Jane Austen Adaptations :: Part 2 {Sense and Sensibility & Northanger Abbey}

Hello my lovelies! Are you ready for part two? And for more reminiscing on Awesome Austen Adaptations?? I surely hope so because here it is! (Part 1)

I should note that I forgot one of the movies for my list of Emma adaptations last time (thanks so much for the reminder, Catherine!), but instead of just editing that post and risk y'all not realizing I'd added to it, I decided to simply add it here. So! My first order of business is to mention one more Emma-based movie.

Emma {continued}

Clueless - 1995

The first time I saw this I was not an official Jane Austen fangirl yet, in fact I'm not certain I really knew who Jane was. But I did think this movie was great fun. I still do! Once I made the connection to Jane though, I loved this even more. Such a completely 90s film, filled with all the clothes, phrases, nostalgia, and cuteness you can imagine! I don't watch it often, but it never fails to make me smile. Cher and her friends (and Josh! ;) are wonderful to watch. The romance is very adorable, but the friendships are too!

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility - 1981
I should confess that I skimmed through this adaptation pretty quickly the one time I watched it, so perhaps I can't say I've watched it in its entirety. But I did watch most of it! So I'm going to count it anyway. It's not a terrible adaptation, just a bit like all the other BBC period dramas from the 1970s and early 1980s, in other words dry and sort of boring. I much prefer the newer versions! And I imagine so will you. If, however, you are an avid fangirl of S&S, then it may be just what you like! :)

Sense and Sensibility - 1995

And here we have the very first Jane Austen adaptation I ever watched! I fell in love with the costumes, Emma Thompson's hair (seriously, I love her hair in this movie!), Hugh Grant as Edward, the sweet romance between Elinor and Edward, and oh, just about everything! I do remember getting frustrated with Marianne and wishing she'd grow up a bit more the first time I watched it. But she does and all is happy. Funnily enough, I also remember that it took a bit for me to warm up to Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon, the last thing I'd seen him in was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) where he'd played the villain. But it didn't take long for him to grow on me and now I love him in this role. :) This movie made me realize my love of period dramas, not just Austen adaptations. It really is excellently made. All the actors and actresses do a wonderful job! And if you haven't watched the video of Emma Thompson's Golden Globe speech for her screenplay(which is fabulous, I might add!), then click here and enjoy!

Sense and Sensibility - 2008
Since I love the 1995 version so well, I wasn't sure anyone could really improve on it. But I was wrong! This version is just as excellent. The actors and actresses do a superb job in their portrayals, particularly Hattie Morahan. The scene where Elinor finally tells Marianne of her secret heartache is beautiful and heart-wrenching! You should watch this version for her if nothing else. And I have to admit, Dan Stevens as Edward is quite swoonworthy. This was actually my first introduction to him and when I saw him in Downton Abbey the first time, with blond hair, it jarred me! I wasn't so keen on that color, but it grew on me. :) I really like Lucy Boynton as Margaret as well. One big thing this version has going for it is the fact that it's four hours long, which leaves ample room for lots of details. If you haven't watched this one yet, I highly recommend you do! Much as I love the 1995 version, I almost think this one has supplanted it as my very favorite. (Not quite sure on that yet though, maybe I need to go rewatch them both to check. Oh the things one must do for research purposes! ;)

From Prada to Nada - 2011

This is a cheesy, silly, adorable, and cute little romcom that never fails to make me grin! I confess I do like the fact that Fanny Dashwood (Olivia in this case) gets her comeuppance quite nicely, even if off screen. The sweetness of this version is the relationship between the sisters. Which is an important part of S&S! The romances are adorable, don't get me wrong, but watching Nora and Mary frustrate each other, but ultimately love each other no matter what is wonderful, just like Elinor and Marianne. Things move rather quickly, since they only have an hour and a half to tell their story, but if you don't mind overlooking some insta-love bits (as any fan of romcoms has to! :), then I think you'll enjoy it.

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey - 1986
Okay, I really did try to watch this one from beginning to end. I did! But I just couldn't do it. It was perfectly awful! I'm sorry to say that about an Austen film, but I do not like this version at all. The music was strange, the plot was all discombobulated and weird, it just didn't work for me. I'm sure the actors and actresses did a fine job with what they had to work with and if you enjoy this version, then that's great! Unfortunately, I won't be planning to watch this ever again, not when we have another version that is fabulous!

Northanger Abbey - 2007

This one! I love this one! Having not read the book yet (I know! I have no excuse why not.), I don't know if this adaptation's tone is close to Austen's original or not, but it totally works for me. The mix of cute romcom (seriously so adorable!) and mystery and intrigue is so well done. Plus JJ Feild and Felicity Jones play off one another wonderfully! Their chemistry and adorableness are the biggest reasons why I love this film. But all the other characters are delightful too! Except for the General, of course. And Frederick. But the Allans are too cute, and I love Catherine's family! All her brothers and sisters (the three who sit and watch Henry at the end are my favorites ;) make for lots of laughs. And JJ? Oh my heart, I love his Mr. Tilney!! His smirks, his playful nature, how he falls for Catherine so unwittingly, he and Catherine being so awkward and cute around each other....like I said, I love this version! And I'm pretty sure you will too, if you haven't seen it yet. :D


And there you are! I don't think I forgot any this time around, but we'll see. :) Have you watched any of these? Tell me you love the 2007 NA as much as I!