I have the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. I love this version, that has an intelligent script that is mainly faithful to the original book, and the changes that were made, are good ones, that work for the film. Emma Thompson is perhaps a bit too long in the tooth to play 19 yo Elinor (she was 36 at that point), it is still very well done.
I knew Jane Eyre, the version with Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska. This version here is a different one, it is the mini-series from 2006 with Toby Stephen and Ruth Wilson. I am curious to see how I will like this one.
There are so many version of Emma I could hardly pick one, so I finally settled on this one. This is also a mini-series and it was made in 2009. It has Romola Garai as Emma and Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley. I am not sure about that last one, since I can never see Jonny Lee Miller as anybody but Sick-boy (Trainspotting).
And the last one here is Persuasion, from a novel by Jane Austen I only just read for the first time (loved it, by the way). I was not sure if I would see the film first or read the book, but usually, reading the book first works the best.
After I read the book, I watched this adaptation and although the first hour is quite alright, they completely mess it up in the last 30 minutes. I ended up hating it, and that was a shame, since I was really looking forward to it.
It was made in 2007 and has some great actors, like Sally Hawkins, Alice Krige, Stella Gonet and Anthony Steward Head. They all did a decent job, I liked Anthony Head as the snobbish and vain Sir Walter very much and Rupert Penry Jones is a good Captain Wentworth. Sally Hawkins was not my Anne, but I was quite upset with the changes they made to the story. It ended up being ridiculous.
Really a shame, since I was looking forward to it.
I liked the 1995 version of Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root. I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book (which I also love!). And the Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility is my favorite version, too. :D
ReplyDeleteI second what you say about the 1995 version of Persuasion - that one is just marvellous! I haven't seen the 2008 mini series of Sense and Sensibility yet, but hope to rectify that soon - I loved the film with Emma Thompson, but also enjoyed the 1981 mini series - it's a bit more stilted, but quite good fun, too.
DeleteGood to know that I will have to look for the 1995 version of Persuasion, I think it will prove to be a better one! Sense and Sensilibity is gorgeous and this week I saw Jane Eyre, and I loved, loved , loved this version. Ruth Wilson is an amazing Jane Eyre and Toby Stephen the best Rochester I have seen. Very nice!
DeleteSo all that is left for me is this version of Emma!
Kind regards,
I have yet to see the Jane Eyre version with Ruth Wilson - I saw the trailer for it the other day when I watched 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' and checked out the extras. Toby Stephens is in that series, too (he's Gilbert Markham in that - I can recommend this mini series... it's with Tara Fitzgerald who coincidentally is Mrs Reed in the Jane Eyre series - and I loved it! Such a powerful story!), and I can imagine he's a very good Rochester. I struggle a bit with Jane Eyre in general for some reason, but I think I will try this version. Thanks for recommending it!
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