"It has nothing at all of Jane Austen in it."
Elsa Solender, former president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, on the new Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice. (via WoMag)
So, take your time, and watch the classic BBC version instead. It, has everything of Austen in it.
UPDATE: Veith disagrees.
So, take your time, and watch the classic BBC version instead. It, has everything of Austen in it.
UPDATE: Veith disagrees.
posted on 11/15/2005 | permalink | more bloggy goodness
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4 Comments:
And the worst part is that it doesn't have Colin Firth in it! ;-)
True. Overall, I'm not impressed with the caliber of the cast. I suppose if it brings Austen to a new age of readers that will be a good thing, but I've no idea how they'll fit 6 hours into 2.
If you want a video P&P with even more Austen than the Ehle/Firth version from 1995, check out the 1984 BBC version. Visually, it's not as slick as the popular 1995 version, but for my money this earlier version brings out more of the comedic detail of Austen's novel than even the excellent 1995 version. (Caution: some folks think that the actor who plays Darcy in this version, David Rintoul, is stiff or "one-note" in the role, but I don't find him to be so.) In my opinion, every collection of Austen videos ought to have both versions of P&P.
While I'm at it, let me put in a good word for another 1980's Austen adaptation, this one of Mansfield Park. If you can overlook the somewhat dated visual appearance of this version (like the aforementioned P&P, its interior scenes were videotaped rather than filmed), you'll enjoy an adaptation that is vastly superior to the 1999 version. Among its many strengths, this production brings out the moral character of Fanny Price with admirable clarity. Although she is repeatedly tempted to make unwise or immoral decisions, this production brings home her determination to do what is right even at great cost to her personal comfort. This is a story in which virtue truly wins in the end. Most of the acting is (appropriately) restrained, but the scene in which Sir Thomas rebukes Fanny for declining Mr. Crawford's proposal is shattering in its intensity. Great stuff!
Dave
Thanks, Dave. I'll have a look at them.
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