Posts Tagged ‘film’
Pride and Prejudice (Full Screen) (2005)
Literary adaptations just don’t get any better than director Joe Wright’s 2005 version of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. The key word here is adaptation, because Wright and gifted screenwriter Deborah Moggach have taken liberties with Austen’s classic novel that purists may find objectionable, but in this exquisite film their artistic decisions are entirely justified and exceptionally well executed. It’s a more rural England that we see here, circa 1790 (as opposed to Austen’s early 19th century), in which Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) is one of several sisters primed for marriage, with an anxious mother (Brenda Blethyn) only too desperate to see her daughters paired off with the finest, richest husbands available. Elizabeth is strong-willed and opinionated, but her head (not to mention her pride and prejudice) lead her heart astray when she meets the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), whose own sense of decency and discretion (not to mention his pride and prejudice) prevent him from expressing his mutual affection. They’re clearly meant for each other, and as Knightley’s performance lights up the screen (still young enough to be girlishly impertinent, yet wise beyond her 20 years), Austen’s timeless romance yields yet another timeless adaptation, easily on par with the beloved BBC miniseries that has been embraced by millions since originally broadcast in 1995. Individual tastes will vary as to which version should be considered “definitive,” but with a stellar supporting cast including Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland, this impeccable production achieves its own kind of perfection. –Jeff Shannon
Jane Austen’s Life, Society, Works [VHS]
It’s unlikely that there’s a more comprehensive collection on the life of novelist Jane Austen than this boxed set of three one-hour videos. The first video, Life, takes viewers to the locations where Austen lived her abbreviated life. The film looks at her birth, as one of seven children born to a country curate, how she lived and wrote, and her unfortunate early death. There’s also a look at her relationships, notably with her elder brother (who assisted in the publication of her novels) and her sister Cassandra. A visit to the family’s Chawton cottage home gives a nice image of the environment in which Austen found herself.
The second video, Society, explores the Regency era in which Austen lived. It’s a thorough, historical, informative perspective that puts Austen in the context of her time. There’s a look at what people wore, what they ate, and the change in English society from the reign of King George III to the Regent’s turn, pre-George IV. Society also examines the political state at the time and the caricatures and cartoons that populated the newspapers.
Works presents narrated excerpts of Austen’s writing, as well as insight into her personal life, through letters (although Cassandra is said to have destroyed those letters with too personal an insight). What’s most fascinating is the speculation and examination of the real-life people who inspired the now-classic heroes and heroines in Austen’s novels. –N.F. Mendoza
Mafia [VHS]
This hapless comedy may actually work a lot better on video than it did in theaters. A parody of contemporary mob movies (with a few sidebars skewering such hits as Forrest Gump and The English Patient), Mafia! most closely resembles the first two Godfather films in its generational saga of a gangster family. Lloyd Bridges plays Don Cortino, a native Sicilian who presides over a crime syndicate, and Jay Mohr plays his Michael Corleone-like son. The film is by Jim Abrahams, formerly of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker directing team (Airplane!, The Naked Gun), single- handedly trotting out the old dumb-joke aesthetic that worked wonderfully a lifetime ago but looks a little creaky in the era of There’s Something About Mary. Silly allusions to every crime film (GoodFellas, Casino) produced in the last three decades and featuring at least one wise guy or made man find their way into Mafia!‘s gags, but most are arbitrary and shrugged off. The film tanked in theaters for good reason; on the other hand, Mafia! might have a lot more to offer if you’re slumped on your own couch at the end of a long day, ready for brain-dead entertainment and absolutely apathetic about comic integrity. Even a film this instantly stale on the big screen might have its place in video posterity. – Tom Keogh
A Christmas Fling: A Circle of Friends novella (The Circle of
British actress Jenny Lyme is having a pretty decent career. Though she may not have become an international movie star, she’s well loved in England for a role on British TV and continues to work regularly.
Now her hometown community center is in danger of being sold. The only hope for its salvation is if Jenny can film the Christmas Revels production she’s directing and sell it for television broadcasting. For that she needs a really good cameraman—and she just happens to know one….
Greg Marino has worked hard for his success as a Hollywood cinematographer, and he has an Oscar sitting by his coffee maker to prove it. But he still has fond memories of the fling he had with Jenny Lyme ten years earlier when they worked together on a disastrous movie. When she calls and asks if he’d film her community Christmas show, he decides it would be a fun break in his dmanding life. And it would be really, really nice to see Jenny again.
The show is a delight, and Jenny and Greg find the old attraction is still there. But is it possible to build a life together when both have demanding careers thousands of miles apart?
Special Bonus Short Story!
“Seduced by Sloth” was written for an internet experiment that failed, but the theme of finding a balance in life and work echoes that of “A Christmas Fling.”
(The following reviews are for the original collection, Christmas Revels. Three of the other four novellas have been e-released as Christmas Mischief.)
“A great collection for a cold winter’s evening with a hot cup of tea. Mary Jo Putney’s characters are memorable and their stories are heartwarming.”
* Cynthia Meidinger, The Best Reviews, http://thebestreviews.co
“These five heart-tugging stories and their endearing characters celebrate the love, joy, and magic of the Christmas season. Highly recommended.”
* Susan Lantz, www.romrevtoday.com
“If you’ve never read Mary Jo Putney, this collection is a delightful introduction to her compelling characters and gifted storytelling. If you’re a fan already, then you know this book will make a great stocking stuffer for the readers on your list!”
* Lenore Howard, Old Book Barn Gazette
A Christmas Fling: A Circle of Friends novella (The Circle of Friends)
Jane Austen’s Works
In her short life Jane Austen wrote six novels; ‘Sense & Sensibility’, ‘Pride & Prejudice’, ‘Northanger Abbey’, ‘Mansfield Park’, ‘Emma’, and ‘Persuasion’. These well loved English classics may have once been regarded as the province of the literature student, but due to recent film and television productions they have gained mass following on both sides of the Atlantic.
This DVD explores the development of Jane Austen’s style, her bright sparkling wit and her unforgettable characters. See the places Jane wrote about as they are today, from the tranquility of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, to the hustle and bustle of London with its shops, theatres and Royal Palaces. Then step back into the world of Regency Society, preserved for all time in the work of Jane Austen.