sigggh* That's it folks. My 10cents worth of opinion, not that anyone really cared :-)
Btw, I have seen JABC and enjoyed it, very much!
Then I came across Sense & Sensibility 2008, an adaption for TV by Andrew Davies. Amidst the many debates surrounding which version was better, SS08 won me over!
While the general casting of SS95 were excellent, I didn't quite buy Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson as Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood! Hugh Grant was too 'clumsy' and insipid to be Edward and Emma was just way too 'old' to be Elinor. However Kate Winslet, Gemma Jones and Greg Wiese were excellent as Mariane, Mrs. Dashwood and Willoughby! I have mixed feelings about Alan Rickman as Col. Brandon. David Morrissey as Col. Brandon is worse!
In SS08, Hattie Morahan was the PERFECT Elinor! Young, matured and emotionally trapped. A lovely sister and daughter, you understood why Edward fell in love with her from the get go! The casting of Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars caused quite an uproar amongst hard-core JA followers, for being too handsome! Of course JA wrote Edward as being 'boring' and 'plain'; I totally agree but don't complain! He complements the 'wet-shirt' scene beautifully! As for the other cast members, I am not too crash hot about i.e David Morrisey as Col. Brandon was just tooo creepy! Dominic Cooper as Willoughby was too sinister! Charity Wakefield as Marianne was too sappy! Etc etc!But aside from gawking Dan Stevens and adoring Hattie Morahan, SS08 expands the novel a little more than the movie. Plus I love the proposal scene in the end! Classy!
Ok that's Sense & Sensibility
Next
Persuasion
What can I say about MY most favourite JA's movie! The adaption in 1995 starring Amanda Roots & Ciaran Hinds is so beautiful! This version is more succint to the novel, albeit not that much longer in duration than the newer 2008 version. I find Amanda is just a little haggard but still excellent as the very sad turned very happy Anne Elliot. You can feel her sadness and her wanting to be forgiven by the captain; your heart just goes out to her!And Hinds rock as Captain Wentworth. His long-held anger towards her is evident, yet his eyes betrays still how much he longs for her!! This version, you hear the FULL length of his 'proposal letter "You pierce my soul, I am half agony, half hope" OMG! And oh, how they made up in the end is just so sweet "I tried to forget you, I thought I had" *someone please slap me!*
Andrew Davies (he's a busy man!) made adaption for TV series in 2008, starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry Jones (OMG!!!). I cannot say if I like this version better because I wasn't drawn to the rest of the cast. I felt the story line was in 'shambles' and way too rushed. The scene where Anne runs (yes RUNS like a mad woman) through Bath to catch up with Capt. Wentworth was utterly ridiculous!! I was also very 'disgusted' with the kissing-with-spit-hanging-out-in-the-corner-of-her-mouth scene in the end! And with Sally gasping to breathe as she reaches for Rupert! Why couldn't he just jolly well stoop a little to make life easier for poor Sally! And you doNOT get the full length of that famous proposal letter! So apart from swooning over RPJ, this version was so-so!Nexxxt...
Mansfield Park
I've only seen the adaption for movie in 1999 by Patricia Rozema starring Frances O'connor and Johnny Lee Miller (MP1999) and an adaption for TV in 2008 by Maggie Wadey starring some very weird people, save for Blake Ritson (fiance of Hattie Morahan). Having Billie Piper play Fanny Price is ludicrous! How do you get a tart play a prude?? Go figure!I had so much trouble with this, I couldn't get past the story. I thought Frances was better as Fanny in MP1999. Would be nice to have Blake play opposite her though, but Johnny Lee was good as Edmund too. MP1999 was also better casted.Nexxxxt
Emma
The 1996 movie version starring Gwenth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, wins for me. Its was shot beautifully and the casting excellent. Having said that, I have not really seen the 1996 TV version featuring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. I can imagine that would be a good one too. I will have to actually SEE it to make a comparison of sort!Finally
Northanger Abbey
I remember watching a 1986 version of this show. It must've been so unentertaining and unimpressive that I had even forgotten I have the VHS version in my cabinet!! It was a weird show!!
Then I came across the adaption made for TV in 2008 featuring Felicity Jones and JJ Fields. I quite liked the story! Very different from other JA novels but entertaining all the same, with gothic influence (hah, bet you didn't think JA was capable of that!). I think JJ Field was absolutely charming as Henry Tilney but I felt Felicity Jones was a little 'off' as Catherine Morland - yes, like Billie Piper I thought she looked a little tart-ish, all pouty and just waiting to be kissed up! Blech!!What I find really ironic is that JA wrote about the women; Lizzy, Elinor, Anne, Emma, Catherine and Fanny! Yet in the movies, it's the men that draws the viewing audience. We want to see a dashing Mr. Darcy, Mr. Ferrars, Capt.Wentworth, Mr.Knightley, Mr. Tilney and Mr.Bertram! We want to be swept off our feet by them! Why has JA and movie-makers like Andrew Davies captured our imagination? I guess its because somehow, somewhere (or just hoping that we do!) we identify with the girls! There are bits of Lizzy, Elinor, Anne, Emma, Fanny and Catherine in all of us. I think, anyway. So we would WISH our men are those depicted by screenwriters.
*sigggh* That's it folks. My 10cents worth of opinion, not that anyone really cared :-)
Btw, I have seen JABC and enjoyed it, very much!
