If you are an avid Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice fan like myself, and love to read any kind of sequel to the book you can get your hands on then this movie is definitely for you. I read Austenland a couple years ago and loved it. I just found out there is also a sequel to the book, which I'll now have to read too! I'm so glad to hear they are now making the book into a movie. The movie stars Keri Russell (Felicity), JJ Field (Captain America: The First Avenger, Northanger Abbey), Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde, American Pie), and Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Wedding Crashers). The author, Shannon Hale, is actually really good friends with Twilight author Stephanie Meyer, who is also producing this movie (don't freak out people, she's just producing, not directing - plus I liked her books, it was the movies that messed them all up).
In the book, Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right
man—perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by
Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (I myself prefer the 2005 Keira Knightly/Matthew Macfadyen version, but to each their own). When a
wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to
Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect
Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have
imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make
Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams
actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?
There has been no set date for a theatrical release of the film, only that it is supposed to hit theaters in 2012.
You can read a great article about the movie here from Screen Daily.
You got me. I'm a hopeless romantic. I mean come on. I even unlocked the "Hopeless Romantic" sticker on GetGlue from "checking" into so many romance books, TV shows, and movies. *Note: Click on the GetGlue for my blog post about this awesome social media medium. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for love stories. I'm an even bigger sucker for historical or period love stories. That being said, I'm a bigger sucker for classic love stories. My two favorite stories being Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austenand Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Not only are these two books I could read forever and ever, but I also read any and all retellings, sequels, and prequels of these books I can get my hands on. But I'm not going to talk about the book versions of these stories. And though there have been many feature films and made-for-TV-movies, I will only be talking about the two that, in my opinion, are the absolute best - and happen to be the most recently made. Yes, you do have to get past some of the Old English language if you aren't used to it, but trust me, it is absolutely worth it. I dare you to count how many times I say "love" in this post ;)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
So first I will talk about my most favorite movie of all time: Pride & Prejudice. I know some people think its odd that a person as obsessed with movies as I am can have a favorite, but to me there is no question about it. Based, as I mentioned, on the Jane Austen novel and released in 2005 by Focus Features and directed by Joe Wright, stars Keira Knightley as the spirited Elizabeth Bennett who meets the single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew Macfadyen. Set in the 19th century, the story is based on Jane Austen's novel about five sisters - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet - in Georgian England. Their lives are turned upside down when a wealthy young man (Mr. Bingley) and his best friend (Mr. Darcy) arrive in their neighborhood. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2006: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Actress for Keira Knightley. Even the film's U.S. ending was ranked as one Entertainment Weekly's greatest movie endings of all time - we are special and get a special ending, which I also love. This is one of the greatest love stories of all-time, and will leave any girl watching, wanting their very own Mr. Darcy.
Jane Eyre (2011)
Also released by Focus Features, Jane Eyre was released only earlier this year and stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) as Jane and Michael Fassbender (300, Inglourious Basterds) as Rochester, and is directed by the young Cary Fukunaga, who definitely added a bit of a modernization to the classic, which I love. As I mentioned previously, the novel was written by Charlotte Brontë, sister of Emily Brontë who wrote Wuthering Heights. The story is about a poor and plain governess who softens the heart of her cold employer. Jane and Rochester grow close in friendship and she finds herself falling in love with him, but she soon discovers that he is hiding a terrible secret. Because of its recent release, they film has yet to be nominated for any awards, but I do not doubt it winning a few here and there. It seems movies made from classics like these, never get the attention they sometimes so deserve. And need I really say anymore after mentioning Fassbender? I think not. And having him play Rochester? Oh my goodness. Rochester has some of the best quotes in the book which are accurately scripted into the movie. Perfection *sigh*. This movie just came out on DVD last week so you must run out and buy both ASAP!
