With kate beckinsale, chloe sevigny, xavier samuel, emma greenwell. Love and friendship is so full of beautiful clothes that i kept forgetting that there was an actual movie involved. Determined to be the heroine of her own story, jane spends her life savings on a trip to austenland, an eccentric austen inspired resort, where she has a difficult time determining where fantasy ends and real life begins. They contain, among other works, love and freindship, written when she was fourteen, and the history of england, written when she was fifteen. The director whit stillman adapting jane austen is one of those ideas that sounds like its made up because its so perfect, like wes anderson announcing that hes going to make an animated film about foxes based on a book by roald dahl. Ive been watching a lot of old movies lately, dissatisfied in general with the poverty of imagination currently on display at local cinemas. The film, love and friendship, was based on the whit stillman book, love and friendship, which was in turn based upon the jane austen novel, lady susan.
His previous filmsobsessed as they are with manners, social status, and conversational diplomacycome pretty close to fulfilling any need we might have for a modernday austen. Janes financial situation may have contributed to lefroys lack of interest, but in 1802, a 21yearold jane got another chance at love. While it deals largely with adult situations such as discussions of marriage and cheating, as well as manipulation and passionate discussions theres almost zero iffy content, so its appropriate for tweens and up as long as they can follow the complex. She was visiting friends when harris biggwither, a. As anyone can blow something up with cgi it takes no skill whatsoever and imo, is the default mode of every hack working in hollywood these days. This has freed him up to bring a more improvised, witty comedy of manners to.
Based on jane austen s epistolary novel lady susan, written c. The film follows recently widowed lady susan in her intrepid and calculating exploits to secure suitably. Set in the opulent drawing rooms of eighteenthcentury english society, this exquisite adaptation of jane austens novel stars kate beckinsale as a. Jane austen s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending, is reimagined in this. Love and friendship is a remarkable film by slim whitman, based on an early epistolary novella by jane austen.
This being said, there is a movie, and its delightful. Handsome, clever, and rich, emma woodhouse is a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. Wickham proves to have no other foundation than that of the pleasure one can gain from the other, and, as it turns out, there is no intention on the mans side to fully pursue the. Jane austen fits whit stillman like a glove in the witty. Jane austen quotes on life, love, and friendship 2019. Dec 01, 2019 set in the opulent drawing rooms of eighteenthcentury english society, this exquisite adaptation of jane austen s novel stars kate beckinsale as a beautiful widow, lady susan vernon, who, while. The story follows a scandal ridden young widow name lady susan who goes to live with her sisterinlaw in the. Metropolitans characters even discuss austen at length, arguing passionately about mansfield parks virtuous heroine and her. Books by jane austen may be found in the imaginative conservative bookstore. While there, the intelligent, flirtatious, and amusingly egotistical lady vernon decides to secure a husband for herself and her rather reluctant. The film understands so much about her incredible sense. Nevertheless, with such a foundation, austen assures the reader that elizabeth and darcy will have an enduring marriage. Lauras fate is overwrought with the dangers of loving and swooning too much so naturally several sudden and inexplicable after being a little disappointed with austen s the beautifull cassandra, i was hesitant to try her. Clueless starring alicia silverstone is a modernday adaptation of jane austen s emma, a movie that gives the classic novel a beverly hills facelift.
Its refreshing because hes taken this early unfinished manuscript and been able to supplement it, rather than reduce it as with her better known works. Costume comedy from filmmaker whit stillman last days of disco, based on jane austen s lady susan, starring chloe sevigny, kate beckinsale and stephen fry. Return to love and freindship table of contents return to jane austen info page. Love and freindship lesley castle the history of england collection of letters scraps. These still exist, one in the bodleian library and the other two in the british museum. Set in the opulent drawing rooms of 18th century english society, love and friendship focuses on the machinations of a beautiful widow, lady susan vernon beckinsale, who, while waiting for social chatter about a personal indiscretion to. Though this book goes under the name love and friendship for those who would wish to read it, in reality it is a collection of jane austens fragmentary but immensely witty and sarcastic juvenilia, which includes two short epistlatory novels, love and freindship jane austens spelling is no more skilled than my own, as well as lesley castle, a collection of letters, one work on the history. Love and friendship by jane austen, paperback barnes.
Jane austen fits whit stillman like a glove in the witty love. Mar 16, 2010 though this book goes under the name love and friendship for those who would wish to read it, in reality it is a collection of jane austen s fragmentary but immensely witty and sarcastic juvenilia, which includes two short epistlatory novels, love and freindship jane austen s spelling is no more skilled than my own, as well as lesley castle, a collection of letters, one work on the history. Love and friendship has to be one of the best adaptations of jane austens work yet, and is perhaps stillmans best film up to to his point as well. Since i hadnt read either of the two books, i decided it would be interesting to read them both before seeing the movie so i could see how the different versions compared with each other.
Jane hayess keri russell adoration of all things jane austen is complicating her love life. Each of these films are dry, funny, sarcastic, and super talky in an. There is little biographical information about austens life. The new hit movie love and friendship starring kate beckinsale is based on two early works by jane austen, lady susan and love and freindship. Edition discs price new from used from dvd please retry 1. Austen wrote the book early in her life and doesnt seem to have planned to publish it. Of the two imperfect kinds of friendship, the marriages of lydia and charlotte provide good illustrations. Fans of the movie will find the bulk of the plot has been taken from lady susan and the title from love and freindship. Based on jane austens epistolary novel lady susan, written c. Whit stillmans latest film is based on a littleknown novella written early in austens. Jun 03, 2016 love and friendship is so full of beautiful clothes that i kept forgetting that there was an actual movie involved. The film follows recently widowed lady susan in her intrepid and calculating exploits to secure suitably wealthy husbands for her daughter and herself.
The best thing you can ask for in a movie is to be left wanting more. Lady susan vernon takes up temporary residence at her inlaws estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter frederica and herself too, naturally. In pride and prejudice, all three types of friendship are on display. From the age of eleven until she was eighteen, austen wrote her tales in three notebooks. A chronicler of wellread, wellspoken, uppercrust characters, writerdirector whit stillman is perfectly, delightfully suited to jane austen, bringing a cheerful wickedness to her story. Where to watch the best jane austen movies right now. Jane austen was an english author, best known for her outstanding novels pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility, and emma. Whit stillmans latest film is based on a littleknown novella written early in austens career. Clueless starring alicia silverstone is a modernday adaptation of jane austens emma, a movie that gives the classic novel a beverly hills facelift. Whit stillman, jane austen based on her novella lady susan. The 1996 version starring gwyneth paltrow, and this weeks emma. Confident in her expectations of happiness, elizabeth compares her felicity to jane, who only smiles, whereas she laughs. Beautiful young widow lady susan vernon visits to the estate of her. Love and freindship is a juvenile story by jane austen, dated 1790.
In love and friendship, our heroine laura marries edward against his fathers wishes, thus forcing the lovers to run away. This movie is based on a novella jane austen wrote while still young called lady susan. Whats wonderful isnt just that hes doing it, but that doing it makes certain aspects of his talent official. Whit stillman adapting jane austen feels at once apt and almost unnecessary. His penchant for characters who walk and talk makes an. While it deals largely with adult situations such as discussions of marriage and cheating, as well as manipulation and passionate discussions theres almost zero iffy content, so its appropriate for tweens.
Stillman is a comedicarty director who created a number of modernset films that i adore, including metropolitan, barcelona, and the last days of disco. Fans of the movie will find the bulk of the plot has been taken from. Love and friendship has to be one of the best adaptations of jane austen s work yet, and is perhaps stillmans best film up to to his point as well. Jane austen was an english author, best known for her outstanding novels pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility, and emma there is little biographical information about austens life. Austens plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Austen wrote the book early in her life and doesnt seem to have. Lauras fate is overwrought with the dangers of loving and swooning too much so naturally several sudden and inexplicable after being a little disappointed with austens the beautifull cassandra, i was hesitant to try her.