Thursday, January 7
Love Story - a celebration of Jane Austen Couples
Monday, February 9
Seen on the Blogosphere
Our other blogs Jane Austen's World and Austenprose have been reviewing Masterpiece Classic's second airing of Sense and Sensibility, and a new book tentitled Jane Austen Ruined My Life, which has been getting positive buzz and is now available in book stores.Check our reviews out at these links:
- Jane Austen Ruined My Life: Vic's Review; LA's Review
- Sense and Sensibility, 2008: LA's Review; Vic's Review
Reading Jane on the Go
For those who are lucky enough to own Iphones or phones that can download just about anything, including ebooks, you are in for a treat. Google has released 1.5 million free ebooks that are in the public domain for download. Now you can read your Jane Austen where ever you go. If you're a techie, this article explains how the process is done and how you can skim over reams of pages.
CranfordNigel tells us that our friends Down Under are being treated to Cranford, a must-see adaptation of three of Elizabeth Gaskell's novels. For our Aussie friends, please click here to read our reviews.
Saturday, February 7
Masterpiece's Sense and Sensibility Concludes on Sunday
Don't miss the dramatic conclusion of Masterpiece Classic's presentation of Sense and Sensibility (2008) on Sunday, February 8th at 9:00 pm.Elinor Dashwood wanted viewers to know that after the conclusion of Sense and Sensibility she has a new gig at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath as a stand-in double for the Jane Austen statue. You can find her most days filling in for Miss Austen during her lunch breaks and book signings.
Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Tuesday, January 27
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 resourcesSense 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
Tuesday, April 8
The Complete Jane Austen Recapalooza
So, now we come to the final poll. Of the original movies shown by PBS, which one was your favorite? Here's your chance to share your opinion.
PBS Masterpiece Classic is not over! Look for A Room With a View this Sunday, April 13th, 9 p.m. The script was written by Andrew Davies, so you know there will be a tiny bit of controversy in the script.
Thursday, April 3
Sense & Sensibility: A Head to Head Comparison
When new film adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels are made, there is no sense in pretending we don’t compare the actors and actresses from the various versions. Since Barbara Larochelle did such a good job of reviewing the new adaptation concerning the story and the setting, I thought I’d just do what I do best: compare the actors and actresses head-to-head.
I thought about including the 1981 BBC miniseries, but since I’ve had the DVD of it for a few years (purchased as part of a set) and have never watched it, this will focus on just the 1995 Emma Thompson version in comparison to the new Andrew Davies version.
Elinor Dashwood: Emma Thompson vs. Hattie Morahan
In looks, Emma Thompson has Hattie Morahan beaten, hands-down. It has been quite a while since I’ve read the book, but I don’t remember Jane Austen specifying that Elinor is so plain as to be nearly homely. In speaking ability, Emma also has the edge---Hattie has a bit of a lisp at times that makes her sound a bit less refined and intelligent than Elinor is supposed to be. However, in all other respects, I’m going to have to give this one to Hattie Morahan, mainly because of her age---because she was only twenty-eight when filming this, while Emma Thompson was thirty-six. Neither were very close to Elinor’s nineteen when the story begins, but Hattie does look much younger when seen on the screen. Hattie also brings a little less maturity and assuredness to the role. Why is that a good thing? Because in the novel, Elinor is only nineteen years old. She doesn’t know everything, the way Emma Thompson portrayed her. Hattie also has a quietness about her that Emma Thompson tried to adopt but didn’t always manage. Winner: Hattie Morahan.
Marianne Dashwood: Kate Winslet vs. Charity Wakefield
While Charity looks younger, she is actually several years older than Kate during filming (KW was eighteen or nineteen). But age isn't really the issue here. The better portrayal of this character is soundly Kate Winslet’s. Kate Winslet brought so much more heart and intensity and, dare I say, sensibility to the role. (She weeps better too.) She also seemed much more comfortable with the lines that are straight out of the novel, whereas Charity was much more believable with the dialogue written by Andrew Davies (not that his dialogue was bad, just not what Jane penned). But I do have to say, I like the warmth that Charity as Marianne initially shows toward Colonel Brandon---the smiles when he’s turning the pages of the music for her, and thinking him the only person in the neighborhood one could have an intelligent conversation with. And I know that tumbled, curly hair is supposed to be a “sign” of the wild, carefree character, but poor Charity’s hair tends to look more frizzy (especially around her face) than a wild tumble of curls. I know that’s probably more true-to-life, but with as refined as everything else is in this film version, it’s somewhat distracting to me to see a close-up of her and have her look like she just woke up and hasn’t styled her hair yet. Winner: Kate Winslet.
Mrs. Dashwood: Gemma Jones vs. Janet McTeer
Though Gemma Jones was only fifty-three when filming the 1995 version of S&S, Janet McTeer, at forty-six, possesses the looks of the early-forties that Mrs. Dashwood is supposed to be. However, Gemma Jones’s portrayal edges her out for me. Janet McTeer towers over the actresses playing Elinor and Marianne, and comes across as very robust. Gemma Jones brought a palpable sadness and fragility to the role, fitting for a woman newly widowed---and also something that points to the same fragility that Marianne shows later in the story after her heart is broken. Winner: Gemma Jones.
Edward Ferrars: Hugh Grant vs. Dan Stevens
He didn’t have to have piercing blue eyes, a mellow baritone voice, and a nice substance to his carriage for Dan Stevens to edge out Hugh Grant in this comparison for me. (And can I just admit that until I put these two images side by side, I didn’t realize how much Dan Stevens favors Hugh Grant?) Yes, Jane describes Edward as plain, with not much grace---and Dan Stevens is far from plain---but she also described Edward as solemn and somber, not comical and flirtatious, which is how Hugh Grant’s bumbling, stuttering portrayal comes across. Winner: Dan Stevens.
Colonel Brandon: Alan Rickman vs. David Morrissey
I know there are some people out there who feel as adamantly about Alan Rickman in the role of Colonel Brandon as they do about Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. So, since I’m 100 percent in favor of equal opportunity, I’ll go ahead and offend the Alan Rickman lovers to say I feel he was completely miscast as Colonel Brandon. (Side note trivia: the first name Christoper was made up for that version of the movie.) Yes, he’s a wonderful actor, and did a good job in the role. But he wasn’t the Colonel Brandon who appears in the book. The biggest problem is that Colonel Brandon is meant to be thirty-five years old. Though David Morrissey (forty-three) is close to the age Alan Rickman was when he filmed the role (forty-nine), the difference of eight years to fourteen definitely shows in their faces---David Morrissey is mature without looking old. Alan Rickman just looked old, not to mention the fact that to me, Alan Rickman sounds like he just came from the dentist and the Novocaine hasn’t worn off yet---and he might still have some cotton stuffed up in his mouth. One of the strange things for me watching David Morrissey is how much he reminds me of a young Liam Neeson---both in looks and voice. Winner: David Morrissey.
Mr. Willoughby: Greg Wise vs. Dominic Cooper
Aside from the fact that Marianne is sixteen or seventeen years old and susceptible to an unexplainable infatuation with a dashing young man, in the new adaptation I cannot understand how she could possibly choose Willoughby over Brandon. Because the film is much more drawn out, we see Willoughby in more scenes, but rather than seeing his humor and charm, he just comes across as sinister and conniving. He rarely smiles; and lines that Greg Wise spoke with a lilt and a bit of a laugh in his voice Dominic Cooper speaks with a petulance that makes him come across as rude. And, personally, I just think Greg Wise is better looking. Winner: Greg Wise.
Head to head, there are no actors that are truly just awful in their roles. But I do have my favorites. I hope you do too, and I hope you’re looking forward to the second part as much as I am!
About the Author:
Romance novelist Kaye Dacus has been a Jane Austen lover since first reading Pride and Prejudice in high school. In college, her senior thesis focused on themes of wealth and social status in Jane Austen’s work. She blogs about the craft of fiction writing---and Jane Austen film adaptations---at www.kayedacus.com. Her debut novel, Stand-In Groom, hits shelves in January 2009.
Wednesday, April 2
David Morrissey: Gazumped by Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility
In an interview with BBC Press last season, David Morrissey observed about Colonel Brandon, the character he played in Sense and Sensibility, "Just as he’s starting to form an idea of himself with Marianne he’s gazumped, really, thwarted by his rival, and has to take a back step. He then tries to be honourable, even though his rival is somebody he knows is not right for this girl."
When approached to play the part, David quickly signed on, having been a "massive fan" of Andrew Davies for years. As prolific an actor as Dominic Cooper (see post sitting below), David can most recently be seen as Norfolk, the scheming uncle in The Other Boleyn Girl. He also played the London psychiatrist opposite Sharon Stone's deadly character in Basic Instinct 2, and in Hilary and Jackie and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. David is a regular fixture on British television, and viewers will recognize him from State of Play, Blackpool, and most recently, Cape of Wrath. David's success lies in his ability to immerse himself in his characters. "At 43, he's one of Britain's most in-demand character actors, strangely familiar yet oddly unrecognisable, despite the fact that he's cornered the market in ordinary-men-in-extraordinary-turmoil roles over the past few years," Stuart Husband recently wrote in The Telegraph.Wishing to embrace all aspects of his craft, David has also branched out into directing, and owns his own production company, Tubedale. His partner of almost twenty years is the novelist Esther Freud, author of The Hideous Kinky, great granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, and daughter of Lucien Freud, who is regarded as one of Britain's greatest painter. They have three children.
David's appeal as the Colonel is enormous, as this YouTube video attests. As Colonel Brandon, we all know that hunky David gets the girl in the end.
- Click on this link to read a short biography, view Flickr photos of set scenes and a series of video clips about David, or see a filmography.
- David Morrissey, Honorary Fellowship, Liverpool John Moores University, Oration by Frank Sanderson
- David Morrissey: The Incredible Disappearing Man, UK Telegraph, March 2008
Posted by Ms. Place
Tuesday, April 1
Is Sense and Sensibility star Dominic Cooper a Rake or Heart-throb?
Fair enough. At least he has the sense to know when modesty is appropriate; - instead he reveals quite a bit about this personal life in between questions about his interpretation of Austen’s rake, John Willoughby.
Cooper shares that his character John Willoughby is a young man who made the wrong decision. He believes that Willoughby was truly in love with Marianne Dashwood and intended to propose marriage. Willoughby and Marianne do not have their own money, so he is dependent upon his inheritance from his aunt to live. His weakness is that he obeys his aunt, and throws her off.
The 29 year old actor is on the cusp of stardom, and has been grouped with several other up-coming British actors such as, James McAvoy, Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall, Emily Blunt and Hayley Atwell. (Jane Austen connections in 2007: James McAvoy stared as Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane, Emily Blunt stared as Prudie Drummond in The Jane Austen Book Club, and Hayley Atwell stared as Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park .)
Classically trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and then originated the role of Dankin in The History Boys, at the Royal National Theatre. In 2006 he stared in the film of the same production to much praise and acclaim.
His dance card has been quite full as of late, and has three films in the queue; Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Mamma Mia, and The Duchess co-staring Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, 2005). He is currently filming An Education, co-staring Emma Thompson (Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility, 1995), Olivia Williams (Jane Austen, Miss Austen Regrets, 2008), Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, 2005), Carey Mulligan (Isabella Thorpe, Northanger Abbey, 2007), Sally Hawkins (Anne Elliot, Persuasion, 2007). Quite an Austen actor lineup!
I don’t quite agree that he is the next Regency sex symbol, having not been convinced that his portrayal of Willoughby in episode one of Sense and Sensibility last Sunday elevated him to that status, but he may surpise me in the future.Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Monday, March 31
Sense & Sensibility: The Female Actors
Hattie Morahan: Elinor DashwoodTrivia: 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 DashwoodTrivia: 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. DashwoodTrivia: 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 DashwoodTrivia: 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
Saturday, March 29
Life Coach Cheryl Richardson Draws on the Wisdom of Jane Austen
Masterpiece Classic’s enhanced interactive website has added two new features in anticipation of the premier of Sense and Sensibility on Sunday night; behind the scenes production videos, and two nine minute podcasts by bestselling author and life coach Cheryl Richardson. Both of these new features offer insights into the making of the film Sense and Sensibility and how Jane Austen’s classic novel set in the early 19th-century can be applied to our lives today.
The videos include interviews of the writer, designers, director and the cast, and lead us into the thought processes to create this stunning new adaptation. Life coach Cheryl Richards asks the question, is Jane Austen trying to tell you something about your life, and explores the plot and characters throughout the film to discover lessons and applications to our 21st-century livesIn addition to the plot synopsis and cast & credits, you will find a listing of characters with a hierarchy of how they fit into the story and additional information about the actors who portray them.
Be sure to watch episode one of the Masterpiece Classic presentation of Sense and Sensibility on Sunday, March 30th at 9:00 pm on PBS. Also, don't forget to read the review of the film by our guest blogger Barbara Larochelle, discussion moderator with The Republic of Pemberley. Her post sits below.Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Thursday, March 27
Andrew Davies Adapts Austen: Sensibility Crashing Against Sense
I was invited to blog on the new Andrew Davies-scripted adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, but first I should be forthright about one thing. This will come as no shock to anyone with whom I have ever had a Jane Austen-related conversation online or in person: I love Colonel Brandon. I love him just the way Jane Austen wrote him, and I have since my first reading of Sense and Sensibility, long before I ever saw an adaptation of the novel.
It is a necessary admission, for the portrayal of my favourite Austen hero can heavily influence my ability to enjoy any adaptation. More times than I would care to count, Colonel Brandon is described by various writers of introductions to the novel as impossibly dull, dour, dry, and worse. Some see his marriage to Marianne a 'punishment' for her and the ending to this story as a dark and unhappy one, for her, at least. Despite my conviction that they could not possibly have read the same novel I did, I am always left to wonder how anyone could fail to see Brandon as the man of sensibility he is and as I believe Jane Austen intended him to be. I require so much! I could never be happy with any portrayal of Colonel Brandon on film that did not match up to my ideal of him.So it was not without a little trepidation that I approached my first viewing of this adaptation, particularly after reading and viewing interviews with Davies that Austen "didn't draw out her male characters enough" and that he didn't think she really understood them. Worse, he stated that " you can’t help feeling that the guys who get the girls just aren’t good enough in the book" and that "Colonel Brandon just seems old, serious, and not very glamorous. Jane Austen doesn’t really convince us that Marianne would move from being so crazy about the young Willoughby to suddenly being in love with Brandon."
Oh no. Old? He was thirty-five. Not glamourous? As opposed to, say, Willoughby who had to make a mercenary marriage because his glamourous lifestyle put him so far in debt? Suddenly? It took Marianne two years in the book to fully wake up to her future husband's merits.
And, of course, no matter how much I might dwell upon injustices, perceived or otherwise, to my favourite hero, it cannot be all about Colonel Brandon, who, in fact, does not even appear until more than halfway into the first of the three episodes that originally aired. He must also later disappear to attend to mysterious and urgent personal business, just as Jane Austen decreed that he should.
There was also much talk prior to the first broadcast episode that it would all begin with a scene of Willoughby seducing the young Eliza Williams. Chronologically, this would, of course, occur at about the same time as the opening of the book and when Mr. Dashwood is dying. I made no secret of the fact that I did not agree with this choice. In interviews, Davies calls Willoughby a 'sociopath' (plus a few more colourful adjectives). He wanted to put the story up front. However, I think it is important that the reader (or viewer) be swept up in Marianne's infatuation with Willoughby, and think him equal to what our " fancy had ever drawn for the hero of a favourite story ".
I worried that this, perhaps as much as any of my misgivings about how Colonel Brandon might be depicted, would spoil the viewing experience for me. Still, I didn't want to pass judgment, sight unseen, so I quelled my concerns as best I could before watching.
So. First impressions. The seduction scene is, indeed, up first, but you really can't tell it's Willoughby. Because of this, it seems oddly disconnected to the rest of the adaptation, especially since Eliza is not seen again until the third of the originally broadcast episodes.
The settings in any adaptation always draw a viewer's attention, and this is no exception. Norland, to me seemed very grand—much grander and more imposing than I had ever imagined it to be. When the avaricious Fanny Dashwood exults "At last!" as she first enters her new home as its mistress, one can almost imagine the degree to which she had been salivating at the very prospect. It does, however, serve to underline just how far down in the world Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters were cast by the death of their husband and father.
People who know a great deal more about this than I do did not care for the Barton-by-the-seaside setting. The visits I have made to England do not give me enough of a sense of geographical accuracy to object on such a point.
Once the Dashwood ladies are settled at Barton cottage, frequent scenes are intercut of angular, craggy, jagged rocks jutting up at angles through turbulent crashing waves. There seems to be something wildly romantic about it; sensibility crashing up against sense, over and over again, if you will. It seems almost Turneresque, and this certainly seems deliberate when you think of Turner's famous painting of Tintern Abbey only to have Willoughby later reciting lines from Wordsworth's Lines written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.
I have feltThe Barton Cottage of this adaptation does not seem to answer the book's description of a tile-roofed house that "had not been built many years and was in good repair", nor does it seem that it ought to elicit Marianne's exclamation of "How romantic!" However, it does suit Austen's observation that "In comparison of Norland, it was poor and small indeed!" and Mr. Palmer's that the cottage is low-pitched with a crooked ceiling.
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air…
Allenham, on the inside at least, is appropriately "shockingly neglected". It suggests the appearance of wealth, grandeur and respectability on the outside that is in reality concealing something quite different—not unlike its heir apparent. On the other hand, we are left in anticipation of seeing Delaford until near the end, only to see that it is everything it is promised to be and more, just like its master.
But—enough about the settings. The cast, of course, is the more important part of an adaptation. Comparisons between this and the much-loved 1995 film are inescapable, and this group of actors seems, on the whole, younger and closer in age to Austen's characters. My admiration for Emma Thompson as an actress and as a screenwriter knows no bounds, but I knew as soon as I saw this that Hattie Morahan is the Elinor of my imagination. She is able to convey so much wordlessly, whether it is the expectation that Edward means to propose to her, confusion at his real intentions, devastation at Lucy Steele's revelation about their engagement, her longing for Edward, her distress at hearing Colonel Brandon's revelations about Willoughby and his ward or being stung with the injustice of Marianne's accusation "Happy Elinor! You have no idea of what I suffer!" This Elinor is composure on the outside, and yet the feelings that are quite as strong as Marianne's are right there too—governed, but nonetheless deeply felt.
Charity Wakefield's take on Marianne somehow made the character much more endearing to me than she has been before. I am not certain that Marianne would have been the one to utter lines such as "Oh Mother! Don't cry, dear!" or, after Willoughby leaves, "Forgive me, Mama—it was the sudden shock!" but her earnestness and her sweetness somehow make it all convincing. This Marianne is sure of her opinions, but full of contradictions. She is sincere when she laments to her mother "I am sure [Edward] only praises Elinor's drawings because they are hers!" and yet is just as obviously piqued when Colonel Brandon, admiring as a connoisseur and not a lover, makes a discerning observation about her pianoforte performance. She declares the colonel is "the only person in the neighbourhood with whom one can have an intelligent conversation", but, mortified by the speculation that Brandon is in love with her, runs out the back door of the cottage when he stops by to visit.
At times it seemed that this was an adaptation of the 1995 adaptation, particularly with respect to Margaret. As in the feature film, this Margaret seems younger than age thirteen and has a proclivity for lurking under furniture, or popping out of a perch on a tree or from behind stacks of books to deliver ingenuous comments about the unfairness of primogeniture and to express a wish to run off with gypsies or fight duels. Also like the film version, she says what the others cannot: telling Fanny that is she is so envious of their cottage that she should go there herself and let them stay at Norland, or pressing Edward to promise to come and see them soon.
Still, Margaret had been excluded from previous S&S adaptations, so her presence is welcome, as is that of a number of the other characters who were excluded from the 1995 film, including Lady Middleton and her children, young Henry Dashwood, Edward and Fanny's harridan of a mother Mrs. Ferrars, and especially Anne Steele. Granted, Lady Middleton here is even more insipid than she is in the book and is given very little to do or say, and much of the humour provided by Sir John, Mrs. Jennings and the Palmers is sadly lacking in this adaptation. Anne Steele (on left in image below) is the standout here, and made me laugh out loud more than once as she prattled on about smart beaux or delighted in how they "preened and ogled" at the assembly.
And now for the men. The first thing that struck me was that both Edward and Colonel Brandon were 
far better-looking than they ought to be, considering that Jane Austen described them both as being "not handsome". On the other hand Willoughby, that "person of uncommon attraction" whose "manly beauty and more than common gracefulness" inspired such general admiration in the book was not nearly attractive enough, in my opinion. For me, at least, it was something of a problem when Colonel Brandon was so clearly superior to Willoughby in every way, that you would wonder why Marianne would even give Willoughby a second glance. Even allowing for the possibility that my personal prejudices in favour of 
the colonel were colouring my opinion, I could not get over this impression.
True to his word, Andrew Davies did indeed do his best to make them more present and more alluring, and so we have a wet-shirted Edward chopping wood in the rain to vent his feelings, and Colonel Brandon at first riding over to Barton Cottage with gifts of music and books for Marianne, then shooting things to vent his own feelings. Colonel Brandon dances at parties. He grills Willoughby on whether his intentions towards Marianne are honourable. With a heartfelt "Allow me!" he catches Marianne as she faints after Willoughby jilts her, then levels a potent death stare at his rival.
Then they duel. The timing of the duel in the adaptation has been altered to make at seem as though it is over Willoughby's treatment of Marianne and not to punish Willoughby's conduct in the matter of getting Eliza pregnant and then abandoning her and their child. In the book, the duel took place months before Elinor and Marianne came to London. This duel is with swords and Colonel Brandon is formidable. At the end, Brandon holds his sword to Willoughby's throat as his rival cower, then shoves him away in disgust.
His voice breaks as he recounts his tragic romantic history to Elinor and confesses "I believe we were everything to each other" as he speaks of his lost love. This Brandon rides about in the rain searching for Marianne at the Palmers' estate, and is soldierly as he barks out orders to the servants to remove her clothing and warm her up.
All in all, by the time Marianne observes "he is the true romantic, I think!" we believe it. I always believed it in the book, but I must admit this is not something that everyone takes away from the novel. It was more than enough to satisfy the way I wished to see the colonel portrayed. Even though Marianne never did declare herself in love with him before their wedding in the book, I felt that it worked here.
This adaptation also includes other scenes that were missing from the 1995 film, most notably Willoughby's 'confession' to Elinor while Marianne convalesces at Cleveland. He comes off very badly indeed here, as he ought to, and while Marianne certainly never eavesdropped on the conversation in the book, we can well believe that she might have had the same combination of disillusionment and disgust on her face if she had done.
The dialogue, while not as funny as in the book, is clever. There are several scenes with subtext running through them. Sir John, who in the novel observes that there is no persuading his old friend, once he has put his mind to something instead remarks, " I don't think I've ever seen you aim a gun and miss." The metaphor is extended as they discuss how Willoughby is now a good shot, too, and when Sir John himself misses a shot, just before suggesting to the colonel that he set his sights on Elinor instead of Marianne.
Another example of subtext is when Mrs. Dashwood laments that Brandon would leave just when Marianne was beginning to take interest in him, to which Elinor observes that men who tame wild horses achieve this by being gentle, then walking away. We soon see Brandon with a falcon, the perfect combination of gentleness and strength. He is willing to let a wild thing go free and trust that it will fly to his arm when it is ready. Marianne, observing this, is suitably impressed. Now, perhaps, she understands that when the colonel earlier said her passionate pianoforte performance was 'original', it was truly meant as a compliment.
There is also an ongoing fruit motif, introduced when Willoughby presents Marianne with a handful of tiny wild strawberries, and extended when Margaret anticipates sampling Delaford's prized strawberries and peaches on the picnic. At last, when Marianne visits her future home, there are bowls overflowing with an abundance of ripe fruit. Everything at Delaford is welcoming and wonderful. There is no sign of neglect there, not even a speck of dust. When the colonel carries his smiling bride toward the flower-garlanded entrance of their home, we can well imagine that they will make each other happy there.
I have watched this through several times already, and I notice more to like about it with each subsequent viewing. I plan to watch it again this weekend. And again!
Watch Part One of Sense & Sensibility 2008 this Sunday on your local PBS station at 9 p.m.
Thursday, December 20
Sense & Sensibility 2008
Click here to view ten Sense & Sensibility icons, and click on Austen.blog to read a string of posts on this new BBC version of Jane's novel, including links to a synopsis of each episode. Look particularly for photos of the heroes with lolcats sayings. Very funny.In an aside, ever since it was announced that Gillian Anderson would host Masterpiece Theatre, her star has been on the rise according to xRank. (#36 with a bullet, and the 4th top mover). Lest anyone think that this is a serious ranking, the number one celebrity on this list is Paris Hilton. Hah!
Technorati Tags: Sense & Sensibility 2008, Gillian Anderson, XRank