Middle aged, middle class, middle of the road female - I'll fight it but it's how the makers of all ...
Middle aged, middle class, middle of the road female - I'll fight it but it's how the makers of all these products categorize me. I just want great stuff that works, no flashing lights, no confusing instructions, no hip-cool names, where's it all gone?
Member since:04.12.2007
Reviews:3
Of all the Austen adaptations, and I'm a huge fan, this is my favourite. It's dramatically strong, funny without being silly, really respects the female protagionists and is so beautifully filmed that it is perfect from beginning to end.
Emma Thompson has written a great script. She does not use Austen's words verbatim, but has created a witty and thoughtful story so in character with Austen that one doesn't miss the 'essential' lines from the book, its all there in Thompson's own style. Contrast this with Moggach's adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice', where every line, every scene brought a groan of disappointment.
The one glaring mistake for me was that Thompson left out one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the book, when Willoughby returns to Marianne and Eleanor refuses to let him see her. Whether this was due to time constraints or to it putting Eleanor (played by Thompson) either in a detremental light or knocking her character out of the central romantic position is unsure but it weakens the drama for lovers of the book.
Ang Lee has captured the sorrow and pathos of the book so perfectly in his use of colour, staging and character. Many of his scenes are as beautiful as paintings, the faces of the characters dominate rather than the costumes, the settings echo the feelings of the characters perfectly.
This is a great film to really understand Austen. Thompson has used language that brings the story alive to those of another generation unused to the social constraints of Georgian England, it proves just what a modern story this is, costumes or not!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Soho_Black 05.12.2007 20:44
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD features. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" above the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
Stg27 05.12.2007 14:22
A brief plot synopsis would help to identify who some of the characters are.
helpful by (100%):
