Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations discussion
Non-fiction & Documentaries
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Jane Austen and her books - Documentaries online
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💡 Great Books: Pride and Prejudice (1999 US TV Documentary, YouTube link)
💡 Jane Austen Behind Closed Door by L. Worsley (2017 BBC Documentary, YouTube link)
💡 Jane Austen Country (2009 TV Documentary, YouTube link)
💡 Jane Austen's Life (1997 TV Documentary, YouTube link)
💡 Jane Austen's Works (1997 TV Documentary, YouTube link)
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This one was a mixed bag for me.
On the plus side: narrated by Donald Sutherland (Mr Bennet in 2005 P&P movie), comments of female authors who are fans of JA and P&P - Nora Ephron, Helen Fielding and others, the summary of the story by silent re-enactment narrated over by D. Sutherland was nice, too.
On the downside: choppy editing - if you have all of those authors in the documentary why not let them speak more than a couple of sentences at once, the "modern life" inserts didn't work for me.
Note: I was thrown by 2005 P&P stills in the documentary released in 1999. It's explained in the video description that they've been added to replace scenes from 1995 BBC mini-series because of copyright reasons.
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In Jane Austen's Footsteps With Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth explores the life of the novelist and examines the locations that inspired her, as well as uncovering the real events behind some of her greatest stories. Gyles begins by visiting Austen's birthplace of Steventon in Hampshire and the church there where her father was rector, as well as the house in Chawton where she wrote all her novels.
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YouTube link: https://youtu.be/qwX3jKITGvc
Haven't watched it myself yet, but it has postive reviews:
"In Jane Austen’s Footsteps with Gyles Brandreth, Channel 5, review: A big-hearted and enthusiastic tribute.
The former MP and Austen devotee was a delightful host"
The former Conservative MP and lifelong advocate of zany knitwear was tracing the life and times of an author he credited with inventing both the rom com and the modern novel. But he had a few tricks of his own up his vintage sleeve in this exuberant and free-wheeling love letter to Austen and her legacy (the first in a new series that will also sing the praises of Dickens and the Brontës).
He borrowed a gimmick from Lucy Worsley at one point by donning period-appropriate dress. The ensemble included a wig and huge 18th-century dressing gown. Later, he ticked off his bucket-list ambition of portraying dashing Mr Darcy on screen in a scene with actors from an Austen-themed improvised theatre troupe.
Brandreth started his tour at Austen’s birthplace in Hampshire and then wended his way to Bath and Lyme Regis. It was wonderfully jolly. But, to his credit, Brandreth addressed the criticism that Austen failed to confront the major social issues of her time. “When it comes to bigger, more controversial topics like slavery, that’s when it starts to become problematic and disappointing,” said writer and lecturer Okechukwu Nzelu.
Brandreth recounted how Austen was struck down by a mystery ailment and died aged 41, but he was determined to close on an upbeat note and seemed pleasantly shocked at the breadth of writing Austen had inspired. These included Pride and Prejudice-themed zombie books and Mr Darcy erotica.
“She would have approved and been quite flattered,” said an expert. Austen would surely have been cheered, too, by the boundless enthusiasm Brandreth brought to this big-hearted tribute.
source: https://inews.co.uk/culture/televisio...
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If you have 30 minutes of free time, watch this guided tour of Jane Austen's house. Historian Lucy Worsley (she wrote Jane Austen at Home) goes through the Chawton Cottage room by room and has an interesting discussion with Dan Snow about Jane Austen's life.
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/tqgJZPF_m0o
Here's the place to share the links and maybe a short summaries or reviews so people know what to expect. :)