About the Jane Austen Film Club

Hello to all my kindred spirits out there!

If you love any or all of the wonderful film adaptations of classic literature (such as those of Jane Austen) which have been pouring onto screens since the mid 1990s especially, you are in the right place.  If you love the popular novels of the 19th century, you are also in the right place.  If you are a very serious student of 19th century literature and/or you do not have a good sense of humor, you may be in the wrong place.

This site is all about having fun while reading and watching the film adaptations of these wonderful novels of the Regency/Victorian/Edwardian era.  It is about losing yourself in the past, so that the stack of laundry waiting for your attention fades into oblivion, for a while anyway.


As I stated previously, I have loved this topic since I was watching and reading the Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables series as a child.  I have moved on obviously (although Anne still holds a spot in my heart) and I know there are a lot of you out there with similar taste and interest.

Of course, university and marriage got in the way of my reading and viewing pleasure for a while, but my obsession continued with my first trip to England in 1991 before my first child was born and then was very much piqued in 1995 when Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle hit the screen.  What else do I need to add?  If I ever got to interview Colin Firth I am sure that I would sound almost as idiotic as Bridget Jones as played by Renee Zellweger (I love the way she smelled her hand giddily as Colin left the interview). Mmmmm.....wet shirt, tall boots...I am right there with you Bridget...

OK, back to my writing.  My family is now perfectly aware that my DVD collection will soon require a separate room to house it and my teens run from the room if they spy a bonnet or hoop skirts.  My husband, bless him, knows that it is a part of me and he is now no longer jealous of Colin Firth (I keep telling him it is Mr. Firth as Mr. Darcy, not really CF who floats my boat).  In any case, there is always a new lead actor to drool over (yes I do mean Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton) and I believe that most of the younger ones prefer Matthew McFadyen’s Mr. Darcy anyway.  I think that each generation may have to have their own version of these classics as their mother’s version never seems to do.  Well, that is great for me as I love them all.

So what I am trying for here is a joyous, user friendly site where fellow (what shall we call ourselves-Classic cinemaphiles?-send in your ideas for a good moniker) fans of our ilk can while away a few hours and forget about the d____chores .  I mean THAT is really what this is all about.  Getting a few hours of escapist fun into our day so that the rest of our imperfect lives don’t get us down. 

And while I do love to lose myself into the past, I am well aware that had I actually lived then, I would likely have been a miner's wife or more likely a charwoman. As much as I love to see and read about the 19th century, I wouldn’t give up central heating, indoor plumbing or my DVDs for anything.

So that is what my site is all about.  I welcome input from all of you on absolutely everything.  This site is for you, so help me out with your ideas.