Sense and Sensibility 2008

Now, on to the new Sense and Sensibility miniseries of 2008. This is the BBC rendition, written by Andrew Davies.  It is absolutely lovely, well done and cannot be compared to the above because it is like apples and oranges.  This one is much longer, so it can highlight the back story at the beginning and Davies was also able to flesh out the male leads and make them more appealing (especially Edward) and lets us see the duel where Brandon’s passion emerges.  

Andrew Davies clearly wanted to emphasize the sexual nature of some of the characters, which I do not disagree with.  We have the scene with Willoughby and Eliza at the beginning which makes us a bit more reluctant to like Willoughby at first. Actually, it makes you want to yell “statutory rape!” or “creeper!” at the screen.  We also have sparks flying between Edward and Elinor which made my heart ache when they are separated, seemingly forever.  And when Willoughby takes Marianne on a tour of Allenham, you can feel the teenage hormones flowing and makes you think that she would have gladly followed him into a bedroom had he opened a door.  For a few seconds, I felt the butterflies that were clearly in her stomach when she slid her hand up the banister.  And when he says her name after the kiss in front of the windows at Allenham, one clearly senses that she was expecting either a proposal or roll in the hay or both.  The only self control in that scene was his, which was admirable, considering his previous inability to control his...urges.

Obviously Jane Austen could only allude to these things obliquely, but bringing this part of the story to life is not only realistic, as opposed to Austen’s sanitized version, but it would speak more to the younger viewers, who would be in the age bracket of the girls depicted.

The resurrection of some more minor characters like Lady Middleton, Miss Steele, and little Henry (a hilariously plump, redheaded mute) were refreshing.  Miss Steele’s lower class accent was great for her inane ramblings about her beaux, but if Mr. Davies had included a few of the “ain’t” words that Jane Austen wrote for Lucy, we could have seen her as just grasping at gentility, and the contrast to Elinor’s perfections would have been more apparent.

But this is nit picking (ooh that expression always makes me want to scratch my head).  This 3 episode miniseries is lovely and the casting and scenery are just brilliant.  Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield were plucked from obscurity to play the lead roles here and I hope they both get more work as a result. Mrs. Dashwood and Brandon were expertly played as well.  All of the other roles were well played but not quite as outstanding. No one seemed to really jar in their role, which is no mean feat. I loved the music, which is not surprising as it was done by Martin Phipps who did the equally good music from North and South.  The evening scenes were beautifully lit with candle light and added to the period feel. The costumes and hair were all great, especially Fanny’s stiff kiss curls around her face. Charity Wakefield’s soft curls are a lovely way of emphasizing her romantic nature and a contrast to Elinor’s straight controlled look.  And the ginger headed father and son John and little Henry Dashwood were priceless.

I have to say a word about the gorgeous house used for Norland. All of the locations were amazing, but this one is outstanding. Wrotham Park has apparently been used for many productions, probably partly due to it’s beauty and partly the fact that it is not open to the public.  The indoor stairs were famously used for Bridget Jones to pull Mark Darcy aside and ask him to pop by her place sometime.  Crikey!  The whole place seems unchanged since Georgian times and can be rented for weddings for a mere £8,000.

Anyway, it is a lovely watch, preferably spread over several nights but this one is hard to turn off so you have been warned. And if you don’t have a new appreciation of the character of Edward after seeing him chase chickens at his new rectory, you haven’t got a heart.  A lovely happily ever after.

Pride and Prejudice 2005

2005 version- Well, this is like comparing apples to oranges as a 300 minute 6 part miniseries is nothing like a 2 hour theatre version.  I will start by saying that I like this version.  It is beautifully filmed and tries for a more gritty, realistic late 1700's look , hence the muddy hems version moniker.  

Both Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen do a great job and make an adorable couple.  A twist with this version is that she never actually hates Mr. Darcy (a little light on the prejudice), in fact she quite fancies him all the way along.  This is probably one of the reasons the younger crowd loves this version although the Austen purists may disagree.  I rather enjoyed the moment at the end of the proposal scene where they almost eat each other in passion before they remember themselves.  Macfadyen plays Mr. Darcy a little on the shy side and Knightly is radiant, even in her dull brown dresses and lank hair.  Tom Hollander as Mr. Collins is a riot and really nails the part.  Oh, those boiled potatoes.  

Brenda Blethyn is a wonderfully realistic and softened Mrs. Bennett, and it is nice to see some of the affection between her and Donald Sutherland’s Mr. Bennett, which must have existed at some point in their marriage, but is quite gone in the book and in other adaptations.  I have to admit that I like her Mrs. Bennett better, even if it is not quite how Austen intended. Donald Sutherland is an endearing Mr. Bennett and he obviously loved playing the father of the 5 girls.  But could we not have toned down his Hollywood white teeth?   They were actually distracting and he was trying to cover them up at one point with his hand.  Maybe a bit of yellowing added afterwards in the editing room would have helped.  Judi Dench is wonderful although a bit tanned and scary in the face-off scene with Elizabeth at Longbourn.  Oddly done at night and with frightening lighting from below which makes her nostrils huge! Sorry, her acting is marvellous.  Mostly scary in all the right ways.

And Jane is well played by the lovely Rosamund Pike.  She has a real life obsession with ribbons which really meshes with my idea of a romantic Jane.  It must have been difficult for her to play opposite her former boyfriend Simon Woods as Mr. Bingley.  I still can’t believe that he later turned out to be gay (sorry gals).  As if that wasn’t enough, Rosamund was engaged to the director of P&P, Joe Wright who called it off after the invites were sent out, according to her IMDb page.  OK, enough with the idle gossip (sorry Rosamund). The other sisters were also well played.  This was the first role for Carey Mulligan as Kitty and she has since taken off career wise.  She and Jena Malone had great chemistry as the two wild sisters and Talulah Riley gave a sweetness to the role of Mary. 

The cinematography has to be mentioned as it is lush and exhilarating. Part of the appeal of these adaptations is the scenery and this one excels. A bit of Chatsworth, along with some great period houses and almost all done on location. Very drool worthy real estate.   

My only real quibble with this production was the speed of the dialogue in the proposal scene in the rain.  I understand that  it was supposed to suggest that Mr. Darcy had made up the whole speech ahead and was rattling it off quickly from nervousness. However, it just comes off as weird.  The rest of the film was lovely and enjoyable and I didn’t mind the nod to Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff when Mr. Darcy strides across the field at dawn.  Yes, the director is playing with the female emotions here, but sometimes we want to be played.   

In short, lovely, sweet and well worth watching again and again.

Now who else wants a sequel to P&P along the lines of the many books out there.  P&P-the next generation? Anyone?  Heresy I know, but what fun!