Attention Jane Austen lovers!

[rainwood]

There''s a new production of ''Emma'' on PBS Masterpiece Theater Classic that just started tonight. I just watched Part 1 and it''s really quite good. I''m a big fan of the Kate Beckinsale BBC version, and this one is just as good or even better, plus it''s longer. I''m not familiar with the actress who plays Emma but Jonny Lee Miller is a very handsome and excellent Mr. Knightley, and Michael Gambon (the current Dumbledore) is perfect as Mr. Woodhouse.

Check your PBS station to see if they''ll be rerunning Part 1 and then check in next Sunday at 9 for the next part. I don''t know if it''s two parts or three, but it was almost 2 full hours tonight with no breaks. I love watching a good production of Jane Austen''s work. It makes me so happy!

 

[Blackpaw]

Thanks rainwood

ill look it up - im a big austen fan...

Oh im getting the quivers just thinking about Mr Knightley

 

[elrohwen]

I'm re-watching the 2nd and 3rd episodes tonight (my dvr erased the first episode before I could watch it a second time

). I'm bummed because I had planned on watching all 4 hours straight tonight, but I can't complain too much because I've already ordered it on dvd and should have it in a few weeks!

I think it's fantastic. Best Emma adaptation yet. It's going right up with my P&P dvds as a favorite. The main actress, Romola Garai, is great and I was so excited to see her in this. I had seen her in a few things before and liked her very much. I think she's always very natural without seeming contrived. Mr. Knightly is also extremely handsome! Good casting on that one. He manages to look "older" than Emma without seeming like an old man (I felt the Mr Knightly in the Kate Beckinsale version was not very sexy and seemed too old for her).

eta: It doesn't appear that they're rerunning it? Next Sunday is Northanger Abbey. I'm sure it'll be one again somewhat soon though. PBS has a nice schedule of all of their Masterpiece Classics schedule. And the first episode is 2 hrs, while the 2nd and 3rd are each 1 hr.

 

[bebe]

I watched it and loved it!

 

[rainwood]

If you didn''t catch it on TV, you can also watch ''Emma'' on the pbs.org website. They have the entire program available to see online.

 

[elrohwen]

My dvd just came last night! It wasn''t supposed to be out until March, but I guess they sent the advanced copies earlier than planned. Now I can watch the whole thing as many times as I want

It was fairly cheap too - $35. Many of their miniseries (probably the longer ones) are around $50. There''s also a sale on for 15-20% off or something.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

oh, exciting!!!

 

[AGBF]

I am a Jane Austen fan. I also love Emily Eden and Georgette Heyer, both of whom were inspired by her (as were other, less luminary, women). After having seen the Greer Garson, "Pride and Prejudice" I kept track of the great, new video productions of her work for a while. Then they started to come in too fast and furiously for me to keep track of (sorry for dangling a preposition). I have not seen many of the new productions of Miss Austen''s work. I am not sure if I should rush out and rent a lot of videos or if it is time to reread the books. Seeing this thread makes me realize that I have actually forgotten the plots to all the books except Pride and Prejudice!


AGBF

 

[elrohwen]

Deb, without a doubt I would recommend this new version of Emma and the BBC version of P&P (with Colin Firth). I have seen almost all of the other adaptations and these are the only two I have bothered to buy and watch over and over. I think it helps that both are quite long (4 hrs and 5 hrs respecitively) and are very faithful to the books. Any 2 hr adaptation is going to cut out far too much and the pacing will be too fast, IMO.

I also recently watched the BBC version of Northanger Abbey (re-aired on PBS on Sunday) and it was very good! Only 90 minutes, and it's never been my favorite JA book, but it was very well done. I may choose to buy it one of these days.

Persuasion is re-airing next Sunday on PBS and I'll be sure to catch that.

 

[rainwood]

Deb -

I agree with Elrowhen''s choices, but would add a couple more:

Pride & Prejudice - nothing else touches the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth 5-hour version
Sense & Sensibility - the Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet movie is my favorite although the most recent BBC version comes in second
Emma - for me, it''s a tie between the most recent BBC/PBS version with Romola Garai/Jonny Lee Miller and the BBC/A&E version with Kate Beckinsale/Mark Strong. I like the first half of the most recent one better, and the second half of the Kate Beckinsale one better
Persuasion - the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds version is my favorite. The ending of the most recent BBC version drives me crazy and I didn''t like the actress playing Anne Elliott quite as well.
Mansfield Park - the movie version with Frances O''Connor is my favorite I think, if only because I can''t remember any others. MP is not one of my favorite Austen novels
Northanger Abbey - I can''t remember any except the most recent BBC version, but also not a favorite novel of mine