Northanger Abbey

[Masterpiece Theatre, 2007]

Starring:
Felicity Jones
JJ Fields
Carey Mulligan

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★★
~
Jane Austen

Persuasion

[2007]

Starring:
Sally Hawkins
Rupert Penry-Jones

average rating: ★★★
~
performance: ★★★
screenplay: ★★★
plot/storyline: ★★
cinematography: ★★★
~
19th Century England/Romance/Society

Exciting news! Masterpiece Theater is hosting a new 2008 Classic Series this winter beginning with the Complete Jane Austen. The lineup of Austen adaptations include: Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Miss Austen Regrets, Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/austen/index.html

Masterpiece Theater has also updated a few of the Jane Austen adaptations: Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and a new film called, Miss Austen Regrets.

The first presentation in the Complete Jane Austen was Persuasion, Sunday, January 13, starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. This Austen story is about love and social classes, as are most of her novels. Below is the film's summary from MT's website:

Unhappily unmarried at age 27, and dealing with family financial peril, hope is fading from Anne Elliot's (Sally Hawkins, Little Britain) life. Circumstances bring Captain Frederick Wentworth (Rupert Penry-Jones, Casanova), a dashing naval officer she once deeply loved, back into her life eight years after Anne was persuaded by her family to reject his marriage proposal. Having returned from sea with a new fortune, Wentworth is surrounded by swooning women while Anne broods at the periphery, longing to be in Wentworth's favor. Now Anne comes face-to-face with the deep regret of her old decision, and her abiding love for Wentworth, as she wonders if a long ago love can be rekindled.

Sally Hawkins' performance as Anne Elliot was very good, and she did a fine job portraying Anne's situation; nearly too old for any marriage considerations, heartbroken from her long-ago love, and worried for her family's change in financial and social standing.

Rupert is a pleasant improvement as the British love-interest in this new adaptation. His portrayal of Captain Frederick Wentworth is good, although a little sparse, but his scenes seem to be enough to pull off the story's plot.

My only negative comment regarding this film, would be the fact that it's just too short. They crammed an entire Austen novel into 1 1/2 hours film time. Even the 1995 adaptation was longer, more detailed, and presented a more complete story line.

As Austen fans, Caroline and I are delighted to see Masterpiece Theater continue to update these excellent classics. (we LOVE last year's new Jane Eyre)

Sense & Sensibility

[Columbia Pictures, 1995]

starring:
Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant
Greg Wise, Alan Rickman, Robert Hardy, Elizabeth Spriggs,
Gemma Jones

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★½
~
jane austen, need i say more?

This is one of the best Jane Austen movies out there, period. Emma Thompson, who plays one of the main characters, wrote the screenplay and it is a superb adaption to the original story, or what I have read of it. The performance is excellent. Hugh Grant is the best stutterer I've ever seen, Emma pulls off her character quite perfectly, Kate Winslet is very good as the extremist, and Alan Rickman and Greg Wise are both great. And though each of these are really good, the most entertaining actors in the movie are Robert Hardy and Elizabeth Spriggs, who are the best laughers ever, and Imelda Stauton and Hugh Laurie, who play a funny mismatched couple.

The screenplay is great, making the story flow very nicely. Out of all of the Austen movies, this is the most comedic. There's lots of jokes and funny lines and is generally warmer than the others. The story itself is a classic Austen, troubles with men and money. But the characters are endearing, down to the very last actor.

[watched for no-one-knows-how-many-ith time, 12-31-07]
[poster courtesty of www.impawards.com]