New Emma coming out this Fall

I'm so excited! I heard about the BBC filming a new Emma this year. Here is a teaser that someone found on YouTube. I am a little wary of the casting though, I think there are too many big name UK actors this time around, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm also willing to give Romola Garai (who is playing Emma) the benefit of the doubt as well, I don't particularly like her as an actress, but we'll see...

Mansfield Park -- wha?

Hmmm, where to start? I normally try to view adaptations with an objective eye, after all, most film versions are never true copies, just (hopefully) faithful representations. Plus, many times, people have never even read the book, so hopefully there is enough to whet people's appetites and actually induce them to pick up the written original.

I won't even go into what a train wreck this adaptation was, or I'd be going on forever, and I'd rather let other people do the work. You can read a well written opinion here (the title's pretty apt).

Okay, my attempts at finding something positive about this adaptation:

• Tom is a scoundrel, as he should be
  
• Mr. Rushworth is stupid, as he should be
• The pug was cute
• Edmund was how I pictured him: a geeky looking clergyman
• It was nice when they showed the moment when Edmund finally realised that he was in love with Fanny (but the stuff after that was horrid)

Did I say that the pug was cute?

But as I am sadly obsessed, I've already put in an order for my DVD. Sigh. Onwards...

Northanger Abbey

Those of you who know me know that I've got a wee bit of a Jane Austen obsession (of course, if you ask Hubby, he'd probably say it's a little bigger than "wee"). However, most of you probably aren't familiar or even had heard about her other novels. Northanger Abbey happens to be my favourite out of the six full length novels that were published. I love this novel because it's meant to be fun, and a spoof on the Gothic novels that everyone was reading at that time. Jane Austen even mentions a few of the popular titles in the book.

There was a 1986 version, which I have, of course. However, unless you really, really want to watch bad acting and poke your eyes out, I suggest you give that one a skip.

But EEEEEEEEEEEEE! This 2007 version was so very well done! I loved it! I heard years ago that Andrew Davies, who also wrote the screenplay for the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice, had a script written out, but couldn't find anyone to fund the project. So let me tell you that I've been waiting on pins and needles for a very long time.

Things that I loved about this adaptation:

• JJ Feild as Henry Tilney: Okay, I will admit that I never really understood him as a character, until I saw JJ Feild in this role. I have now fallen in love with Henry Tilney, and have added JJ Feild to my list of Obsure British Actor crushes. But honestly, the man did an excellent job, and now when I read the book, I totally picture him as Henry Tilney.
  
• Felicity Jones as Catherine Morland: Again, I couldn't relate to her character, either (funny that I've said that of the two main characters of my favourite Jane Austen book), but I loved her imagination and her innocence, and that really showed in this adaptation. Although I kept staring at Felicity Jones' overbite (very rude of me I know, but I couldn't help it!)
  
• Carey Mulligan as Isabella Thorpe: I watched her in Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version), and thought she was a pretty okay actress in that movie. She has gotten better since because she really blew me away. She is saucy, pretentious and manipulative, but without being over the top, the very epitome of Isabella Thorpe. I felt at times she stole the scene away from Felicity Jones.
• General Tilney, Captain Tilney, James Morland, The Morland Family, Mr. and Mrs. Allen were all as I had expected and they had done a great job casting the respective roles. Mrs. Allen and General Tilney were my favourites.
  
• Scenes where Catherine where fancying herself as a heroine in a Gothic novel. I had a friend tell me that she didn't like them, but I did. I found it particularly funny that Catherine seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much, despite the fact that her life was in great peril.
  

Things that I'm sitting on the fence about:

• John Thorpe. William Beck did a creditable job, but John Thorpe is a rattle, and I don't feel that this came through enough. I'm still trying to decide if it's the actor or the script. It may be a bit of both, but nonetheless, he wasn't what I'd quite imagined John Thorpe to be.
  
• Eleanor Tilney. Again, I'm not certain if it's the actor or the script. Eleanor Tilney seemed dull and insipid. Even with the scenes where General Tilney wasn't present, I really didn't get a good sense of her character. She had some pretty good lines when she was able to speak her mind in the book, but that all got cut out in the adaptation. Wait, I just did some more reading, and it looks like PBS cut out another important scene. Bah.
  
• The naked scenes. There were actually two from what I understand, but sucky PBS cut one of them out. Not that I'm a prude, or that I didn't feel that Jane Austen wouldn't have never written or implied such things if she would have, but I'm not certain that it really fit in with the spirit of the adaptation. The scene with Isabella Thorpe and Captain Tilney is probably the more realistic of the two, but I sort of wonder if Isabella is really that stupid. Still not certain. As for the other scene, I've seen pictures, and am more curious than anything as to how it played out and where in the story they put it. I've also heard that the Region 1 DVD doesn't have the cut out scenes, so I may have to resort to searching YouTube for it. Boooo!

So overall, I give this a 9 out of 10. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

A very good review...

List of what was cut from the Region 1 DVD (boo on whomever decided to do this!)

Some picspam for you to look at. There are some spoilers, but more importantly, the naked scenes are depicted. The poster's comments are also hilarious!

Persuasion. Well, not quite.

I hate Masterpiece Theatre. I had heard that the latest Persuasion adaptation wasn't that good. But Masterpiece Theatre did one better by editing it. Badly. They took out a bunch of scenes that should have been left in, in order to make this a 90 minute show. What ended up being broadcasted was a big crazy mess. I certainly didn't understand all the running around, and the over-superciliousness. Really, I get it. Enough over-acting and melodrama, please.

I was willing to give this adaptation a chance. I mean how much justice can you really do in two hours (that turned into 90 mins) of a Jane Austen classic? And how accurate and true to the book will it be? Not as much as many would like. But even still, it was horrid to watch. The worse was that I couldn't see very much character development in the main characters, and I blame the script for that. And the over editing. However, the kiss at the end, now that was painful to watch. For that, I blame the director.

This post really says it all...

I'm going to have to buy the DVD, I've heard that all the deleted parts are in it, thank goodness. Hopefully some of the mess will make some sense. Hopefully. Well, I was going to buy the DVD anyways, because I'm a geek.

Hopefully the next one will be better...

The Complete Jane Austen

I am soooooooooo excited! PBS is going to have a Jane Austen extravaganza starting January 2008. And not only will they be playing all 6 adaptations, 4 of them will be brand new!!!!!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

For those of you who don't recognize Rupert Penry-Jones above, he plays Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. I've seen him before in Spooks/MI-5, and he's not a bad actor (definitely easy on the eyes!). I'm also excited that my favourite Borg, Alice Krige, will also be in the adaptation. I've met her in real life at the last Star Trek convention that I've been at, she is a very beautiful and elegant lady.

I have a friend who is a big fan of the 1995 adaptation of Persuasion, and she is especially fond of
Ciarán Hinds, who also plays Captain Wentworth. She doesn't think that anyone will outshine him. I think she may have second thoughts once she's seen the newer adaptation.

Another adaptation that I'm looking forward to is Northanger Abbey. This is actually my favourite Jane Austen novel. I've watched the 1986 version, and it's incredibly painful to watch, it's so bad. Anything has to be better than that.

Anyways, I'm prepping by re-reading all of the novels again. Yay! I can't wait!!!!

Pride and Prejudice: Barbie Style

Bawhahahah! I almost died when I saw this, although it took a second viewing to figure out who was who. The blonde is Bingley and Jane, the Ken doll with the beard is Darcy, and Aladdin is Wickham, who ends up with Lydia at the end. Good times!

Jane Austen TV

So Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park are coming to the UK boob tube sometime soon. I unfortunately have to wait until November to see them. Sigh. At least the not-so-evil-homework will hopefully be done by then (more on that later). Looks good so far...

The Borg does Jane Austen

Is it wrong of me to get all excited that my favourite Borg Queen, Alice Krige is going to be in the upcoming Jane Austen adaptation, Persuasion? Alice Krige plays Lady Russell, and while I'm not too fond of Lady Russell the character, I LOVE Alice Krige.

Not everyone knows that there are actually two women who play the Borg Queen: Alice Krige and Susanna Thompson. Alice Krige only played the Borg Queen twice, once in the movie First Contact, and again in the final episode of Voyager. The rest of the time, it was Susanna Thompson.

In my opinion, Alice Krige is the better Borg Queen. She definitely creepier and seems more regal and refined for some reason. Just like a queen. In any case, I met Alice Krige a few years ago at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, and she's really beautiful. I even got her autograph. I'm still chuffed that I got to meet her.

In any case, I apparently have to wait for the 2007-2008 Masterpiece Theatre season to start before I see the new adaptation of Persuasion. Boooo.

For all the Jane Austen die-hards out there, they are also doing new adaptations of Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, and my favourite Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey (finally!). I can't wait!