MISS AUSTEN REGRETS
UK, 2008, 90 minutes, Colour.
Olivia Williams, Greta Scacchi, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Edmondson, Tom Goodman -Hill, Harry Gostelow, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Huston, Phyllida Law, Imogen Poots, Pip Torrens.
Directed by Jeremy Lovering.
Another Jane Austen film, this time made by the BBC and focussing on the latter years of Jane Austen’s life.
One could say that more recently there has been something of a Jane Austen industry producing films for cinema and television, many versions of her novels, like Pride and Prejudice in the 1990s for television and then in 2005 for cinema. There have been films adapting her stories to different settings and cultures, from Clueless with US teens based on Emma, to the Bollywood Bride and Prejudice. The Jane Austen Book Club had members who commented on a book a month and whose lives resembled those of the books they read. 2007 saw a fictional biography of her early years and romance, Becoming Jane, with Anne Hathaway.
By the time of Miss Austen Regrets, Jane had gone back on an engagement, stayed at home with her sister Cassandra and her mother and had been highly successful and well paid for her novels. At this point she is finishing Emma.
Jane’s niece Fanny comes to her for advice about marrying. We find a rather sardonic and somewhat worldly-wise Miss Austen who is resigned to her choices in life despite their loneliness and frustrations and relishes her literary career. However, she also appears quite flirtatious, irreverent towards the clergy and fond of a glass of wine. She is not the prim, perhaps puritanical, figure that literary tradition might have imposed on her. Rather, she has the spirit of Elizabeth Bennett with the touch of the interfering Emma.
Olivia Williams has charm, cheekiness and melancholy as Jane. Greta Scacchi is her sister and Phyllida Law is her mother who has rather desperately wanted her to marry and does not appreciate her books.
It is an interesting addition to the Jane Austen screen cult.
1.The status of Jane Austen, in literature? In films, and in stories derived from her novels and paralleling them? The reasons for her popularity?
2.The 19th century settings, Hampshire and Kent, wealthy homes, poor homes, churches? London, hospital? The beauty of the countryside? Sets, costumes, musical score?
3.The title, the opening, the later explanation, Jane and her giving her explanations to Fanny? Her mother’s perspective, Cass’s perspective? The end?
4.The prologue, the proposal by Mr Biggs, the sisters, their happiness, the drinking, her saying yes, her happiness – and the sequence of her change of mind? Her reasons? Throughout the film? Regrets? Imagining the possibilities? Her mother’s taunts?
5.The transition to twelve years later, Jane Austen and her success, her age, nearing forty? Her earnings? Her business sense? Her creativity? Her writing ‘Emma’? Her relationship with her mother, the tensions? Her mother’s expectations, attitude towards her novels? Cassandra and her own sad experiences, Jane’s support? Fanny, her niece, coming to her for advice? Her principles, her joking manner, mischief and sardonic, her flirting, drinking, dancing? Her mocking of the clergy? Especially Reverend Papillon? The visits, her brother and his problems, meeting Mr Bridges, Mr Bridges and the memories, his rebukes of her? Her regrets? The dinner with the parliamentarian and her flirting? Mr Bridges’ attitude? Going to Henry, the discussions about publication, changing the publishers, earnings? Henry and his illness, the encounter with Mr Hayden, the attraction, flirting? Her returning home?
6.The character of Fanny, her age, her devotion to Mr Plumptre? Eagerness to marry, her hopes, wanting advice from Jane? Seeing Mr Plumptre through Jane’s eyes? The dance, laughing at him? Jane and Mr Plumptre, talking? His possibility of proposing, her smile, his walking away, decision not to marry her? Fanny and her attitude towards Jane, her anger? Her straight words to Jane? Going to London, the return, overhearing the conversation between Jane, her mother, Cassandra?
7.Edward, his problems, large family, the issue of the inheritance? Henry, his work for Jane, bankrupt, ill?
8.Mrs Austen, her narrow outlook, her criticisms of Jane, discerning that she was ill, the truth told?
9.Cassandra, her life, living away with her mother, supported by Jane? Sympathetic, listening to Jane, telling her the truth?
10.Mr Bridges, his wife, her illness, living at Ramsgate, his devotion to Jane, his presence in the household, his ability to tell her the truth?
11.The build-up to the climax, the meaning of the title? Jane, her illness, facing the possibilities of her death, publishing ‘Emma’, her being frightened about her books not being better than the last? Her mother, her sister? The truth for Fanny? The achievement of her life as well as her disappointments?
