I Heart Jane (Austen)

On a bit of a Jane Austen kick, reading/listening to the novels then watching various filmed versions. I still think the '95 Pride and Prejudice mini-series with Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle is the #1 version of P&P, and I don't think I'm alone. For Mansfield Park, the Francis O'Connor/Jonny Lee Miller ('99) version is my favorite, even if some of the women's costuming is a bit weird. For Emma...so much to choose from. I like Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley in the '96 (Gwyneth Paltrow) version, but I like Kate Beckinsale's Emma in the other '96 version (BBC TV) better than Paltrow's. Both fine actresses, just different interpretations, plus, again, some odd costuming, and hair, in the Paltrow film. I watched the newest Emma ('20) a few days ago, and while Bill Nighy is his usual delightful self as Emma's father, the whole production, despite some lovely costuming, just felt like it was trying too hard to be quirky and spunky and clever. Overall it feels like a bunch of scenes jammed together with a big budget: glorious visuals but not so much heart.

Today I finished a mini-series version of Emma that I'd missed somehow. The 2006 version with Jonny Lee Miller is a gem. Normally a parade of janky costuming is a big turnoff for me, but everything else about this version is so good that some strange gowns with 20th century detailing and sloppy sashes, and unfortunate female hair (side parts? On women in the early 1800s?! Ugh.) are forgivable. Being a long-form version, the writers have time to cherry pick more of Austen's dialog and craft it into some skillful character development and backstory that is usually missing in film versions of this novel. The women's makeup, unlike the hair, is perfect and natural looking. The women look real, not like painted dolls. It also helps that they tried to light every scene with at least the appearance of natural or period lighting sources. This means that night scenes seem even more atmospheric and intimate, unlike previous versions which are usually over-lit. I know that shooting digital makes this easier, which makes me wonder that costume dramas don't try to do more of this. If you want to see a classic film that excels at this, on actual film, check out Barry Lyndon some time. Gorgeous.