Some of my Favorites - Poldark and Outlander

A few of my favorite folks from Poldark/on Masterpiece and from Outlander/Starz.  Poldark wins for me regarding authenticity of setting, language and such...Outlander does thrill, however!  We need more of this on TV!

CNN on Jane's B-day and Janeites! Did They Get It Right?

This "American Morning" segment on Jane's birthday was fun...I think they got most of it right, though Jane Austen herself wouldn't ever have considered herself a "modern woman" -- or so I gather from critical sources.  It's women today who see this "modernity" in her...another testament to her works being "classic"; they have value/truth beyond the period of their creation.  That's why Jane and her works have persisted for more than 200 years! 

Sad to think that, according to CNN, women interviewed could NOT come up with any woman today that they esteem as much as Jane.  Perhaps women today could take some cues from Jane.   She had to fight to be heard at first (her brother had to get her books published for her initially), but once she was read, people LOVED her and her works.  She was not so much "image" as "substance," which to me, at least, is what lasts and ultimately wins people over. 

Pretty crazy for a PR person to say, I know, but I think it's true (though marketing doesn't hurt either, today as then--I guess Jane's brother knew that).  Tweets & lightening-fast, abbreviated communication have changed life for good, and in many respects this IS good.  But why then do people still go back to Jane??  "It's a mystery!"-- as Rose Theatre proprietor Philip Henslow (Geoffrey Rush) says in "Shakespeare in Love".   Or is it?  May be it’s just that people still seek the deeper meaning in things!?  What do you think?

Fun "Fight Club" for Austenites or Anyone!

Joe Wright Definitely NOT Directing My Fair Lady 2010

Well, perhaps Keira Knightley is rethinking Joe Wright as her director for the 2010 reported remake of My Fair Lady.  Since our last posting, at least two news sources have reported that Wright is out of the project, though they speculate that Knightley is probably still considering it or being considered.  The Internet Movie Database reports that "Joe Wright directly contradicts reports from this past weekend that he'll be directing My Fair Lady."  And, CinemaBlend reports "Joe Wright definitely is not directing the film."  They say they have confirmation from him at the London Film Festival that reports of him directing My Fair Lady are 'all a lie.'"  The story continues:  "Interestingly, (Wright) couldn't say much about Knightley's participation-- 'Keira might well do it'-- which probably mean the years-old reports about Knightley being in the film are still valid."

We'll have to wait and see, for those of you that are Keira fans.

Below you can see Wright's rebuttal for yourself, per Screenrush, 
with apparent surprise that the story was percolating all over!  We'll keep you posted on developments...

A Post "Pride and Prejudice" role for Keira Knightley as...Eliza Doolittle?

News across the Internet is that Keira Knightley has been selected (over Scarlett Johansson) to star as Eliza Doolittle in the remake of the 1964 film (with Audrey Hepburn in the Eliza role).  Believe it or not, Daniel Craig (yes! Daniel Craig of recent James Bond fame!) is rumored to be in the running for the role of Professor Henry Higgins (again, played by a not-to-be-imitated Rex Harrison in the '64 original).

The film will again team up Knightley with director Joe Wright (her director in the 2005 remake of Pride and Prejudice) and reportly will feature the screenwriting talent of fellow actress Emma Thompson (who wrote the script for Pride and Prejudice for Joe Wright in 2005, at least according to one report).  I don't want to make unfair predictions, but if Wright's Pride and Prejudice (which to me seemed totally to miss the boat in recapturing the novel, its characters and even its tone) -- is any indication of what's to come with this remake...well, I'm not wild to see it.  Based on other blog and news reports, specifically a story on Broadwayworld, it appears that the film:

 "...will use the original songs of the much-loved Broadway show, and will not alter its 1912 setting, but producers Duncan Kenworthy and Cameron Mackintosh intend where possible to shoot the film on location in the original London settings of Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Wimpole Street, and Ascot racecourse. The filmmaking team will also look to adapt Alan Jay Lerner's book more fully for the screen by drawing additional material from Pygmalion ­­-- George Bernard Shaw's play that served as the source material for the musical – in order to dramatize as believably as possible for present-day audiences the emotional highs and lows of Eliza Doolittle as she undergoes the ultimate makeover, transforming under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins from a Cockney flower girl to a lady."

If Wright's idea (and apparently Emma Thompson's notion) of believability for "present-day audiences" is to mangle many of Austen's lines, omit critical plot structure (like removing almost the entire subplot involving Wickham in Pride and Predjudice and to leave out the interplay between Caroline Bingley and her equally "superior" older sister, Louisa Hurst, well I have some concerns about what they'll do with My Fair Lady.

Certainly, Knightly and Hepburn share some physical characteristics -- good facial bone structure and slender build.  In fact, one web site (a weird site called morphthing posted the two women's faces side by side and then "morphed" them (superimposed and combined the photos) to result in one combination "Eliza," which showed how amazingly similar their faces are.  However--and this is a BIG however-- Audrey Hepburn's amazing presence, including her grace, beautiful posture, dancing and stupendous acting; well I hardly think that the often rather awkward and poor-postured Knightley will EVER come close to Ms. Hepburn. 

Keira Knightley           Plus                   Aundrey Hepburn      =

                                                                                                                            "morphed" Keira/Audrey

                                       

Perhaps the Knightley "Eliza" will win us over in some other way.  I never thought that the 1954 film, Sabrina, directed by Billy Wilder could be remade.  How could anyone recreate the characters as played by Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn?  The Syndey Pollack version starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear, however, came close and even had some special charms of its own.  So, perhaps, we will may be pleasantly surprised with the new My Fair Lady.  But, as it's reported that Keira Knightly is "taking voice lessons" (even Hepburn didn't sing in the original)...can we expect a musical with Knightley singing to do justice to the wonderful songs in the film?  Or we will be able to stand her singing the amazing Lerner and Loewe music and lyrics at all?  On Broadway, the original stars were the stupendous Rex Harrison and the virtuoso Julie Andrews.  I guess these days, singing isn't seen as a prerequisite for a musical, which is unfortunate, especially with a show the caliber of My Fair Lady.  I have a feeling we'll see a rather polluted and diluted version!

Click below to give your opinion.
 
2010 My Fair Lady Survey

Podcast: An Interview with the author of "Jane Austen for Dummies"

Those new to Jane Austen via one of several recent films or series (or even you who are established Janeites) will find this podcast: The life and Times of Jane Austen, enlightening (podcast property of Wiley Publishing, Inc. and run with permission).

In this interview with Elizabeth Klingel Ray, PhD, author of book, "Jane Austen for Dummies," listeners will learn much about the life and times of Austen -- particularly how accurately (or inaccurately, as it may be) recent movies and mini-series (including Becoming Jane) portray Austen characters and the period.  Dr. Ray, an English professor at the University of Colorado, has written numerous magazine articles on Austen and has appeared in the A and E biography of Jane Austen.

In the podcast featuring Dr. Ray, you'll learn whether she thinks Darcy's love for Lizzy is portrayed accurately in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley (I personally think not).  And, for those anticipating the upcoming release of Emma in the United States in 2010, Ray discusses this character (a favorite of hers) at length.

While I do not agree with all that Ray says, I believe that her lively discussion offers a solid representation of themes in Austen's novels involving relationships, romance, and especially marriage, class and the societal roles of women and men in the 19th Century.  It is a good introduction for Austen novices and will be interesting to Janeites also.

I especially liked Dr. Ray's blasting as ludicrous the "pigs running through the house" depiction of the Bennet household in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice. She seems well versed in the class structure of the time and explains well how the Bennets, though certainly not wealthy, were part of the gentry and did not live in the squalor shown in the film. The same can be said of the horrible costumes in the movie.  I hope that the BBC's 2010 Emma gets this right...it looks like they do!

I loved the recent posting on Jane Austen Today on Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen, which discusses what seems to be a fascinating exhibit on period Jane Austen fashion at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. The exhibit runs through November 8th, I believe. The photos (see below for a sampling) are great (courtesy of the Jane Austen Today site). The photos certainly show that dress was far from shabby for the gentry, at least, in Austen's era.

Jane Austen for Dummies is available through the Dummies.com site or through Amazon at a considerably lower price.

For "Techy" Austen readers

If you're like me, you prefer having a bound book in your hands. It seems, however, that several news sources are heralding the continued growth of Kindle books (electronic books read on special electronic readers, generically called "kindles"). Right now Kindle is available through Amazon, but newssources say that Google plans to give Amazon some real competition, with additional companies perhaps joining the e-books war.


To make a long story short (yeah, right!), many key online booksellers (such as Barnes and Noble) now offer e-books, which are able to be downloaded to your computer or many mobile devices, like iPhones/iPod Touch and Blackberries. A kindle however is larger--and though I haven't tried it--rather easier to read, I suspect, than a smaller mobile device.

Now, a big war seems to loom on the horizon, according to Reuters.com (link provided with permission of Thomson Reuters) between Google and other companies, like Sony and perhaps Microsoft for the e-book reader pie.


For those of you not technology-adverse, it seems pretty great--with all kinds of bells and whistles. The Kindle e-reader weighs just over 10 ounces, is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and holds up 200 titles. There's a new, lighter version (holds 1,500 books! and is about 8 inches x 5 inches) and even the latest version, Kindle DX, that holds an unbelievable 3,500 books (though this one is bigger in size - about 10.5 x 7 inches and is listed on Amazon for a whopping $489.00).


Austen fans can find her books on any of these, I imagine, or download them from booksellers--though I suspect Jane Austen's original works and many adaptations and current Austen-inspired titles would be pre-loaded. And, I see, that Kindle versions of Austen books (book pictured at right available through Amazon.com) have been read by many apparently.


However, being that I am rather a "techno-clod", that the Kindle is rather expensive (around $250.00 for the original version) and that I simply like the feel and smell of an old-fashioned book in my hand -- well, I suppose for now that I'll forego all this. My friend, Bill, a real computer type, however, swears by them. It's all rather too techny for me, but I think that for many it's already here. (See June 9 New York Times piece by Jeff Bezos.)


Let me know what you think! Maybe we'll all be surprised?



Susanwrites