Confusing

Phillip Seymore Hoffman and Paul Giamatti look like a grease-soaked bags of burgers next to their Italian leather briefcase-like co-stars. Yet, I can seem to take my eyes off of either of them when they are acting. It's so confusing.

What's with the ___Shire?

I'm currently reading Jane Eyre and I just finished Pride and Prejudice, I am so happy to find this explanation of the blank before places or names like ____shire or Colonel____. I kind of assumed the answer was to avoid the appearance of slandering a name or location , but the question and answer given (from the Republic of Pemberly message board)is very well spoken.

Q:
Why does Jane Austen use ___shire instead of the actual name? I always assumed that it was because if she used a real place name, readers living there would say, "This author obviously knows nothing about this place. What a stupid book!" But I would like a more definitive answer if there is one. Thanks!

A:
That's one reason why they did it. A development of this was that if they used real places, or real regiments, or what looked like real places and real regiments, then people could say "Well, the Colonel of that regiment wasn't callled xxxxxx, or the Colonel of that regiment didn't do that/wasn't the fool you make him out to be/couldn't possibly have given that order!" Authors would be opening themselves up to accusations of libel, if not stupidity.

It's also a fall-out from a literary convention of the time when many books and pamphlets were written criticising the government of the day, or important figures, by using false names. Defoes' Gullivers Travels is possibly the best known of the earlier ones. Since the reporting of Parliamentary discussions was banned until about 1808, it had to be reported in newspapers under false names (and Samuel Johnson first did it by reporting the activities of the people of Lilliput!). Some rather scurrilous stories were also printed which were thinly veiled parodies or criticisms of important figures.

So when Jane Austen wrote the _________shire regiment, or the Earl of _________, she was a)avoiding the pitfall of being accused of inaccuracy and b) avoiding the pitfall of being accused of criticism of some important political figures.

And just for the record, there realy was a militia regiment that went to Hertfordshire and then camped for the summer at Brighton. It was the Derbyshire Milita...

Now the Bronte sisters followed in this tradition, although I really don't know if they were as worried about political consequences as JA was. Jane Eyre is fairly obviously set in Northern Yorkshire and Durham, (The reference to Gateshead, a real place gives it away.) But Lowood School may well be based on a real place, in which case Charlotte was playing safe by not giving any more deatil about its location than she absolutely needed to.

New Emma mini series on BBC in August!!!

Wikipedia article on the new "Emma" series

I was just thinking how much I wanted to see a new version of "Emma" done by BBC. My wish has been granted! Yay. I couldn't handle the version from the 70's and I don't think that a feature film like the 1996 version can give you the depth of character that a mini series can. I'm very much looking forward to watching this. also, the cast is amazing. I think that Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller will make a wonderful Emma and Mr. Knightley.

Clueless

Watched: 7/3/09
Made: 1995 (Is it just me, or was 1995 a huge year for period dramas and Jane Austen?)

Yes, yes, I know that this is not what comes to mind when one thinks of Jane Austen, but "Clueless" captures the essence of "Emma" very well. Also, because it came out in 1995, a time in my life when I ate this kind of movie up, it has a special place in my heart. Obviously, this adaptation is aimed at a younger audience but that is something that I love about it. It is a way to introduce younger crowds to classic literature.

In "Clueless" our heroine, Cher (Alicia Silverstone), is the daughter of a rich lawyer in LA who is constantly attempting to romantically pair her acquaintances. Her mother died when she was young and her father remarried and then divorced his new wife providing Cher with a handsome, intelligent, and socially-conscious ex-step-brother named Josh (Paul Rudd)who ends up being her soul-mate in disguise. She has a best friend named Dion and the two of them befriend a new girl, Tai, (who is a bit slummy)and succeed in making her popular, well-liked and desirable to the boys. However, after a failed attempt to match Tai with Cher's friend Elton, Tai falls for Cher's brother and causes Cher to become jealous and then, finally, realise the depth of her feelings for Josh.

I love the playful dialogue and the verbal sparring between Cher and Josh. It is done in a way that would have made Jane Austen proud had she been around in 1995. The story stays pretty true to "Emma" with a few exceptions. I loved that Cher's guy friend was named Elton, a nod to the character Mr. Elton that mistakes Emma's matchmaking attempts (for her friend and Mr. Elton) as romantic attraction.

The story ends happy. Everyone gets what they deserve and it makes for a happy, fluffy movie to watch at least once every two years. This one goes on my list of "movies to watch when I'm sick or sad" right under my #1 film on the list "Bridget Jones' Diary" (oddly enough, another Jane Austen adaptation{Pride and Prejudice}).

Persuasion or Jane Austen's "What If? Biography"

Date watched: 6/29/09
Year made: 1995



Persuasion marks the beginning of my recent string of period dramas. I liked this one a lot but I will say the characters were a bit difficult to warm up to. That aside, by the end of this delightful tale, I remembered why I loved this type of film so much.

It had all of the necessary elements; The understated yet intense feelings of the time period, the ever-present love triangle followed by anguish and pining on the part of more than one main character finished off with the final ten minutes of bliss. Loose ends are tied up nicely, heartfelt declarations of love are made and passionate kisses are had.

Persuasion had all of these, but what made it stand out in my mind, was the amazing grace of Anne, our leading lady (played by Amanda Root). She wasn't the typical heroine with a headstrong attitude and a stunning face. She was beautifully understated. I thought her dull and painfully plain looking at first but by the end she had won me over and I saw her as a true beauty with amazing intelligence.

Anne was persuaded too easily earlier in her life to do what others expected and in the end lost her chance at happiness (or so we think). Then one day, her frivolous father and sister discover that they have squandered the family's wealth and they must rent their family estate to make ends meet. Her old flame Captain Fredrick Wentworth (played by Ciaran Hinds) shows up, wealthy now, and we see them both struggle with shyness, and the desire to please others. Thankfully Anne makes the choices that will make her happy in the end and ignores the persuasions of others.

Austen struggled in her own life with doing what others thought best and in the end she died a spinster. Although no one is 100% sure, people speculate that Jane Austen had been in love but that she was not able to marry because of social and economic expectations. Apparently, Austen wrote many detailed and private letters to her sister but she made sure that they were burnt after being read in order to protect her secrets from the gossip mill. Because of that, we don't know for sure how she felt but I have my own suspicions. This story feels like a bit of catharsis for Ms. Austen. I think that this story must have been dear to her. It was her last novel and I think of it as her "What-if biography."

If you get a chance, read the book, see the film, enjoy this lovely story.

Oh, and here is Ebert's very accurate review of the film:
Roger Ebert Review

Anglophile in training.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had an insatiable hunger for watching period dramas of the classics. Like most females, I enjoy Jane Austen's staple Brit drama "Pride and Prejudice" and it was my gateway movie of sorts into the world of period dramas.

The realization of my obsession began with reading "Bridget Jones' Diary" many years ago and realizing that I, like Bridget, had watched the 1995 BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" more times than I cared to own up to. I have in my possession, one well loved DVD of said film. Anyhow, I began watching more films of this genre but only occasionally over the next years.

Recently, however, I never feel like watching anything else. It's kind of ridiculous. Colin has homework and studying for work to do most nights, so at least he hasn't been feeling too neglected. My night after 8 pm (when the kids go to bed) usually consists of me cleaning up as fast as possible, snuggling up to a bag of carrot sticks, and watching something girly, beautifully costumed, and full of luscious British accents on Netflix.com.

So, I guess the point of all of this is, I will be blogging reviews of the last two weeks of films and then post reviews of subsequent films. I'm excited to share my Anglophile, BBC obsessed, classic-loving feelings with the world. I hope you enjoy my geekery.

Beulah: Yoko

Beulah's fourth and final album as a working band tiled "Yoko" is a nice gloomy day listen. It sounds a little like an alt-country-slightly-more-edgy-but-less-screamy Phantom Planet. Catchy tunes that are seriously entertaining to listen to yet most of them are not not single-worthy. The sound was overall happy but stained with angst, melancholy, and lovesick sentiments. I particularly enjoyed track two titled "Landslide Baby" as well as track six titled "Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore". One thing that I noticed was that almost every song starts with a quiet and very distorted sounding guitar until around 10-20 seconds in when the sound filled out. It got a a little old towards the end of the album. I'd also be really interested to hear what it would do to their sound if they made a more prominent piano or synth in some of their songs. All in all a good disk. Not something I'd listen to with the kids around because of the swearing but it made for some rockin' laundry folding music. Man I sound lame...

Favorite track: Six, "Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore"
Stars out of ten: Seven

Check out their links. This band has a fascinating history with some neat experimental recording techniques.

Beulah's Website
The Wikipedia article