ITV1′s Austen amuse-bouche
by HML
New this weekend, the latest ITV1 trailer is available for download from The Guardian‘s media blog (.wmv format). The trailer does a nice job of stirring up excitement for the new Jane Austen films, with quick flashes of some very lovely images and choice little bits of dialogue. Very much amuse-bouches, but since I’m not really that cultured, my first comparison was to those “fun size” mini candy bars haunting the stores during Halloween.
Judging from the media focus (and my own bias), Persuasion looks to be the showpiece of these three new adaptations. We may not get to see Catherine Morland running to Milsom-Street, but there appears to be more than enough Anne Elliot sprinting through the streets of Bath to compensate. Our new Captain Wentworth certainly possesses the “glowing, manly, open look” mentioned in the novel. That’s not Gowland’s Lotion. I want his aesthetician’s number.
Mansfield Park could be a surprise hit. The little we’ve seen in the previews looks good. The Northern Echo reports that much of the film was shot using a handheld, which should be a fresh, interesting approach. I liked most of the handheld work in the 2005 P&P, but it could also go horribly wrong and leave us with COPS: in Mansfield.
Last but not least, Northanger Abbey looks lovely. This is our first peek at several cast members, and they’re a very attractive group. In particular, this trailer features some gorgeous shots of Felicity Jones. She looks quite a bit like C.E. Brock’s Catherine. Carey Mulligan has a nice resemblance to Brock’s Isabella as well. I also like this adaptation’s decision to cast a younger, prettier Mrs. Allen — more of a mother/aunt figure than the grandmotherly type seen in the Brock illustrations and in some of the other stage or film adaptations. Finally, a quick note on the acting: Henry’s glare in the theater scene is fantastic. (P.S.: Nice use of dim theater lighting plus top hat to disguise the helmet hair.)
I bought an inexpensive little region-free DVD player so I can watch these films almost as soon as they’re available from the UK. Enjoying the tastes, but growing more impatient to learn when dinner will be served.
ETA 6 March: First course begins 18 March. See my site for more details.
March 11th, 2007 10:20
i can’t wait to watch these!
March 11th, 2007 22:33
The official ITV web site for the Jane Austen season is now up and running, and looks great — there are lots of little clips from the films and the ITV3 behind-the-scenes featurette, screencaps, and other goodies. ITV has done a very nice job with their promotional web site. If the link above doesn’t work, Flirtmail ads are scattered around Handbag.com’s web site, and playing the Flirtmail game will get you into the main Austen web site.