Sandra’s Miscellany

Every time I see yet another version of a Jane Austen novel hit the small or big screen, part of me can’t wait to hit the theater (or armchair) and part of me cringes. Austen’s subtleties, her wonderful wit, her tart but gentle observations — how can any motion picture hope to bring these to the viewer?

And yet there’s Persuasion, my favorite of the mid-90’s flurry of Austen movies. Casting the subtle and almost-plain Amanda Root as Anne Elliot was a stroke of genius. This classically-trained Shakespearean actress can express more emotion and reaction in a simple quirk of her eyebrows than most actresses can in their entire faces. Casting Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth was another great treat. He’s such a man’s man — tall, strong, carries himself like a man in command, and yet can temper that strength to be quite tender and even a little awkward with Anne.

The BBC’s epic 6-hour Pride and Prejudice, it goes without saying, is likely the definitive version of that novel, but I’m really looking forward to this latest incarnation. Any new take on an Austen novel is worth a look, and some reviews have suggested the director has lifted the sensual subtext of the novel to the surface — for what is the verbal sparring between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy besides foreplay?

But when I watched the trailer for P&P, I was struck by one thing: Watch the trailer and you won’t have to watch the movie. So if you’ve never read or seen P&P before, for the love of Jane, don’t watch this trailer!

Then, just for grins, I went poking around for other Austen movie trailers. Don’t watch Persuasion’s trailer — it’s totally overwrought and downright wrong. It reminded me that I once found a VHS video of this movie at Blockbuster and the marketers were so terrified no one would rent it, they’d put a bodice-ripper cover on it that featured two people who aren’t the actors! Unbelievable.

And for a change of pace, try the greatly updated Mansfield Park. I may have to spend an entire new blog page on that one. It’s not a favorite, but it raises some interesting questions, especially since no one can figure out what Jane was up to when she wrote that book.

So now I may have to go read P&P again before I see the movie. I usually read Middlemarch about this time of year (yes, it’s a favorite, for its observation of human nature, its character growth, and its sophisticated understanding of societal change), but maybe Jane will get some brain space this time instead.

Are you going to see it? Have you seen it before or will this be your first time?