August 22, 2002
The films of Jane Austen
Fascinatingly, Jane Austen lived 200 years before film was a widespread medium. Yet not only does she have a filmography listing on the Internet Movie Database, the movies themselves are actually very entertaining.
I've seen Sense and Sensibility in the past with the dashing Alan Rickman and ever-adorable Kate Winslet. And this past week I had a chance to see Emma and Mansfield Park - both tumultuous stories featuring that signature Austen happy ending which always includes a wedding.
My theory on film adaptations of Austen novels is since we know what will happen - our protagonist will eventually be happily married to the 'right' man - we're there to enjoy the journey. The scenery, costumes and other visuals, while not necessarily sumptuous, do need to be recreated with exacting care and exhaustive detail. Because the story is made up of tense little claustropobic moments between characters, I have to get the sense that it takes place within a larger world to keep from feeling trapped while watching the film.
This is primarily a problem I've noticed while watching television adaptations of Austen's novels. On a smaller budget, the panoramas are not as expansive and much of the interaction takes place in dark, creaky rooms. Ballrooms become shadowy affairs in cramped rooms and costumes are stiff and awkward. The journey to the predictable 'perfect match' is not nearly as much fun to watch.
Mansfield Park (1999)
Emma (1996)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Persuasion (1995/I)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
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