Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: The 1995 BBC/A&E miniseries of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as Jane Austen’s most famous couple, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, is renowned for its period accuracy, sumptuous costuming and stunning locations. Please welcome guest blogger Helen Wilkinson today as she takes us on... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Helen Wilkinson of P and P Tours: Actress Emma Thompson recalls her time filming Sense & Sensibility for the 1995 movie directed by Ang Lee, “The house representing Barton Cottage is one of the most beautiful spots we’ve ever seen. It took the curse off a six-day week.” The film location... Continue Reading →
The wait is over. Make haste to Bablegum.com to see the first of twenty episodes of Sex and the Austen Girl, the new web series inspired by Laurie Viera Rigler’s best-selling novels Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. Here is the series description from the website: Two... Continue Reading →
Guest blog by Helen Wilkinson of P&P Tours Longbourn – the private house found by the BBC for the ultimate adaptation of Pride & Prejudice in 1995 – has become one of the most famous houses in the world. BBC location manager Sam Breckman knew he had to find a house that could withstand a... Continue Reading →
Yep. Just when you thought that you would have to buy a Blu-ray video player to get better picture quality than previous editions of Pride and Prejudice 1995 the good folks at A&E have gone a done it. They have digitally remastered the pinnacle of perfection in Jane Austen adaptations, Pride and Prejudice 1995. Now you... Continue Reading →
(Can you identify the four Bennet sisters left to right in this photo? Answer at bottom of post!) Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice continues to allow us to “make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn” as a new stage production opened on February 21st, 2010 at the Oregon... Continue Reading →
Don’t miss the encore presentation of Persuasion (2007) on Masterpiece Classic PBS Sunday, February 21st 9:00 – 10:30 PM (check your local listings). This adaptation by screenwriter Simone Burke stars Sally Hawkins as Jane Austen’s steadfast and long suffering heroine Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones as the dashing naval hero Captain Wentworth. Persuasion was Jane... Continue Reading →
Don’t miss the encore presentation of Northanger Abbey (2007) on Masterpiece Classic PBS Sunday, February 14th 9:00 – 10:30 PM (check your local listings). This adaptation by screenwriter Andrew Davies stars Felicity Jones as Jane Austen’s idealistic and naĂŻve heroine Catherine Moreland and JJ Feild as the charming and witty hero Henry Tilney. Northanger Abbey... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Episode three of Emma (2009) aired tonight on Masterpiece Classic PBS. I am feeling more than a bit of melancholia setting in! Spoilers Ahead! Despite being a “troublesome creature” throughout most of the story, Emma does redeem herself by admitting her misconceptions and blunders. How could we not... Continue Reading →
Don’t miss the last episode of Emma 2009 staring Romola Garai on Masterpiece Classic PBS Sunday, February 7 from 9-10 PM. (check your local listing).
The second episode of the new adaptation Emma (2009) aired last night on Masterpiece Classic. You can read my review of Emma and watch previous episodes until March 9th, 2010 at the Masterpiece website. As we move further into the story of Highbury’s misapplying match maker, I thought it would be interesting to delve into her character in the novel a bit deeper and explore the different Emma’s portrayed in the film and television adaptations.
“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Sage advice from the philosophizing Forrest Gump. The same can be said of Jane Austen adaptations. Last nights US premiere of screenwriter Sandy Welch’s newly retooled Emma on Masterpiece Classic had its mix of nuts, chews and soft centers. Most viewers will be tempted to consume it quickly like the beautifully crafted confection that it is. I prefer to take a small bite first to see what I’m getting.
