Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Dear voters: In this week's throwdown we ask you to contemplate the actor who best captured that most comic of all clergymen: Mr. Collins. Before making up your mind, please read these wonderful descriptions of him by Jane Austen. In this week's throwdown we ask:

Which actor played the part of Mr. Collins best?

Description: Mr. Collins was a tall, heavy looking young man of five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal.

Elizabeth to Jane: "My dear Jane, Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man; you know he is, as well as I do; and you must feel, as well as I do, that the woman who marries him, cannot have a proper way of thinking."

David Bamber, 1995 & Tom Hollander, 2005

Mr. Collins proposes to Lizzy: "You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken. Almost as soon as I entered the house I singled you out as the companion of my future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject, perhaps it will be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying -- and moreover for coming into Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did.''

The idea of Mr. Collins, with all his solemn composure, being run away with by his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him farther..."

Guy Henry, Lost in Austen (above) & Malcolm Rennie, P&P 1980 (below)

Mr. Collins' letter of condolence to the Bennets after Lydia's elopement.
"No arguments shall be wanting on my part that can alleviate so severe a misfortune; or that may comfort you, under a circumstance that must be of all others most afflicting to a parent's mind. The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this. And it is the more to be lamented, because there is reason to suppose, as my dear Charlotte informs me, that this licentiousness of behaviour in your daughter has proceeded from a faulty degree of indulgence, though at the same time, for the consolation of yourself and Mrs. Bennet, I am inclined to think that her own disposition must be naturally bad, or she could not be guilty of such an enormity at so early an age. Howsoever that may be, you are grievously to be pitied, in which opinion I am not only joined by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and her daughter, to whom I have related the affair. They agree with me in apprehending that this false step in one daughter will be injurious to the fortunes of all the others; for who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says, will connect themselves with such a family."

Which actor plays Mr. Collins best?
	Malcolm Rennie, 1980
	David Bamber, 1995
	Tom Hollander, 2005
	Guy Henry, 2008
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Emma 2009 Screencaps

The BBC serial of Emma 2009 is over, but the memories remain, and so do the screencaps -- a bazillion of them! Rawr_caps at Live Journal has posted literally thousands of high resolution screencaps by episode to view and download. Here are few great ones from the Box Hill picnic scene. What a treasure trove. Have fun!

Zombies the Prequel

Sequels, prequels. It's all the same to me. None of these zombie, vampire, and monster spin-offs remotely connect me to the reasons why I read and adore Jane Austen. Despite my off beat sense of humor, I find these books slightly repellent, like seven day old meat.

Quirk books has announced yet another book in its Jane Austen monster series: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. What I find truly dreadful is that this time there can be absolutely no connection to Jane's wonderful language or plot. After I read the announcement in the above link, I felt a shiver of horror. When the book comes 'round, I think I'll pass.

What say you?

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

More on Emma 2009

Charles Moore from The Telegraph delighted in marking the mistakes in Emma 2009 in his article, This misdjudged Emma is a pendant's dream. His observations include:

Why, for instance, on a single day of the story, were we offered the horticultural miracle of daffodils out, oak in full leaf and mature wistaria flowering (the last did not even acquire its name until two years after the book was published in 1816)?

Emma speaks of an "exercise regime", and Mr Knightley (I think) of an "expansion project". They enjoy "a mystery honeymoon", with Mr Woodhouse complaining about "wanderlust". The famous piano is called a "surprise gift", and the rooms chosen for a dance are admired as a "space".

Some of the actors – often in the minor parts, such as Robert Bathurst as Mr Weston or Tamsin Greig as Miss Bates – successfully imagine themselves in Austen's milieu. Others stumble around as if they have just rented the kit from Bermans and Nathans for a fancy-dress party.

Click on the above link to read the entire, not so fullsome article.

Oh, Carey Mulligan

She's gorgeous. She's talented. And we found her first in Pride and Prejudice 2005 as Kitty Bennet. Now she's making a big splash in An Education. But, Carey Mulligan, dahling. What have you DONE to yourself? Our question to you, our readers is: Is her look IN or OUT?

Carey Before in 2005

Carey After at a recent event. Is she even recognizable?

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Carey Mulligan's Fashion Sense

In? Out? I don't care, she's talented

(Image: Go Fug Yourself )

Willoughby's Return Slated to Be Released on November 1st

Source Books will release Willoughby's Return on November 1st, and holding a blog tour for author Jane Odiwe on these blogs. Not only will the book be reviewed, but Jane will chat with the bloggers. Jane Austen's World is slated to join in on the fun. The schedule is as follows:

• Smexy Books 10/26, Author Interview, Book Review
• Psychotic State blogspot 10/27, Author Interview
• Book Nerd Extraordinaire, 11/2
• Everything Victorian 11/3
• Savvy, Verse and Wit 11/4
• A Bibliophile's Bookshelf 11/5
• The Bookworm Blogspot 11/6
• Books Like Breathing 11/9
• Jane Austen's World 11/10
• Love, Romance, Passion, 11/11
• Fresh Fiction 11/12
• Love, Romance, Passion 11/13

Follow Jane Odiwe's adventure as an author on her blog, Jane Austen Sequels

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Online Course

Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education will offer an online course on Jane Austen starting January 2010. The course description reads:

Jane Austen’s six major novels have hardly been out of print for two hundred years. Many readers enjoy them but cannot always define the qualities that make Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion so enduring and so rewarding for reading and rereading. This course helps students to learn to analyse Austen’s characteristic style and techniques and thus gain an enhanced appreciation of her art. It also looks at the historical and literary contexts of the novels, allowing students to gain a greater understanding of their themes and sub-texts. The course is suitable for those new to Austen’s writing as well as for the devoted Janeite. Though the topics covered range across all six major novels, and those who have read all six will be able to use that knowledge, each week’s required reading includes key sections of one novel."

Assessment methods: Assessment will be based on a short piece (100-200 words) to be submitted by the end of week four, and a longer (800-900 word) written piece due at the end of the course.

Level and demands: Level one, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 hours.

Go to the website for cost and registrations. Status: Applications are being accepted.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Hear and See Amanda Price Sing in Lost in Austen

So many viewers of Lost in Austen have complained of not seeing Amanda (Jemima Rooper) sing Downtown in the American version of the DVD. Please enjoy.

Verdict on Emma 2009

Donwell Abbey on Strawberry Picking day

Polls on Jane Austen's World indicate that viewers voted in favor of Emma 2009. I conducted four polls, one for each week of the series, and from 70-80% of viewers loved or liked the episodes. These numbers do not reflect the ratings, for after the first week, Emma lost over 1 million viewers and its overall performance in the UK was dismal. The first episode seemed to be the most problematic, with its many alterations from Jane Austen's plot, modern gestures, and people disliking the main actors (or getting used to them, which they eventually did). When the series comes to the U.S., I recommend that audiences remain patient, for Episodes 3 & 4 are just lovely.

On Box Hill, the picnickers are hot, bothered, and peevish

At the end of the film, 16% of viewers still had some problems with Romola Garai, who was not universally liked, especially in the first few episodes, and with Laura Pyper, who portrayed Jane Fairfax as a mouse. I was not thrilled with Rupert Evans, and have yet to see an actor who I have as Frank Churchill. Though Rupert was suitably sleazy, he just did not look like the Frank of my imagination. See the results of the polls in this link with peoples' votes for the actors who portrayed the main characters.

The interiors are shot in a way that remind one of a Vermeer painting

Speaking of lovely, I pulled a few visuals. The scenes and settings are breathtaking, and among the best of the Emmas. Viewers who recently watched the series rated it overwhelmingly as their favorite Emma adaptation. (This could be because they have not seen the other versions.)

Emma's just rewards, her own Mr. Knightley

U.S. viewers can look forward to a January 24th airing on PBS Masterpiece Classic. For other lovely images, visit Laurel Ann's slide shows, which are breathtaking.

• Poll: Episode One
• Poll: Episode Two
• Poll: Episode Three
• Poll: Episode Four

• Slideshow One
• Slideshow Two
• Slideshow Three
• Slideshow Four

In this comic scene, the viewer knows that the real donkey Mrs. Elton is riding is not the obvious one.

Sexy Samantha and Mr. Darcy Set for Private Lives

Kim Cattrall, who was born in Widnes, England, will appear opposite Matthew MacFadyen next year in Private Lives, a Noel Coward play. The plot revolves around two divorced people who meet again while honeymooning with their new spouses. The play is scheduled to run from March 3, 2010 in the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End.

Kim is best known for her role as Samantha Jones in Sex in the City. Matthew MacFadyen, as every Janeite knows, played Mr. Darcy opposite Keira Knightley in 2005's Pride and Prejudice.

Speaking of Keira, rumor has it that she is considering playing the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Groans can be heard around the earth, but Keira has managed to draw large audiences to her films. Here's an image of Keira and Audrey Hepburn morphed.

Want to have fun? You can morph your own images at Morph Thing.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

This week's throwdown offers the least pleasing images we have ever chosen for this blog, but for a good reason. The three scenes represent a huge departure from Jane Austen's novels and they are quite egregious. Oh, there are more than three instances in which script writers changed Jane's plot dramatically, but these three stick particularly in my craw. For this week's throwdown you are asked to consider:

Which script deviation from Jane Austen's novels is the most egregious?

After reading his letter, Anne Elliot runs through Bath to go after Captain Wentworth in Persuasion 2007.

In the opening scene of Sense and Sensibility 2008, Willoughby seduces Eliza and presumably gets her pregnant.

In Pride and Prejudice 1940, Lady Catherine de Bourgh gives Mr. Darcy her approval to reconcile with Elizabeth Bennet.

Which changed scene is the most egregious deviation from Jane Austen's novels?
	Anne Elliot runs through Bath, Persuasion 2007
	Willoughby seduces Eliza in the opening scene of Sense and Sensibility 2008
	Lady Catherine de Bourgh encourages Mr. Darcy to propose to Elizabeth Bennet
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Jonny Lee Miller Makes a Splash on Both Sides of the Pond

When you're hot, you're everywhere. This Sunday Jonny Lee Miller will appear in the last episode of Emma 2009 on BBC One. Viewers are warming up to his Mr. Knightley, and deservedly so. US fans will have to wait to see this visually lovely series for a few months more.

On the same day, across the pond in the US, Jonny will make an appearance in PBS's Masterpiece Contemporary in Endgame, a political thriller about negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South Africa. Jonny plays a British businessman and negotiator, Michael Young.

Jonny also recently received fairly decent reviews from NY critics for his first appearance on Broadway in After Miss Julie. View a slide show and listen to Jonny in this New York Times podcast.

It seems that 2009 might well be his year. Read an interview with Jonny about beating his shyness to become an actor in Arts and Entertainment.

The actor formerly known as Mr. Darcy shall be on The Jay Leno Show on Friday

Heads up Colin Firth fans. The actor formerly known as Mr. Darcy shall be appearing on The Jay Leno Show on Friday, October 23rd at 10:00 pm on NBC (checking your local listings).

Slated with no less than Mrs President (Michelle Obama) Firth will most likely discuss his award winning role in A Single Man the new movie by first time director Tom Ford which is garnering all sorts of Oscar buzz for Firth and Ford.

Keep your fingers crossed for Colin Janeites. He may have finally grown out of his tight breeches and wet shirt. Nawww!

Emma 2009: Episode 3 Slideshow

Emma 2009 continues on BBC One in the UK with episode 3 which aired on Sunday, October 18th. This very different interpretation of Jane Austen's masterpiece has more than a few tongue's wagging. And shockingly, the ratings have plummeted! I feel for the BBC and its co-producers PBS, as I never like to see any Austen adaptation take a beating in the ratings, but it may be an indication that modern audiences do not like their Jane Austen adaptations tampered with. For all you non-UK viewers, you can check out a slideshow of episode 3 at Austenprose. The serial concludes next Sunday in the UK and I am hoping that the last installment will pull everything together and redeem all the blunders!

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Mansion Inflation in Films

Recently I read a comment online that films have greatly inflated the houses and interiors that Jane Austen's characters could afford, most particularly Mr. Darcy and Pemberley. The Chatsworth Estate with its 300 rooms, 17 staircases, and 359 doors, is held up as a model for Pemberley, but the house and surroundings would have been much too grand for a man who lived on £ 10,000 a year.

In Jane Austen and the English Landscape, Mavis Batey considers that it was important that Darcy’s home reflected his true nature. She suggests that Jane Austen thought a great deal about Pemberley and had a clear plan of the house in her mind. Perhaps, Batey notes, Cassandra may even have drawn her sister a sketch of the imagined landscape.

She suggests that Pemberley was modelled on Chatsworth, the home of the Duke of Devonshire because she placed Pemberley in the vicinity of Bakewell although, as Batey points out ‘Darcy was no Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth could not be kept up on even £10,000 a year’. - Country Houses in Jane Austen's Novels

This article in the Victorian Web Nineteenth Century Household Staff discusses how many servants it would take to run a townhouse or a country estate, and the minimum costs involved in 1857. Also read: The Assistance of Servants: Jane Austen Centre Magazine

• First image: Chatsworth
• Second image: Wilton House interior as Pemberley
• Third image of Wrotham Park, Norland, Sense and Sensibility 2008

Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen

Inquiring Reader: Emma, the author of this post, lives in Melbourne, Australia. After she interviewed me for a class assignment, I asked her if she would give us her impressions of the the fabulous fashion show at the National Gallery of Victoria. Happily, she said yes. Click here for our original announcement and for more images from the exhibit. Thank you for sending us your thoughts, Emma. You almost make us feel as if we'd been there. Vic

The National Gallery of Victoria has a permanent space for textile exhibits that is often overlooked by visitors. So, you can imagine my surprise when I entered the Persuasion space and found it far from empty. There were young children, middle aged couples, elderly couples and a selection of tourists, all gathered in the rooms openly admiring the clothing and documents behind their glass cases.

The collection was set up beautifully in their cases, decorated to become rooms – painted blue, with pianofortes, writing desks and sitting chairs.

It was interesting listening to the thoughts of those around me, with many observing the “heaviness of the walking dress” and the “gorgeous detailing on that white muslin.” Of course every woman in the room stopped to admire the outfit worn by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, no doubt reliving the lake scene.

With so many pieces to choose from I had no idea how I was going to pick one or two to write about, but finally I have settled on the ball and the walking dress.

Having read many ball scenes in Austen’s works it what inevitable that I would love the ball dress. The dress was an empire line, with a skirt that went outwards into a cone shape, and the sleeves were puffed with lace detailing. It was interesting to read the plaque which revealed just how complicated the ball dress actually was – with there being gauze, embroidery with silk floss, lace, satin, piping and some sort of plants vine used in its construction.

And then there was the walking dress, a dress that I’m not sure I’d like to go for a walk in myself. I’d expected something lighter so I was very surprised by the heavy bronze satin dress in the case. It appeared very restrictive – fitted, long tight sleeves – but was incredibly beautiful and well made.

The exhibit closes at the gallery on November 8, 2009. I encourage anyone that can make it to go. It’s free of charge and definitely a collection not be to missed. Click here for an audio tour of the exhibit.

More links to images:

• Link to images of jewelry from the show
• All things Austen
• Carriage dress
• Style Melbourne
• Melbourne on Melbourne
• August Street: Persuasion - with pictures of exhibit
• Vogue.com
• Jane Austen Pod Novel: See an image of the museum

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Gentle readers. This is a hurried post, for I am out of town. Simply put. Which is your favorite set of china used in Pride and Prejudice 1995?

Cornelia Green, Mottahedeh at left, was used in the dining room scene in Longbourn at top.

The teacup's pattern at right is a Royal Crown Derby Royal Antoinette, and was used in the tea scene below, in which Lizzy meets Mr. Wickham after she learned about his poor behavior in Mr. Darcy's letter.

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Favorite China in Pride and Prejudice 1995

Cornelia Green, Mottahedeh Royal Crown Derby Royal Antoinette

Latin Sense and Sensibility

Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Latin actors Adriana Barraza, Camilla Belle, Wilmer Valderrama, Kuno Becker, and Alexa Vega (L to R) are set to star in an upcoming English-language Mexican-U.S. co-production film "From Prada to Nada."

Fina Torres, the Cannes Golden Camer-winner and Alma-nominated director, will be helming the contemporary take of the Jane Austen classic "Sense and Sensibility."

The Odd Lot Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Videocine film will follow the tale of two spoiled sisters who, after the sudden death of their father, are left penniless. They are forced to move in with their estranged aunt in East Los Angeles, where they ultimately find romance, as well as love for their culture.

Torres co-wrote the script with Luis Alfaro.

Read more: All Headline News: Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Masterpiece Mystery Inspector Lewis Concludes with The Point of Vanishing on Sunday

The second season of the Inspector Lewis mysteries concludes with ‘The Point of Vanishing’ on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 9:00 pm - 10:30 pm ET on PBS. It’s been a great run of detective drama and dishy DS Hathaway (Laurence Fox), but unfortunately we have come to the seventh episode and must patiently wait another year for series three. *sigh* So fellow Gentle Readers and detective mystery fans here is a final brief description of the episode from the Masterpiece Mystery website. I wonder if it will be a cliff hanger or elude to more mysteries of the two detectives personal lives. This episode has a religion slant, and of course murder!

Steven Mullan is found dead in his bathtub, the scalding water indicative of the white-hot rage that motivated the murder. Lewis recognizes Mullan as having been recently released from prison after having tried to kill celebrity atheist Tom Rattenbury while driving drunk. Mullan's sentence may be over, but have the scars healed for the Rattenburys, especially daughter Jessica who remains in a wheelchair from the incident? Lewis and Hathaway find a postcard at the crime scene of a Renaissance painting inscribed with the words, "It was no dream." But the case is about to take a surreal, dream-like twist, leaving Lewis and Hathaway drowning in questions about crimes of the past and the present.

Read the full synopsis (spoilers ahead)
Read the full cast and crew listing

Last week’s episode ‘The Quality of Mercy’ revealed who killed Inspector Lewis’s wife! After five plus years of Lewis searching for clues, the killer virtually fails into DS Hathaway’s path in an round-about way. The developing relationship between the two detectives is quite interesting and makes this drama more than just a whodunit. If you missed this episode, you can watch it online on the PBS website through Sunday, October 18th, 2009, ET.

Really sad to see the series end. The combination of Oxford University locations, detective drama and literary connections makes this series a cut above in my book and definitely my favorite series of the Masterpiece Mystery season.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

The Harlot's Progress: Yorkshire Molly by Peter Mottley

"Innocent virgin Molly Huckerby arrives in London from York. Immediately she is lured into The Bell by the notorious bawd Mother Wickham. Her destiny seems changed forever but there is a breathtaking twist in the tale..."

This is the first in a trilogy and a fictional actualization of Hogarth’s series of etchings called “The Harlot’s Progress”. Each story follows one of three 18th Century harlots who have all been seduced into a life of prostitution at The Bell, a Wood Lane brothel in the City of London run by the notorious bawd, mother Wickham. Underlying each story is the tale of a young woman’s struggle against overwhelming misfortune. The first in the trilogy is called Yorkshire Molly, launched on 7th November, 2009 in the UK.

It’s a very special trilogy as Peter died in 2006. He paid meticulous attention to the period detail of Hogarth’s London. It is a compelling story and a bawdy romp with a breathtaking twist in the tale that keeps the reader gripped right up to the rewarding ending…

The Harlot’s Progress: Yorkshire Molly, by Peter Mottley, £9.99, ISBN 978-0-9563756-0-5

Listen to the author's daughter read an excerpt in a most excellent manner. Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World.

Emma 2009: Episode 2 Slideshow

Episode 2 of BBC One's new adaptation of Emma aired on Sunday, October 11th in the UK. Here is a slideshow teaser for non UK viewers and a recap for others. Do not dispair. This four hour serial will air in the US this January on Masterpiece Classic.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Emma 2009

Romola Garai: The perfect Emma?

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Romola Garai: The Perfect Emma?

Yes Perhaps No Way!