Our MOST & LEAST Favorite Jane Austen Film Adaptations

To celebrate Jane Austen's birthday, fellow Austenite Ann from @PrincessLessons and I are sharing our MOST favorite and LEAST favorite adaptations of each of the six novels...with a few honorable mentions thrown in there too!

0:00 Intro & THE BEST Adaptation
3:38 Sense & Sensibility
13:58 Emma
26:17 Mansfield Park
36:09 Northanger Abbey
40:29 Persuasion
48:31 Pride & Prejudice
1:01:00 Sanditon, Lady Susan & More

Welcome to the Bookish Kingdom! I’m so glad you stopped by. 😊 This channel is my hobby and my cinematic scrapbook. I love to create videos to share the fun of my vacations, favorite books, fashions, crafts, music, video games, and more. This video is not sponsored in any way. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any brands or companies mentioned.

As always, thank you so much for watching!

💕 Emma

[josey]

I agree with Colin and Jennifers version of pride and prejudice being the best. I watch it at least once a year. 😂

[aquablushgirl]

My favourite Austen book has always been Persuasion and the best Captain Wentworth by a mile is Ciaran Hinds. For me, Rupert Penry-Jones is just wrong. Ciaran Hinds had the maturity and manliness and Amanda Root broke my heart playing Anne with the perfect mixture of regret and hope. It is probably my favourite Austen adaptation as they got everything right in my opinion, from the locations to the costume to the casting. It was perfect.

[socratesandstorybooks]

Dont hate me but my favorite is the 2020 Emma. I agree there are some weird things. But I think Emma is more acurate to the book like she would have appeared braty and selfish to people around her on the outside in the book even if we as the reader get to know her thoughts shes still acting that way. Thats what I like about Emma she has a good heart but shes selfish and she has to grow and work on that. Thats what makes Emma such a hopeful story:)

[iribe]

Thank you both for taking the time to do this. It was such a lovely way to spend the evening. I really like the Persuasion prequel idea.

[fastbowler]

Excuse me, Ciaran Hinds is scorching, the drapes are burning. 😍 Fun fact: Sophie Thompson (Miss Bates, Mary Musgrove) is Emma Thompson's sister.

[traceyarnaud]

I loved listening to this, but to me Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth was cast perfectly! I guess I’m an old lady but, “not dreamy”?? I think he’s absolutely beautiful!

[LH_ore]

I really dislike the 2005 P&P adaptation. First thing that bugged me was how destitute Longbourn looked and that they chose a house sorrounded by a water canal that Lizzy had to cross through some rickety bridge. The house is a beautiful historical structure but not Longbourn. But what really pushed me to the edge was the love confession under the rain. I could only cringe at the melodramatics, and the second thought was wondering if they just ruined Lizzie's reputation, if she was compromised by being alone unchaperoned under the rain with a man, because they wanted the theatrical rain scene without thinking beyond the visuals.

[PrincessLessons]

I’m still cracking up over our Emma adaptation debacle. 😆 It was SO MUCH FUN chatting with you, as always, and hearing your fantastic Jane Austen insight!

[AllTheArtsy]

I know Joe Wright's P&P is not historically or book accurate, but I love it. I love how it looks. I love the music. I love the direction and action choice for Lizzy and Darcy. And I love The Lizzie Bennet Diaries too. It's just so cute. And a great transcription of the story into a 2010s social media reality.

[jjjnettie]

I'm late to the party.
Fun fact, Jonny Lee Miller was also in the 1983 tv series of Mansfield Park.

[CatholicForever]

The BBC version of Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. That scene of Wickham trying to convince Georgiana to elope with him inspired the novel "Wickham's Second Attempt". I hope that one day that book becomes #WickhamMovie

[katherinedeliberatefare]

What a delightful episode. Lovely. Please do this type of event again. More Austen is always Merrier. Happy Christmas, ladies. I ❤️ Knightley.

[just-me-pam]

Funny enough, back in the day, that 1980’s version of Northanger Abbey was my introduction to Jane Austen and made want to read all her novels. I loved the gothic feel of it and the melodramatic heroine; and I loved how JA was poking fun at her own generation as well as warning of the dangers of getting swept up in such silliness. I love the growth arc of Katherine as she sees how ridiculous she’s been, and Peter Firth (who plays Henry Tilney) is so extremely charming! (One of my favorite JA heroes ever) 80’s movies are notoriously dated due to the music of that era, but at the time, it was as distracting as it is now. I also have to say that the ending of that version is so so good! Way better than the book which is so anticlimactic to such a melodramatic heroine. I will always love that version because it led me to discover the richness of reading all of Jane Austen as a young adult - which makes me value her work all the more.
This was such a fun video to watch as its clear you both love JA so much! Thank you!

[sarahmwalsh]

I feel so validated with my love of the 80s Mansfield Park!! It's one of my favorite overall adaptations for the exact reasons you state - it's so true to the story even though Fanny is not really a dynamic or vibrant character. The casting is SPOT ON and it really tells the whole narrative very faithfully.

[bucketoffrogz]

I loved this video! Have either of you seen Lost in Austen the ITV drama from 2008? I think you would have fun with it xx

[deborahflynn]

what breaks my heart in 1995 S&S is when Col Brandon and Marianne comes out of the church you see Willohby on his horse looking down with bittersweet longing of what could have been
on a side note Emma Thompsons first marriage ended in divorce
she met and later married a man who was in the movie
who did she marry the man who played Willohby
( still are happily married)
so in a strange sort of way
Willohby did live happily ever after with Elenor!

[kamicastillo]

Glad to see you together again. Enjoyed your video!!

[shirahmalkacohen]

This was such a great discussion, thank you! I really liked how you analysed everything. And I especially agreed with your assessment of the Pride and Prejudice adaptations. "Brönttification" is really a great way to describe the 2005 version. And to the pig in the house I will add Mr. Bennet's orchids - what was that all about??

[liab]

Great video! I loved watching this. Great job!

[coloraturaElise]

The 2016 Love and Friendship was a very stylized production, very much like the 2020 Emma. As a person who has read Lady Susan about a dozen times, I was not confused by the movie, so maybe that's the key. I LOVED it, laughed out loud all the way through, and really enjoyed the beautiful settings, costumes, and music, in addition to the wonderful performances!