The List

This is a list of films created from the classical stories by Jane Austen, inspired by her work, or about her and/or her body of work.

In Alphabetical Order (for the anal retentive)...

Becoming Jane (2007, 2 hrs., Anne Hathaway & an amazing ensemble cast)
Bride & Prejudice (2004, Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews [from "Lost"] & Alexis Bledel)
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001, Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth & Hugh Grant)
Clueless (1995, based on Emma, Alicia Silverstone)
Cold Comfort Farm (1990?, Kate Beckinsale, ? & ?)
Emma (1996, 2 hours, Gwyneth Paltrow & Jeremy Northam)
Emma (1996, 1 hr & 40 min., Kate Beckinsale & Samantha Morton)
Famous Authors: Jane Austen (1996, 30 min. documentary)
Great Women Writers: Jane Austen (2000, 45 min. documentary)
Jane Austen Handheld (2008 - pre-production, Pride & Prejudice told as if through a documentary about a filming of the story. Confused? me, too...)
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007, ensemble cast in present-day California)
Kandukondain, Kandukondain (I Have Found It) (2000, 2 hours, Indian version of Sense & Sensibility staring Aishwarya Rai)
Lost in Austen (2008, Jemima Rooper, present day London character sees similarities to Pride & Prejudice in her life.)
Mansfield Park (1999, 2 hours, Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz & Jonny Lee Miller)
Mansfield Park (2007, Billie Piper from Doctor Who, not like the book)
Metropolitan (1990, loosely based on Mansfield Park but in present day Manhattan, Edward Clements & Caroline Farina)
Miss Austen Regrets (2008, an adaptation from her letters about Jane Austen's later life)
Northanger Abbey (1986, heard it isn't a good adaptation)
Northanger Abbey (2007, 2 hrs?, Felicity Jones & J.J. Field, how's the adaptation?)
Persuasion (1995, Amanda Root & Ciaran Hinds)
Persuasion (2007, 2.5 hrs., Sally Hawkins & Rupert Penry-Jones, not as good as 1995)
Pride & Prejudice (1995, 5 hours, Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle)
Pride & Prejudice (2005, Keira Knightly & Matthew Macfadyen)
Pride & Prejudice (1980, 4.5 hours, Elizabeth Garvie & David Rintoul)
The Real Jane Austen (2002, 60 min. dramatized documentary based on her letters)
Sense & Sensibility (1995, 2 hrs. Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman)
Sense & Sensibility (1981, 3 hour miniseries)
Sense & Sensibility (2008, 3 hours, Caroline Hayes & Hattie Morahan)

Other Suggested None-Jane Works:
Amelie
An Ideal Husband
Cemetery Man
Firelight
The Importance of Being Earnest
Jane Eyre
Lady Jane
North and South
The Return of the Native
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Wuthering Heights (old one with Larry O'livier)
Wuthering Heights (1992?, Ralph Finnes & Juliette Binoche)

The Start of Society

I'm quite sure that Jane Austen herself would have quite a lot to say about starting up a gathering in her honor, but I'll just give you the info on our group for now. We are not "official" in the eyes of most Janeites since we are not yet members of The Jane Austen Society of North America, but initially we thought we'd just try getting together once or twice a month to watch a movie and talk about film and books, mostly those having to do with Austen's body of work. We are starting out with a long list of movies that we want to watch over the course of the next year or two. Let me know if there are more that need to be added! If you can't wait for our gatherings, be sure to catch "The Complete Jane Austen" which is airing on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS throughout the year (2008) and is showing on Sunday evenings at 8 P.M. in our area. Look for a list of movies in the next blog. Thanks!