Regency Garden Seat

This 19th century Ackermann print of an English country seat reminded me of something...

Garden seat from Ackermann's Repository

Ah, yes. The tent in Emma, 1996, under which Gwynneth Paltrow as Emma and Toni Colette as Harriet Smith are chatting and sewing.

Emma  and Harriet sit outside stitching. Emma 1996

Emma Sings Country

Gwynneth Paltrow, who played one of two Emmas in 1996 (the other was Kate Beckinsale), sang her song, Country Strong at this year's CMA show in anticipation of her new film of the same title. Read the rest of the article here.

Jane Austen Movie Dance Throwdown

We now move to the dance floor. Of the two "Mr Beveridge's Maggot" dances, which do you prefer? The scene from Pride and Prejudice 1995? Or Emma, 1996 with Gwynneth Paltrow? The music is the same, but the dances and tecniques (and setting) are VASTLY different. One includes much conversation; the other is light and sparkling.

Pride and Prejudice 1995


Emma, 1996

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I prefer Mr. Beverage's Maggot in

Pride and Prejudice 1995 Emma 1996

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

The winter holidays provide time for leisurely gatherings around the dinner table. In this week's throwdown we ask you to which elegant dinner party would you have liked to receive an invitation? Lady Catherine de Bourgh's in 2005's Pride and Prejudice? Or the Weston's in A&E's Emma, 1996? Neither gathering was particularly pleasurable, but so much was learned about the characters in both:

Lady Catherine de Bourgh's table, Pride and Prejudice, 2005

Dinner at the Westons, A&E Emma, 1996

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To which elegant dinner party would you have liked to receive an invitation?

Lady Catherine de Bourgh's The Westons'

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Kate Beckinsale's Emma entertaining the new Mrs. Elton and Harriet Smith

Gwynneth Paltrow's Emma in carriage

Costumes are one of the main reasons why I love period movies. They can make or break one's enjoyment of the film. Take Emma, for example. These two films were made in the same year - 1996. They followed the same Jane Austen story but took two different approaches to dressing the heroine. The clothes worn by the cast of Emma, starring Kate Beckinsale and written by Andrew Davie, were earth colored. The fabrics of velvet and satin looked heavy, but the costumes were well made and their details of pleats and sleeves breathtaking. But in my humble opinion, Kate wears some of the ugliest hats ever devised for a young heroine. (Please feel free to disagree.)

Other costumes in Kate's Emma


Gwynneth's Emma, while she looked lovely and elegant, seemed a tad too modern. Her gowns and hair reminds one more of the updo's and baby doll empire gowns popular in the 1960's. Gwynneth's Emma wore light pastel colored muslins and the details of her gowns were minimal at best. In fact I left the movie feeling that I could have made a few of those dresses myself.

Right: Gwynneth's Emma in muslin gown.

Left: Back of dresses, Kate's Emma

Our question for you this week is: which movie's costumes do you think fits the plot and characters best? Which film is enhanced by the costumes?

Which Movie's Costumes Fit the Plot and Character of Emma Best?

Two images below & at right: Gwynneth's Emma

Below: Mr. Knightley and Mr. Weston in Kate's Emma

Gwyneth's Emma with Mrs. Weston

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These costumes fit the plot and character of Emma

Kate Beckinsale's Emma Gwynneth Paltrow's Emma

Gwynneth on Emma

Yes, this 1996 video is rather old, but it is of Gwynneth - Mrs. Chris Martin, mother of Apple and Moses, and editor of Goop! - who discusses Emma with Charlie Rose for41 minutes. She is joined by director Doug McGrath.

A new adaptation of Emma is being filmed just now with Romola Garai. Before you forget Gwynneth's performance, you can watch the film on YouTube or, for better and clearer viewing, rent the movie from Netflix.

Emma's #1

Emma overtakes Emily as the number one girl's name in the U.S.

Where Are They Now? Mark Strong

As the new Emma is being filmed, we recall Mark Strong, Emma 1996's dark and forceful Mr. Knightley. Mark has since made a career as a 'bad' man. His latest project is as the villainous Lord Blackwood in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. He also did a memorable turn as Archie in Rock n Rolla and as Prince Septimus in 2007's Stardust.

In Mark Strong Reveals Sherlock Holmes Secrets, Mark discussed not only his naughty, naughty character but also how the film will climax. Strong’s villainous role is as Lord Blackwood, a Satanist who uses fear to manipulate and grasp power. Strong says of the scowly bad boy, "There’s a touch of Dracula about him. He needed to have an element of showmanship about him by virtue of the fact that he’s trying to persuade everyone around him that he’s so in league with the Devil that he’s able to conquer death. I just wanted to make him an equal adversary of Sherlock Holmes."

We learn in My Secret Life: Mark Strong that Mark was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in Islington, north London, in 1963, to an Italian father and Austrian mother. He first came to prominence in the acclaimed Nineties BBC serial Our Friends in the North.

Sherlock Holmes will be released on Christmas Day in the States, and (perhaps) on Boxing Day in the UK. Read about Mark as Archie in Guy Ritchie's Rock n Rolla in this link. He also played Sir John Conroy in Young Victoria (2009) (with Amanda Richardson at right.) See his 40 sec. YouTube interview below.



See this YouTube Video of Mark as the evil Prince Septimus (To David Usher's Black, Black Heart.)



Read more about Mark in this post: Mark Strong: A Darkly Handsome Mr. Knightley

Great Sales on Jane Austen Inspired DVD's

JANEITE SHOPPING ALERT

For those of you who are bored with television's summer re-runs, you might be interested in a few of the great selections of Jane Austen adaptations and spinoffs available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. I have narrowed down the field based on the price of $9.99 or less, and their lasting appeal and curiosity factor. So check it out. Start the Austen collection that you have always wanted, or fill out your library, because one can never have too much of a good thing!

Persuasion 1995: Unarguably, the BEST version of this Jane Austen classic love story gone astray by bad advice and a bad family. Amanda Root is luminescent as Anne Elliot, a baronet’s daughter whose decision to decline the marriage proposal of the young unproven naval officer Frederick Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds) haunts her even after seven years. Now considered an old maid, and with her once-rich family on the verge of bankruptcy, Captain Wentworth returns with a new fortune under his cap and marriage on his mind. Will their bitter sweet reunion rekindle their romance, or has Anne lost her bloom and Wentworth only has eyes for younger women? Other standout performances are Corin Regrave as Sir Walter Elliot, Sophie Thompson as Mary Musgrove, and Samuel West as William Elliot.

Sense and Sensibility 1995: It’s easy to see why this visually stunning and emotionally captivating version of Jane Austen’s tale adapted by actress Emma Thompson, (who also stars), won the Golden Globe Award as Best Picture of the Year (Drama) in 1995. The Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor (Emma Thompson) and passionate Marianne (Kate Winslet) chances for marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and Greg Wise co-star as the well-intentioned suitors who are trapped by the strict rules of society and the conflicting laws of desire. Still my favorite of the three versions presently available solely due to Winslet’s searing performance.

Clueless 1995: ‘As if’ anyone could ever forget Alicia Silverstone as Cher, the rich and clever matchmaker of Beverly Hills high whose penchant for helping others with their relationships and self-esteem is a cover for her own loneliness. Director Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) made a smart, funny variation on Jane Austen's novel Emma, sweetly romantic and gently satirical of 90210 social manners. The cast is unbeatable: Dan Hedaya as Cher's rock-solid dad, and Paul Rudd as the boy who has always been Cher's surrogate brother—who is a real ‘Baldwin’ in disguise. Brittany Murphy is hilarious as Cher's ditzy protogee Tai and Stacey Dash shines as Cher's so hip friend Dionne who is also named after a 1960's pop star! 'Whatever'! If you don’t like it, we can shop on without you!

Emma 1996: Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) might be handsome, clever and rich, but she is clueless about relationships! Against the better advice of her friendly neighbor Mr. Knightley (Jeremy Northam), she endeavors to match make for her young protégée Harriet Smith and makes a hilarious tangled mess in the process! This delightfully fun and lighthearted comedy is a lighter interpretation of Jane Austen’s masterpiece. Emma may be as silly as a goose, but you'll enjoy all the comic confusion ... until Emma herself falls in love. Hated Toni Collette as Harriet, but Northam as Mr. Knightley makes up for her with his charm and guile. Alan Cumming and Juliet Stevenson make the perfectly pompous Mr. and Mrs. Elton, and Greta Scacchi as Mrs. Weston rounds off an excellent cast.

Mansfield Park 1999: Imagine Jane Austen’s simple and strong heroine Fanny Price infused with the personality of her witty, sparkling and sharp Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, and you might understand writer/director Patricia Rozema’s unique interpretation of Jane Austen’s often misunderstood novel. Young and impoverished Fanny (Frances O’Conner) may have been sent to live with her rich and privileged cousins the Bertram’s at Mansfield Park circa 1800, but that is where the similarities in the stories end. At least the producers fess up on the DVD cover and admit that the story is based on Jane Austen’s novel, letters and journals. Since there are no known journals by Jane Austen, this may account for the creative script!

Bridget Jones’s Diary 2001: Loosely inspired by Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, dear Ms. Jones may actually have very little in common with her doppelganger Elizabeth Bennet, but she will always be the ultimate singleton in search of a life and her Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth as Mark Darcy) to many fans of Helen Fielding’s best selling novel. Featuring a blowzy, winningly inept size-12 heroine, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is a London-based publicist who divides her free time between binge eating in front of the TV, downing Chardonnay with her friends, and updating the diary. Delightfully funny, watch this one with your friends, and escape into Bridget’s slightly booze hazed world! I love it when American actress Zellweger trys her best at a British accent, but ends up sounding like Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle with marbles in her mouth!

Bridget Jones – Edge of Reason 2004: Renee Zellweger is back as everyone's favorite witty heroine in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Not that Bridget's counting, but it's been six wonderful weeks, four fabulous days, and seven precious hours with one flawless boyfriend, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). But when mischievous and devilishly charming Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) arrives on the scene claiming to be a reformed man, can Bridget find a way to make true love last forever? Not quite as fresh and funny as the first one, but the reprise of the Firth vs. Grant girly fight is well worth the money, and the laughs. Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent star as Bridget's middle age maddness parents, and Shirley Henderson, Sally Phillips, and James Callis all return as Bridget's zany friends.

Bride and Prejudice 2005: A Bollywood musical of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Ok. This I had to see, - and - I did not regret it for one moment. All of Austen’s famous character’s are there, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Lizzy Bennet and her sisters, but the story has been transplanted to modern India and it is a perfect match of the retelling of a young spirited girl Lalita Bakhsi’s (Aishwarya Rai) search for her Mr. Right (Martin Henderson as William Darcy). Some of you might recognize Marsha Mason as Catherine Darcy, Naveen Andrews as Balraj Bingley and Alexis Bledel as Georgiana Darcy. When this one ends, you might go buy yourself a sari and the CD of the music to continue the magic!

Pride and Prejudice 2005: One of the greatest love stories of all time is condensed to a slim two hour major motion picture staring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy. Tisk, tisk! The Bennet family are much earthier in this version, with pigs running through the house, and a grubby peasant-like appearance, but it makes for a deeper contrast to the wealth and social aspirations of their new neighbors the Bingley’s and the pomposity of Mr. Darcy. I understood where director Joe Wright was trying to go with this, but it was painful to see the Bennet’s brought down so low in society. The Netherfield ball dance between Darcy and Lizzy is stunning, and saves this version for me.

Happy Fourth of July to all. Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Mini Austenpalooza Headed Down Under

Janeites in Australia will soon enjoy the delights of four of Jane Austen’s cannon adapted for the screen. According to this advance interview of Actress Sally Hawkins who portrayed Anne Elliot in the ITV production of Persuasion (2007), it looks like the month of June has been dedicated as a mini Austenpalooza down under. Starting with Emma (Kate Beckinsale version 1996), the weekly Sunday evening airings will also include the new (2007) versions of Persuasion on June 8, Northanger Abbey on June 15, and Mansfield Park on June 22.

What no Pride and Prejudice (1995), Sense and Sensibility (2008) and Miss Austen Regrets (2008) to ‘complete’ the ensemble that North American audiences enjoyed this past winter with The Complete Jane Austen on PBS? Let’s hope that they head that way soon, for what else do Janeites live for but total emersion, right?



Actress Sally Hawkins has some interesting comments to add about her take on Austen and her motives for writing.

"I think Jane is echoed in all her heroines, in all her novels," Hawkins says. "If you look at them as a set of complete works, you can see a real woman growing up. Her wit is there, apparent through all her heroines, and that is very much at the core."

Australian audiences have the double advantage of previous airing of these adaptations in the UK and North America, and many reviews are about. To prep yourself for each production (spoilers afoot), here are some reviews of the high and low points of each production.


Emma

• JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Emma (1996/TV)
• The Complete Jane Austen "Emma" by Jessica Emerson
• Emma Review: By the Vacuous and Vulgar Mrs. Elton
• Fun Friday–Emma, by Kaye Dacus

Persuasion

• Review: Madcap PBS 'Persuasion' sacrifices nuance
• Persuasion Review: “almost too good for me”?
• The Complete Jane Austen "Persuasion" by Victoire Sanborn

Northanger Abbey

• Northanger Abbey: A Review
• 'Northanger Abbey' is lighthearted Austen
• Northanger Abbey Review: An Austen Adventure

Mansfield Park

• Mansfield Park Review: No Hope of a Cure
• The Dummification of Mansfield Park
• The Complete Jane Austen "Mansfield Park" by Lori Smith
• Mansfield Park–My Reaction, Kaye Ducas

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Seen on the Blogosphere

Jane Austen was seen in a horseless carriage attending Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and wrote a review of the current fashions. Oh, my.

Not to be outdone, Mrs. Elton reviewed Emma on Austenprose. She's as catilly chatty as ever, and a flippertygibbet, if you ask me, but according to author Diana Birchall there's more to her than first meets the eye.

And Ellen Moody thinks Something Odd is Going On With Mr. Knightley ... please click here to find out what it is.

Ms. Moody also created the Jane Austen calendars. If you haven't discovered these timelines of the plots in Jane's novels, click here for a wonderful surprise.

Don't forget to keep sending in your ideal Pride and Prejudice Musical cast. The contest remains open until midnight on the 29th. For contest rules, click on the link in the sidebar.

Posted by Ms. Place, Jane Austen's World

Fashionable Emma Woodhouse: Costuming in Austen’s Emma Adapted

Gentle Readers, It is with the greatest pleasure that we introduce Kali Pappas, as our guest blogger in conjunction with the Emma (1996) adaptation airing on Masterpiece Classic on Sunday, March 23rd at 9:00 pm.

Ms. Pappas has been the pre-eminent authority on Jane Austen’s novel and movie adaptations of Emma on the web for over ten years. Her beautiful website, Emma Adaptations, is an incredible online resource; including information on the novel, characters, plot, movie adaptation reviews, image & video gallery, and her creative and fun Austen Heroines Quiz.

Ms. Pappas’ particular interest is in Regency fashion, and we were delighted when she agreed to write about the costuming of Emma. We hope that you enjoy her contribution and visit her lovely Emma Adaptations website.

Being handsome, clever, and rich, it's plain that Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse would have been well-dressed. But what exactly might she - and the various other characters in Emma - have worn?

There are passing allusions to muslins, gowns, ribbons, and such throughout the novel, but very little in terms of fashion details. Emmy award-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan, however, has given us a bit of a window into the world of Regency fashion. Through her designs for Emma, we get a glimpse of how Emma, Harriet, Mrs. Elton, and our other friends might have dressed. Sometimes it's pretty. Sometimes it's ridiculous. But it's nearly always entertaining to see who's wearing what as the adaptation unfolds.

Beavan began by taking historically-accurate designs circa 1815 (the year during which most of the novel was written) and "coding" them to contribute to the narrative of the story. Her designs reflect character personality, mood, and class through costume metaphor - this includes choice of fabric, colors, styles, accessories, and the like.

Some of my favorite ensembles belong to the oft-overtrimmed Mrs. Elton, played by the inimitable Lucy Robinson, illustrating her penchant for what I euphemistically like to call "overelegance."

"I do not know whether it is not over-trimmed;" she comments - quite ironically - in the novel regarding one of her gowns. "I have the greatest dislike to the idea of being over-trimmed -- quite a horror of finery. I must put on a few ornaments now because it is expected of me. A bride, you know, must appear like a bride, but my natural taste is all for simplicity; a simple style of dress is so infinitely preferable to finery."

At the Crown Inn Ball, she states in the novel, "Nobody can think less of dress in general than I do -- but upon such an occasion as this, when everybody's eyes are so much upon me, and in compliment to the Westons -- who I have no doubt are giving this ball chiefly to do me honour -- I would not wish to be inferior to others. And I see very few pearls in the room except mine."

Of course, we know the real truth. Not that our dear Augusta could have had much REAL concern on this score; given the amount of jewelry the woman has around her neck and on her head in this scene during the adaptation, you'd have to raid the treasure cave in Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland to outpearl her.

What did Calvin Klein say about bad design and too many trims? Whatever it was, Mrs. E's ballwear likely illustrates his point (and not in the good way.

Her strawberry outing gown is another particular favorite of mine, as it suits the always-overdressed Mrs. E to a T.

"I shall wear a large bonnet, and bring one of my little baskets hanging on my arm. Here, -- probably this basket with pink ribbon," she says in the novel, of her strawberry day ensemble. And indeed, Beavan has given her a very hyperbolic bonnet (or rather, hat) - not to mention a rather ornate light blue day gown with ecru appliques and lace - in which to play shepherdess."

Hat illustration:
Gown illustration (far left):

Speaking of headwear, Mrs. Elton's huge hat isn't the only one worth mentioning. Emma's hats, particularly when juxtaposed with the headwear - or lack thereof - of the other female characters, are particularly interesting. Or frightening. Take your pick.

Beavan and Kate Beckinsale, who plays Emma, chose rather tall, large, imposing hats for Emma to accentuate her hawkish, aggressive qualities, while the other, more benign females - sweet Harriet, motherly Mrs. Weston, and service-oriented Mrs. Goddard, for example - wear less intimidating (and more feminine) bonnets.

Emma's tall aubergine-colored hat, for example, adds tremendous height and volume to Beckinsale's slight form, much as a kitten's fluffy head and ears create a natural illusion of size to scare off predators.

Tall, dark hat, compared to Mrs. Weston's ladylike bonnet:

At Box Hill, Emma's illusion of "command" is heightened by a straw-tabbed hat which vaguely resembles something you might see on Admiral Nelson. More, she's wearing a military-influenced, double-breasted spencer; this further symbolizes her status of wannabe "Queen Bee" of Highbury. Of course, Box Hill sees Emma out of her geographical and psychological element; she insults Miss Bates and incurs quite the scolding from Mr. Knightley (he has a knack for always telling her what he thinks of her. Almost).

Tab hat and military spencer:

Unlike Mr. Knightley, Mrs. Goddard kaotaos to Emma's community status, curtsying and speaking in a deferent tone when they discuss Harriet. Emma's tall hat and businesslike manner reinforces this tone - it's obvious whom outranks whom in this scene, and the headwear helps bring that point home...

Jane Fairfax - who is about the same age as Emma - cuts a different sort of figure. She is elegantly, though simply, dressed in subdued colors which suit her status as an orphan and future professional (well, so Mrs. Elton would like to believe) quite well.

Jane looks like a governess in her sensible bonnet and blue pelisse with light vandyking on the cap sleeves:
In particular contrast to Emma's commanding presence is sweet, meek Harriet Smith, whom Emma takes under her wing and attempts to socially refashion. And when I say this, the weak pun is intended; Emma's "improvements" regarding Harriet extend to controlling how she dresses. At Ford's, for example, the novel shows us how Emma guides Harriet's fabric and notions choices:

"Emma watched them in, and then joined Harriet at the interesting counter, trying, with all the force of her own mind, to convince her that if she wanted plain muslin it was of no use to look at figured; and that a blue ribbon, be it ever so beautiful, would still never match her yellow pattern. At last it was all settled, even to the destination of the parcel."

Further, Emma congratulates herself on Harriet's progress in polite company by silently remarking upon her friend's improved wardrobe:

"To be in company, nicely dressed herself and seeing others nicely dressed, to sit and smile and look pretty, and say nothing, was enough for the happiness of the present hour."

In the adaptation, we witness Emma's and Harriet's first "meeting" in church, where the latter wears a small, unassuming bonnet and nondescript clothing. More, Harriet's hair is down, indicating that she's still a girl. "Adult" women would wear their hair up, as Emma does.

Harriet in Church:
Harriet's wardrobe improves considerably as the adaptation moves along, no doubt thanks to Emma's influence, though she is always dressed in modest, youthful colors and styles. Her colorfully-trimmed bonnet and to-the-neck chemisette, or bodice inset, are illustrative:

Other class and age distinctions involve some of the male characters in the story, including Mr. Knightley and his tenant, Mr. Martin. Mr. Knightley wears elegant coats in somber colors and double-breasted waistcoats, the latter of which are echoed in Mr. Martin's more practical ensembles. While the styles of their vests are virtually identical, Mr. Martin's version is better-suited to hands-on labor. He is typically portrayed in shirtsleeves...not to mention a bit dirtied up.

The landowner and his tenant:

Fussy Mr. Woodhouse wears embroidered waistcoats which echo the fashions of decades past, while fashionable young Frank Churchill's fashions border on the dandyish. While we all know that Frank didn't really take off to get his hair cut in the story, Raymond Coulthard's hairdo might make one think otherwise.

Emma with her hair in Grecian style, while Frank's coiffure and clothing is more Brummelesque:

Frank's dashing Maroon coat, at Box Hill:

The older generations: Miss Bates, Mr. Woodhouse, and Mrs. Bates. Miss and Mrs. Bates wear age-correct mob caps.
Mr. Woodhouse, King of the stately Georgian powdered wig look:

I could go on forever, but these meager examples will have to do for now. Suffice it to say that there are a ton of apt - and usually quite attractive - costumes in this adaptation. Thanks to the patronesses of this blog for allowing me to share some of them with you!