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Showing posts with label Pride and Prejudice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pride and Prejudice. Show all posts
Guest Post at the book.
This month, I've been given the wonderful pleasure of guest blogging (my first!) over at the book about a topic I can go on and on about - my favorite book. If you haven't discovered it before, you must venture over there! Louise is lovely and she's put my love of typography to shame.
I'll give you just a little hint: "What are men to rocks and mountains?"
Anatomy of a Scene: Proposals
I'm a sucker for a good scene, dear reader; so much so, I always end up spending hours thinking about just one really fantastic scene in a movie or video. I was doing this just a few days ago about the first proposal scene in Pride and Prejudice. For me, its the pinnacle of cringe-worthy. I still don't think I've ever seen the full scene because I have to look away; its just too much like a car crash you can't take your eyes off, but you have to. And then I got to thinking...almost all the costume dramas with two proposals from the same man look alike: not just in color and tone, but also in composition and theme. The men are tortured, they shock the women they love with a proposal, and (other than Jane Eyre) end really badly. And that's not all.
Now of course, I'm going back to my old favorites with two proposal scenes: Pride and Prejudice, North and South, and Jane Eyre; and I'm also looking at both versions of Pride and Prejudice. What are the similarities? Well let's get started.
First, the individuals are always alone (which is appropriate considering the time in which the story was written). Furthermore, the men always come to the women and initiate the proposal (not a big surprise, I know); in other words, the men enter the female's world: Thornton goes to the Hale's, Darcy goes to Mr. Collin's vicarage where Lizzy is staying, and Rochester meets Jane in Nature by the chestnut tree. When alone, the characters are no longer bound to society's standards and are free to express their true feelings. This similarity is more thematic as an attribute of the novels; however, the translation to film is also powerful. You can sense the freedom the actors feel in these scenes. Having just two actors in the scene, emotionally focused and present, electrifies the tension in the scene.
Second, the heroine is always under a misapprehension. Lizzy is completely blindsided by Darcy's proposal; Margaret is the same; and Jane thinks Rochester is sending her to Ireland and marrying another woman (so SO the same). This remarkably stubborn streak of in-the-dark heroines has always been a theme of costume dramas. And its their lack of consciousness which fuels the resolution of the story and second proposal. AND makes for an insanely awkward first proposal.
Third, the main characters are always facing each other. This staging is for more than just dramatic camera angles; it is a physical representation of character opposition, a visible extension of their opposing view points. Picture: metaphorically butting heads. During the first proposal both sides are ready for a fight. For example, Thornton proposes already defending his actions, and at Margaret's pressing defends his very love for her. Darcy does the same thing. And while Lizzy is able to articulate her argument much more eloquently than Margaret, her shock is still the same as is her physical placement opposite of Darcy.
Cinematically, the first proposal is often edited full of short close-ups, highlighting how far apart emotionally and physically the two characters are from each other. The scenes rarely have the two character's in the same shot together, and if they are, their body language clearly closes them off to one another.
We can truly focus on this staging of opposition if we look at the second proposal scenes. In those, the characters are set side-by-side in bright settings, their demeanor much softer and much more calm.
Darcy and Lizzy walk slowly in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, neither leading each other towards Meryton, but both know where they are going. And while they do not touch, this walk together highlights their growth into mutual respect and equality. It's a vastly different scene than there cringe-worthy proposal.
John Thornton and Margaret do not walk during their second proposal, but sit together at a train station (this is one of the few major scenes from a book that the BBC changed during the adaptation process). The train station is halfway between Milton and London, and so it is neutral ground for both characters. They sit together, but are angled towards each other; most importantly, they are filmed up close with the other always in the shot as well. Their nearness is in large contrast to Thornton's first proposal where a whole table and room where in between them.
The 1988 version of Jane Eyre also follows this second proposal format, and it can be seen in the 2008 version as well. Like in Pride and Prejudice and North and South, Jane and Rochester sit side-by-side, and combined with the longer camera shots, this staging helps to empower the sense of equality and mutual determination both characters share moving forward. By having both characters sit towards a common direction and be close physically, they parallel their new outlooks towards common goals and common futures. In comparison, Rochester's first proposal may have seemed like a shared goal for Jane; however, it is not. Jane's goal is to have a loving, yet socially questionable marriage with the man she loves; Rochester's goal is to posses the women he loves, but lie to her to gain her trust.
Now I'm sure dear reader, you're sitting at your computer thinking I have WAY too much time on my hands, and you're right. I think I do too. BUT, I also think these themes are a really remarkable continuity between our favorite costume drama adaptations. We always say we love the second proposals, but can we say why? Yes we love them on screen for the same reasons we love them in print, but we shouldn't downplay the power of the cinematic set-up. Clearly, its a formula that works well, even with all the unique variations, because if we find it in our classic three favorites, I'm sure its in many more adaptations as well.
REwatch REcap
This spring, dear reader, has been one of my absolute favorites for rewatching. And, now that the first day of summer is fast approaching and the Spring!rewatches are over, I feel like its a perfect time for reflection on the 4 REwatches we rocked via twitter.
FIRST: I've got to thank my rewatch ladies who made these possible and fantastic! @CaseeMarie (I SO could not have done these without you!) @DarbyDashwood @LadyRelaynie @So_Meow @SheBlog @Mu5icRomancer . Ladies, you're the best and never let anyone tell you different.
#REsuasion was the first of the rewatches simply because--and I do not say this lightly--it has to be my favorite of all adaptations. There is just something about this one: I can't put my finger on it, but this Persuasion, even with its textual changes, even with its event shifts, just makes me unbelievably happy. As much as I do love my Pride and Prejudice, my North and South, my Jane Eyres, I simply cannot get past the fact that whenever I just feel like watching a beautiful costume drama, I pop this one in my DVD player.
#REsense was next, and it was fantastic. We all got silent whenever Brandon spoke, we all adored Edward and Elinor, and we were all so talkative during this rewatch. This was the first big rewatch, with more of us participating and gushing over one of our favorite costume dramas. This is also the rewatch the brilliant and fantastic Casee Marie joined me in co-hosting.
#REanger is one of those short costume dramas and is too adorable and too time friendly not to watch. It was also one many of the rewatch gals hadn't seen. Luckily, its an easy one, too, to get our little costume fan hands on, and we were off to the races. Northanger is that brilliant mix of humor, Gothic undertones, and classic Austen romance. As Austen's first novel, hints of her later characters abound. If you are careful, and rewatch it a few times: you'll find the seeds of Darcy, Elizabeth, Caroline, Fanny, Edward, Wickham and Willoughby amongst others.
#REpride is how the rewatches (for me) began and how they ended this spring season. Every beginning of Spring I rewatch the epic '95 version, and as the twitter rewatches got underway, there was no way P&P '05 was going to be left out. Sometimes the best dish comes from other costume drama fans, and boy were we dishing last night! Emma Thompson's connection, the complete textual changes, Orlando Bloom's twin....it was all in there dear reader! Don't you wish you'd joined us?
Now the rewatches are not going away. Not by a long shot! They now will be featured in fycd's week of costume, which occurs for a whole week once a month in the summer. A week of costume is a feature on the tumblr: Anything Period where I only post photos from one costume drama for a whole week. Last summer we did: Pride and Prejudice, The Young Victoria, and Marie Antoinette.
So, this means that if the week of costume is Pride and Prejudice focused, we will be rewatching Pride and Prejudice for the rewatch. I know it might sound silly, but with summer being busy for everyone, I think one rewatch a month will make the anticipation all the more fun. The first week of costume begins June 20. Pencil in June 24 for the next rewatch! What will we be watching? Well, we'll just have to wait till June 3rd to find out!
Pride and Prejudice Fanmix
In celebration of the rewatch this Friday, I've mixed together some of my favorite current songs that always remind me of Pride and Prejudice. Mixing music, for connecting my favorite songs to my favorite books is something I've been doing forever (even before Ms. Meyer made it popular). And for me, Pride and Prejudice is a mix of alternative jazz for the heavy parts, and upbeat alternative and pop for the lighthearted parts. After all, if the Bennets were a modern family, I think Kitty and Lydia would make the rest suffer through some pretty awful teeny-bopper pop.
My favorite pick on this mix is Adele's "Rollin' in the Deep". Its one of my favorite songs for Darcy's rejection by Elizabeth. And yes, I still listen to Dashboard Confessional. I got to see them last year in concert and they still rock, dear reader.
To give you just a hint, quite a few of the songs relate toward Darcy. Well...that angst is more the music I listen to, but I'm sure you can pick out the bright Bennet spots too.
If you would like to listen to all the songs, hop on over to 8tracks. You'll even find a few other mixes I've made.
Don't forget #REpride is this Friday starting @ 8pm EST!
Last REwatch of the Spring Season
When: May 20, 2011 @ 8 pm EST
Where: Twitter: #REpride
look for @heatherfrances, @caseemarie, @Ladyrelaynie, @darbydashwood, @sheblog, and @so_meow
Who: Everyone!
Why: Its Pride and Prejudice dear reader! It isn't often that we get to spend 2-3 hours completely GUSHING over Mr. Darcy. You know, with other people... This is the last of the Spring!Rewatches for the season, so join in now before its too late! You know you want to!
Incentive: Wallpapers, gossip, and tons of Jane Austen fun await. Need I say more? Like last time, stop by Rusty on facebook for a special wallpaper.
Happy Mother's Day
It's Mother's Day here in the States and as a celebration, literary style--well mostly literary style, I thought I would share with you my favorite on screen mothers.
When I started to think about the blog post, I wondered what indeed I would do. Jane Austen's mothers are mostly foolish or mean, and Bronte's mothers are either non-existent or half mad. Mrs. Dashwood, however, was an easy and foundational choice for me. Fearless and proud, she endures the loss of her husband, house, and lifestyle to undeserved and ruthless relatives, and moves her family away from everything they know for a better chance at happiness within their constraints. While Elinor is her voice of reason, it takes a powerful woman to allow her daughter that kind of control and still be the adult head of the family. She is loving, she is kind, and--above all--she reminds her daughters to enjoy life as it comes, without grasping, scheming, or loathing.
Dear reader, you may not like old battle axe Thornton for Margaret's sake, but if you think about it, Mrs. Thornton is a thoroughly stand-up and modern mother. After the suicide of her husband, she took her two young children and raised them with economy and strict focus; she managed John's money so well he was able to lease the mill, and she continues to run it with him on a day-to-day basis. Even though she hates Margaret, she promises to learn to like her when she realizes John is in love with her; and then when John can't hate Margaret even after she's rejected him, Mrs. Thornton vows to in his stead. As a mother, Mrs. Thorton is like a tiger: fierce on the outside, but loving and protective when no one is looking.
When thinking of my featured mothers, Mrs. Bennet was not first on my list. She wasn't even on my list. At a glance, Mrs. Bennet seems like one of the least qualified women to be a mother of five daughters. She's immature, frivolous, and simply wants to get all her girls married off to the first men she can find. And then I took a second look at Mrs. Bennet, because Jane Austen is far more introspective than that. Mrs. Bennet is able to be frivolous because she has (at least) two very level-headed daughters and seeing as how she's raised them well, why should she change her style for the other three? Her immaturity can be likened to the gossip addicts of today's society. And she wants to get her daughters married so that they will be provided for, knowing she has not saved for them on her own. Really, all the Mrs. Bennet is guilty of is a melodramatic disposition and social butterfly syndrome. She is a well meaning mother, who puts her family first, and for tha she's been added to my list.
Lady Crawley is one fierce women. She is unwavering in her modern ideas, while despising shifts in modern society. Above all, she is willing to do anything to protect her granddaughter's inheritance. She holds that quiet type of motherhood: the type where her children think she expects everything of them, when really she simply wants to see them do well and be happy. Lady Crawley is continually surprised by how people see her, and can't seem to understand why one must make way for impolite society in an entrenched history. I love Violet because she is the determined matriarch, the women you think of one way when really she's another, a class act all the way. Considering how wonderful her son is, I'd say she definately nears the top of my favorite mothers list.
While all these characters are wonderful examples of literary mothers, I want to finish this blog post by saying happy mother's day to all the truly wonderful mothers celebrating. You do not just deserve today, but every day to be mother's day. We never appreciate you as much as we should, and I wish this day was more like Christmas, then you may properly feel the love and awe we give to you.
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