Bump-dee-bump-bump.

I finally finished Sense and Sensibility. Then I watched this version. Warning the following will include spoilers. While there were lines straight out of the book, I found that it was lacking in other areas. I know Lady Middleton isn't the strongest character every but that is no reason to kill her off before the movie began. (In other words making Sir John a widower.) I suppose since the movie was only 136 minutes they had to leave somethings out, but I was disappointed that they didn't include Willoughby's visit when Marianne was sick. I didn't feel the least bit sorry for him and his situation when I read his confession (and I didn't really understand how Elinor could), so I wanted to see if my opinion changed any when hearing it delivered. It really didn't do it justice having Col. Brandon saying that he heard that Willoughby had intended to ask Marianne to marry him. I was also a bit disappointed that they cut out Edward's visit to the cottage. Overall, they captured the characters well. The plot was still recognizable, and I didn't notice any huge departure on the personalities of the characters.

I started reading Emma the other day. I'm not too far yet. I'm liking the story but I don't care much for Emma as a character. I like Mr. Knightley.

I believe Jane Austen is on record saying that in creating Emma, she wanted to create a heroine that "no one but myself will much like".

Don't worry, though, for she is a sort of character who gets much better as the story goes on, as she learns how she's made mistakes and learns from those mistakes.

That's one thing I like about Austen's characters. They're not perfect, they make mistakes, they listen when others tell them they are making mistakes (eventually) and they learn from those mistakes and become better people. That sort of thing isn't all that common in fiction and I'd say should not be taken for granted.

I believe Jane Austen is on record saying that in creating Emma, she wanted to create a heroine that "no one but myself will much like".

I've never understood why people dislike Emma so much. I loved her when reading the book, and found her to be fascinating. Yet, every Austen fan I meet seems to not like her at all. Why is this?

Emma may be a bit manipulative and prejudice at times, but that doesn't make her a bad, or even unlikable, character. I've liked characters who are far worse than her. (I could even name some very likable characters who were complete rogues). What makes a good character is how interesting they are and how well they serve the story; not necessarily how admirable they are. Besides, I know people in real life who are a lot like Emma (or worse) and I'm still quite fond of them. People are imperfect. Imperfect characters are realistic. Doesn't mean we can't like them anyway.

By the way, I've read that quote by Austen. I don't think creating a heroine "that no one but herself would like" was her goal, per se. I think it was just an observation of what she thought people might think of her character. There are a lot of other quotes by Jane Austen where she is very humble like that, and almost runs down her works. But like I said, it comes across as more a sign of humility than an intentional act to make a character unlikable.

~Riella

Twigs, if you missed Willoughby's visit when Marianne was sick, I recommend this version. On the other hand, they cut Margaret, so in the cutting characters trade-off, I much prefer the '95 version...

Speaking of Emma, I recently had the opportunity to watch the Gwyneth Paltrow version. Based on what I remember of the book, the dialogue was nicely delivered and one can't really complain about most of the adaptation. (But watch! I'm going to. ) However, I was sometimes a little confused as to the identity of certain periphery characters, something I don't remember happening when I watched the 2009 Masterpiece version. My biggest nitpick would be with the picnic scene... I knew what was going on, but I felt that if I didn't already know I would be confused.

Oh, and I found several hairstyles rather... um... unflattering...

I've never found Emma unlikable, per say... just not a favourite literary acquaintance whose company I would actively seek.

Twigs, if you missed Willoughby's visit when Marianne was sick, I recommend this version. On the other hand, they cut Margaret, so in the cutting characters trade-off, I much prefer the '95 version...

Thanks Mel. I'll have to check that out.
Hmm, they cut Margaret? I guess I could see why they might do that.

Based on what I remember of the book, the dialogue was nicely delivered and one can't really complain about most of the adaptation. (But watch! I'm going to. )

I know the feeling.

That's one thing I like about Austen's characters. They're not perfect, they make mistakes, they listen when others tell them they are making mistakes (eventually) and they learn from those mistakes and become better people. That sort of thing isn't all that common in fiction and I'd say should not be taken for granted.

I like that too. Maybe I was a bit harsh in my statement about Emma. I don't necessarily dislike her. I don't feel about her the same I do Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood for example. On the other hand, I don't feel about her the way I do about Lady Catherine, Fanny Dashwood, Lucy Steele, or Caroline Bingley. *sigh* I'm not sure I'm making sense. I really like the way Austen describes Emma and her behavior. She is a believable character.

Don't worry, though, for she is a sort of character who gets much better as the story goes on, as she learns how she's made mistakes and learns from those mistakes.

I had a feeling that was the case, especially since I saw her mentioned along with Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy as a character who gave and took advice/ criticism.

Wow, a Jane Austen thread? Perfect timing!

"Pride & Prejudice": 1995 (Colin Firth) vs. 2005 (Matthew Macfadyen)

I finally saw the 2005 Hollywood adaptation last week. I watched it last night a second time, just to relax. It was the bright spot of yesterday and my week. I still prefer the 1995 BBC adaptation, ever since I saw it premiere on A&E in 1995, but I thought I’d give this version a chance.

Casting
I think the casting of 1995 almost perfect. Where 2005 does better is Mr. Collins, Charlotte Lucas [the two make an excellent pair, looking like siblings], Mary Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, and Caroline Bingley. Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet were less caricatures and more real people. But Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet is just all wrong. He seemed so effeminate, especially in the scene where Elizabeth explains why she loves Darcy. I was also annoyed that the 2005 women, Bennets and others, seemed thin – unlike their 1995 counterparts. I thought middle and higher income people ate well. Why did they decide to cast thin people?

Cinematography
I think 2005 seems more earthy and real than 1995, almost like such a story actually happened 200 years ago. It seems less like fiction and more like real life. We see this clearly in the Meryton ball when everyone is introduced. It feels like a country dance, open to the nearby villages. The private ball at Netherfield Hall is vastly different. 2005 brings home the contrast.

Even the 2005 Bennet home seems lived in – although my mom didn’t like the poverty feel and thought the 1995 home closer to reality, or at least Austen’s description of their home. The rain [loved those scenes of Elizabeth on the swing] and the animals helped. The question is, what does 1000 a year look like? How well off were the Bennets compared to their neighbors and the Bingleys? I don’t know. Maybe the best guess is what Jane Austen’s homes looked like.

The scenes of Elizabeth at Mr. Collins’ home, Rosings Park [Kent?], and Darbyshire were breathtaking. And that scene in the rain of Darcy’s proposal was positively erotic! Of course, the nude statues in Pemberley seemed unnecessarily erotic – certainly unlike 1995.

Final Thoughts

Obviously the 2005 director has a different vision of Austen’s book from the 1995 director, but he needs the casting director, cinematographer, and other key crew members to bring his vision to life. A film crew truly is a team. And each adaptation is a work of art in its own right.

About Emma...

I saw the BBC version with Kate Beckinsale in the late 1990s and hated it. I never liked Emma and I didn't even understand the plot. My dislike of this novel made me avoid the 2009 adaptation on PBS. Still, I finally saw the Hollywood version with Gwyneth Paltrow and loved it. The casting and script seemed perfect. It was a version I not only understood but enjoyed.

I just recently got into Jane Austen. I've seen Emma Thompson's S&S and really loved it. (Although Hugh Grant can have the most hilarious faces sometimes)

And this guy:

He just creeps me out. LoL

And I'm going to watch the 1940 version of P&P & the A&E version - it's so LONG!!! I'm excited though. I haven't read any of the books yet , I'm going to read Emma and P&P. Why don't you guys like Emma? It seems fine to me - I don't know, maybe that opinion will change once I read it.

@AslansChild: you liked that version of S&S? I thought it awful, even though I watched it twice. Of course, I can always watch it again.

Jane Austen
Pride & Prejudice – 1995 , 2005
Emma – 1996 with Gwyneth Paltrow, 1996 with Kate Beckinsale
Mansfield Park – 1999
Persuasion – 1995, 2007
Sense & Sensibility – 1995, 2008

Starred = read the book. Bold = favorite versions.

I want to read Mansfield Park and Persuasion someday. They’re my favorite stories. I just don’t have the time right now.

I love both versions of Persuasion; I enjoy each director’s vision. I’m beginning to feel the same with the two most recent versions of P&P. I never thought I would like the 2005 version and initially considered it a waste of time and money, since to me the 1995 version is perfect. Yet again, I enjoy each director’s vision.

I vastly prefer the 2008 version of S&S. I thought the casting and melodrama in the Emma Thompson version terrible! Most actors were too old for their parts. At least in 2008, the actors were closer to their characters’ ages. The Marianne / Colonel Brandon subplot felt more realistic and the entire film more intimate – like the 2005 version of P&P. Finally, I thought the 2005 P&P, the 1999 Mansfield Park, and 2008 Persuasion had the most eroticism, i.e. the female characters. I'm not sure why.

I want to be like Elizabeth Bennet - and be seen that way by both my peers and by eligible young men. My fear is that in real life, I'm more like Mary Bennet or Charlotte Lucas. I'm probably like Anne Elliot too...

Jane Austen in pop culture
“Becoming Jane” – I liked the casting and story. I had no idea Anne Hathaway was a Jane Austen expert, thanks to her senior thesis at Vassar.
“Bridget Jones Diary” – I’ve seen only twenty minutes of the first film. I find Renee Zellweger hard to take. She seemed a caricature.
“Clueless” (modern Emma) – this is one of my favorite movies!

Has anyone read the Jane Austen stories on FanFiction.net? I think some of them would make excellent codas and sequels to her novels. Others are just silly. I’d also love to see the main cast of the recent films appear in short “what if” sequels to Austen’s books.

What is Pemberley.com like?

Yup, I liked it! Very much I'm afraid, but then again it's the only Austen film I've seen. It may change once I start picking up some speed with my Austen obsession. (I'm a newbie ) And by the way, I just found out that Emma Thompson is married to Greg Wise...AKA - WILLOUGHBY!!!!! Weird......LoL

Pemberely is a very informative,, extensive, if not a tad disorganized website. Very good though, if you have the time to look at everything!

Here's what it says on the home page:

We, all of us, remember only too well the great relief we felt upon discovering this haven for Jane Austen Addicts. If your eyes did not widen, if you did not gasp in recognition, if you did not experience a frisson of excitement when you discovered a whole campful of soldiers - er - a whole websiteful of fellow Jane Austen Fanatics, then this place may not be for you. We are The Truly Obsessed here and have been known to talk for weeks about Jane Austen's spelling quirks and Mr. Darcy's coat ("No, no - the green one.")

So, yeah, there's alot. I'd suggest using the site map to navigate your way around. (It's on the homepage in the upper left hand side) There are forums there, but they aren't as well laid out as these, and a little odd. But again, there's ALOT of the stuff there, if it even remotely relates to Austen or her stuff, it'll be there.

Um, I read on Pemberely that there was a 2009 version of Emma. Is that true?

I know the feeling.

Why don't you guys like Emma? It seems fine to me - I don't know, maybe that opinion will change once I read it.

To some extent, it's the 'favourite Chronicle syndrome'. It's not that we don't enjoy the story, it's that when picking favourites there are others that come first.

I read on Pemberely that there was a 2009 version of Emma. Is that true?

Starring Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller, yes. And it has gorgeous cinematography.

Okay, I would like to first say I am love watching the Jane Austen movies/miniseries and I have never read any of the books, although I have tried a couple of times, but they were way to slow for me.

I have seen Pride & Prejudice (the 1995 miniseries and the 2005 movie), Sense and Sensibility (the 1995 movie and the 2008 miniseries), Emma (the 2009 miniseries), and Persuasion (the 1995 movie and the 2007 miniseries).

I hated the '95 version of P&P, it was so long and so slow. But I love the 2005 movie, it's one of my favorite movies. I really like the '95 version of Sense and Sensibility, my Mom and older sister found it at the thrifty shop a couple weeks for $3 and it's in perfect shape. We haven't watched it since we got the DVD, we need to watch it soon, just to be sure the DVD works fine. I didn't really care for the miniseries. I love Emma, my Mom, my sisters, and I just watched it last week. (AslansChild, if you haven't seen Emma yet, you really should. )And last but not least, Persuasion, my older sister bought the '95 version right after Christmas, and we all love it, it's great. But the miniseries was disappointing. And that is all I have to say about Jane Austen.

SnowAngel

Meltintalle: O, well, yeah, I can understand that. I don't see it as being my favorite, I think I'll like S&S alot, or maybe Persuasion, Hm...

As for the Emma movie - sounds good!

SnowAngel: "And that's all I have to say about Jane Austen."

LoL, well, that pretty much covers it!

Before I start reading Jane Austen's stuff, I'm reading this:

It's a mystery series based off of Jane Austen, her family, friends, and life. Ever read them? I'm only on the first chapter, but the style the author uses is very similar to Austen's. (I suppose because it's from Austen's point of view.)

I love Jane Austen's humor. Her jokes that she makes or the comical situations that occur in Pride and Prejudice and in Sense and Sensibility (and I assume all the rest. I have not finished Emma and I haven't read the rest.) are really funny! I love her interesting characters and I love Mary Bennet especially.

Why don't you guys like Emma? It seems fine to me - I don't know, maybe that opinion will change once I read it.

I find the book Emma a lot easier to get into than Sense and Sensibility. It captured my interest from the start while Sense and Sensibility doesn't capture my interest that well until towards the middle of the book. I don't find the character Emma as enjoyable as other Austen characters (although she does have her good qualities.) I might feel differently when I finish the book. I'm not even halfway through yet.