Any Human Heart Features A Number of Jane Austen Character Actors

Any Human Heart, the new mini-series that will be shown on Masterpiece Classic for the next three Sundays, features a variety of actors who have starred in Jane Austen film adaptations.

Matthew MacFadyen

as Logan Mountstuart in Any Human Heart

as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice 2005

The man with the deep sexy voice, as I think of Matthew, gave Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy a run for his money. Many young fans prefer Matthew's interpretation as the iconic Jane Austen hero. I, for one, like them both. As Logan Mountstuart, Matthew once again delivers a shaded performance. While I could not like his character (who can respect a man who abandons a son for his lover?), Matthew's sensitive portrayal of Mounstuart tugged at my heartstrings.

Haley Atwell

Haley Atwell as Freya Deverell

as Mary Crawford, Mansfield Park 2007

Haley Atwell looks absolutely stunning in 1930's costume. Jane Austen fans will recall her portrayal of Mary Crawford in the unfortunate 2007 version of Mansfield Park. I say unfortunate, for I found that particular film adaptation particularly lacking (especially Billy Piper tomboyish representation of Fanny). I did, however, like Haley, who was perfect for the part of the sophisticated woman that Fanny Price could not like. Unfortunately, Haley's lines were few and far between, largely because the film was too short. Thankfully, she is given a much larger role in Any Human Heart as Matthew MacFadyen's love interest. When those two actors are together, magic happens onscreen.

Jim Broadbent

as an older Logan Mountstuart

as Colin Jones (with Gemma Jones and Renee Zelwegger) in Bridget Jones's Diary

Any Human Heart revolves around the character of the older Logan Mountstuart, played by Jim Broadbent, one of my favorite character actors. Jim's connection to Jane Austen is peripheral. He portrayed Bridget Jones's father and has acted opposite a score of actors who starred in Jane Austen film adaptations. I have always thought that he would make an excellent Mr. Woodhouse or Mr. Bennet, but I doubt we will see another version of Emma or Pride and Prejudice soon. Any film that features Mr. Broadbent is worth watching, and his role, while largely quiet, is extensive and he appears in all the episodes from start to finish.

Charity Wakefield

as Land Forthergill

as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, 2008

Charity had the unenviable task of following Kate Winslet in playing Marianne Dashwood, the histrionic sister, in the 2008 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. While she is not classically beautiful, the camera's lens loves Charity's large eyes and dramatic features. She also looks fabulous in a classic 20's bob. Charity appears in only one episode of Any Human Heart, but her character is important in forcing Logan to think more seriously about his writing career and giving him his first major heartbreak.

Tom Hollander

as the Duke of Windsor after his abdication as King Edward VIII

as Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, 2005

Tom Hollander's role as the Duke of Windsor comes at a propitious time for viewers who have seen (or who intend to see) The King's Speech. In this mini-series he is shown after his abdication as King Edward VIII, and he plays the former king as a petty, self-centered, and self-serving man. While I think he was perfect for the part of David, I had a small problem with his casting as Mr. Collins. Oh, he played that part to a tee and his proposal to Lizzy Bennet was unforgettable, but Jane Austen described Mr. Collins as tall, which Mr. Holland most certainly is not. However, his lack of height added comic relief to his dance scenes with Keira Knightley's Elizabeth, and so I have decided in the future to overlook this casting faux pas.

Samuel West 

Samuel West as Peter Scabius

Samuel West as William Elliot in Persuasion 1996

In Any Human Heart Samuel West plays Peter Scabalius, one of Logan's two childhood friends, and a successful author. Jane Austen fans will remember Samuel as William Elliot, Anne's unsuccessful suitor, who was less than a gentleman towards the Elliots and in particular towards Mrs. Smith.

PBS Masterpiece Classic will feature Any Human Heart on February 13, 20 & 27, 2011 at 9pm. Click here for details. 

On a different note, I urge anyone who is as addicted to PBS as I am, to contact your representatives and request them not to cut their funding. 

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown: Which Actress Walked Best in the Rain?

Ah, Sense and Sensibility. There are many scenes in the last two film adaptations that simply are not in Jane's novel. Nevertheless, they make for great cinematic melodrama. Take the reason for Marianne's illness, for example. Jane describes the onset of her illness at Cleveland as being a tad less dramatic than the rain walks depicted in the films:

Kate Winslet quotes Shakespeare in the rain as she gazes longingly at Willoughby's house

Two delightful twilight walks on the third and fourth evenings of her being there, not merely on the dry gravel of the shrubbery, but all over the grounds, and especially in the most distant parts of them, where there was something more of wildness than in the rest, where the trees were the oldest, and the grass was the longest and wettest, had—assisted by the still greater imprudence of sitting in her wet shoes and stockings—given Marianne a cold so violent as, though for a day or two trifled with or denied, would force itself by increasing ailments on the concern of every body, and the notice of herself. Prescriptions poured in from all quarters, and as usual, were all declined. Though heavy and feverish, with a pain in her limbs, and a cough, and a sore throat, a good night's rest was to cure her entirely; and it was with difficulty that Elinor prevailed on her, when she went to bed, to try one or two of the simplest of the remedies.

The wind WHIPS Kate/Marianne's cape and gown

Marianne got up the next morning at her usual time; to every inquiry replied that she was better, and tried to prove herself so, by engaging in her accustomary employments. But a day spent in sitting shivering over the fire with a book in her hand, which she was unable to read, or in lying, weary and languid, on a sofa, did not speak much in favour of her amendment; and when, at last, she went early to bed, more and more indisposed...

In 2009, Charity Wakefield WALKED the walk

Such a scene would not have been dramatic enough for a film,and thus we have Marianne wandering in the rain searching for Combe Magna, Willoughby's house.

Charity as Marianne welcomes the rain drops

Who walked the walk best? Curious minds want to know.

Whose Walk in the Rain is Best?
	Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood
	Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood
pollcode.com free polls

Get Ready for Masterpiece Classic’s Rebroadcast of Sense and Sensibility

Tune in to PBS this Sunday to enjoy the rebroadcast of the award winning adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility presented on Masterpiece Classic on February 1st and 8th at 9:00 pm (check your local listings). This new 2008 production was scripted by Andrew Davies and stars Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield as sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood and was well received by critics and the Austen community.

Following the Sunday presentation, join Professor Joan Ray, JASNA Past President, for an online discussion about the adaptation February 2nd - 13th at the Barnes & Noble Classics Book Club website. Just visit the Barnes & Noble Book Clubs at their online website, register for free and join the discussion. Prof. Ray is the author of Jane Austen for Dummies and a very popular guest speaker.

Brush up on the production with these resources

Sense and Sensibility – Masterpiece Classic official web site

Sense and Sensibility: Cast Preview – Austenprose

Reviews

Sense and Sensibility 2008 Makes Wonderful Sense For the Most Part – Jane Austen’s World

Withstanding Sense, or Sensibility: Review of Episode One – Austenprose

Sense and Sensibility: Conflict of Heart Over Head: Episode Two - Austenprose

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Sense & Sensibility: The Female Actors

Hattie Morahan: Elinor Dashwood
Trivia: Did you know that Hattie Morahan (Sense and Sensibility) and Blake Ritson (Mansfield Park) are engaged? Stay tuned for wedding announcements, and learn more about Hattie in the links below.

Hattie Morahan: Five Minute Interview
Biography: Hello Magazine
Hattie Morahan Fansite
AOL Entertainment: Interview With Hattie Morahan



Charity Wakefield: Marianne Dashwood
Trivia: Wakefield’s musical grounding in the piano and her trained soprano singing voice meant that she was able to learn the advanced pieces that the music-loving Marianne performs.

Charity Wakefield Fansite
Biography: Hello Magazine
AOL Entertainment: Interview With Charity
Flickr Photosharing



Janet McTeer: Mrs. Dashwood
Trivia: The lure of horticulture, blossoming flowers and compost may one day drag [Janet] away from the stage: “I sometimes think maybe I’ll give it all up and be a gardener! I’m a bit of a garden freak..."

AllMoviePhoto.com
Articles About Janet McTeer in the New York Times
1999 Interview: Salon.com
The Big Interview: Janet McTeer


Lucy Boynton: Margaret Dashwood
Trivia: Lucy Boynton's original ambition was to work at Battersea Dogs Home, until she won the part of young Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter at the age of twelve.

My Lucy, the Film Star
Lucy Boynton: Video of Ballet Shoes
Lucy Boynton Fansite


Other:
Sense and Sensibility Icons
Good Austen Icons: Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility Wallpaper and Header Icons


For my review of Sense and Sensibility, click here.
Posted by Ms. Place