Even badly done Austin is worth watching. I had lots of gripes but I still watched the film three times (once with the commentary).
River: I didn't think you'd come for me. Simon: Well, you're a dummy.
'Serenity'
Buffista Movies 5: Development Hell
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Cashmere - Dec 31, 2006 1:32:44 pm PST #6727 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.
Amy - Dec 31, 2006 2:01:11 pm PST #6728 of 10001
Because books.
I love a lot of bad movies just for the pretty (see Bram Stoker's Dracula, for instance) so I probaby will watch P&P at some point. JZ was so persuasive, though! And one of my biggest peeves is changing plot points for no good reason whatsoever.
I watched part of Elizabeth on cable the other day, and it was just ... for one thing, she knew Dudley was married! She was probably at the wedding! There were so many stupid changes to Actual Historical Facts that it made me very cranky.
JZ - Dec 31, 2006 3:26:01 pm PST #6729 of 10001
See? I gave everybody here an opportunity to tell me what a bad person I am and nobody did, because I fuckin' rule.
Of course, I can barely abide Austen's writing style and generally don't feel any emotional interest in her characters
Oh, ouch. Also, we should get Burrell in here to tell the story of how her DH fell in love with her because of the way she taught P&P.
Actually, AmyLiz, I'm not sorry I saw it. It wasn't entertaining, and much of it was inexpressibly irritating, but as a voracious reader and occasional writer (among other probably never-to-be-finished pieces, I have bits of an attempted adaptation of Daddy Long Legs languishing somewhere), I did find a lot to think about WRT what makes an adaptation work or not work.
Mansfield Park, after all, took incredible liberties with the original text, and even Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility was a fair departure, yet both felt (to me, anyhow) much more sympathetic and faithful. They both rewrote characters, invented dialogue, stripped down or jettisoned subplots and minor but vivid events, but they didn't irritate like this one did. I've been puzzling over all three since last night, worrying over the choices that helped or hindered the story, the characters and actors; and the sadly atrophied writer portion of my brain is very glad for the exercise.
Gris - Dec 31, 2006 4:48:44 pm PST #6730 of 10001
Hey. New board.
Oh, ouch.
I wish I didn't feel that way, if nothing else because it wreaks havoc my "girly" literary rep. I appreciated both Emma and P&P from a purely intellectual perspective, but I didn't get into them at all. There's some distance disconnecting me from the characters, big time. I haven't bothered to try any of her others, assuming it will be more of the same.
Jessica - Dec 31, 2006 8:03:03 pm PST #6731 of 10001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Of course, I can barely abide Austen's writing style and generally don't feel any emotional interest in her characters
It's...almost like English...
We saw ''The Good Shepherd'' last night. I really hated it.
I wouldn't say I hated it, but yeah -- total waste of an interesting premise and my 2.5 hours. (Though I did have to laugh at the irony of the main characters going to see a Chekhov play right in the middle of this complete narrative train wreck.)
Nutty - Jan 01, 2007 4:41:29 am PST #6732 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
My chief memory of the recent P&P (which I did not see) is a review in the New Yorker that vivdly explained to me why Keira Knightley's jawline is so familiar: she looks like the queen from Aliens.
(That's got to be Anthony Lane. That whole review was hilarious.)
Kevin - Jan 01, 2007 4:51:59 am PST #6733 of 10001
Never fall in love with somebody you actually love.
Oh jesus christ. Now I know why Keira Knightley freaks me out.
Tom Scola - Jan 01, 2007 5:24:36 am PST #6734 of 10001
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
megan walker - Jan 01, 2007 6:20:10 am PST #6735 of 10001
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
That's got to be Anthony Lane. That whole review was hilarious.
I love this line: "Jane Austen has been Brontëfied." And it's very true.
I actually liked this version quite a bit (that is, if you ignore the last few minutes). And I love Austen. Perhaps it's because I need to save all my energy and "How could they do that?!?" moments for historical works.
ETA: Happy New Year!!
Fiona - Jan 01, 2007 9:32:13 am PST #6736 of 10001
(that is, if you ignore the last few minutes)
If you just stop the film after Lizzie leaves Mr. Bennet's office and the camera pans through the kitchen and out into the yard, that's when it ends in the non-US version. I saw the US ending (it was an extra on my DVD) and it made my hair curl. Otherwise I rather like this version as well, which I realised when I found that I could actually stand Keira Knightley in it. It's a lot more compact than the BBC Firth/Ehle version, but then it's only got 2 hours to tell the story instead of 6.
BTW, Emma Thompson did an uncredited rewrite of the movie, and I believe Charlotte's "I never was romantic" line is hers.