Every Woman Dreams…

Join the “Jane in June” read along of the timeless classic Pride and Prejudice on The Book Rat website. Go to
http://www.thebookrat.com/2011/06/jane-in-june-ii-main-page.html for more information.

The Book Rat Blog is celebrating “Jane (Austen) in June” throughout the month. I will be adding an interview and giveaway during the last week of the month, as well as contributing to several summary posts with friends from Austen Authors. Check out the items already on the site. There’s a whole list of giveaways. Join in the Read Along discussions of Pride and Prejudice. Go to http://www.thebookrat.com/2011/06/jane-in-june-ii-main-page.html for more details.

Symphony Park in Charlotte, NC, hosted the Extra Mile Road Race as part of its Memorial Day celebration. I was up at 6 A.M. – not to run, but to watch my son run the 7:30 race. It’s hot here today, and the course was a demanding one, with lots of rolling hills. That’s my son in the orange Try Sports jersey. He finished 11th overall and 3rd in his age group, but more importantly, he set a base for his return to running. He’s been too busy coaching cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track to tend to his own running history. Congratulations, Son. As always, I’m proud of you.

In a previous post, we discussed how Andrew Davies “created” the image of a very masculine and virile Darcy by adding scenes to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Some of us probably participated in “Darcy Loving Parties” at the time of this mini-series’ release.

Today, I would like to examine the visual shift of “desire” to Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 film. Casting the beautiful Keira Knightley in the lead role changed the focus. Choosing Ms. Knightley, who had established herself in Bend It Like Beckham, King Arthur, Love Actually, and The Pirates of the Caribbean, was designed to appeal to a younger and wider audience. Add Joe Wright’s emphasis on social realism to Knightley’s casting, and we have a film that grossed over $125 million worldwide.

Knightley’s casting could have backfired. Remember that Austen describes the character as, “She (Elizabeth) is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” and “But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face ….” and “Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form ….” Obviously, the casting of the equally lovely Rosamund Pike as Jane helped to “sell” the idea that Elizabeth’s fair face was less than her elder sister’s.

In the 2005 film, Elizabeth (Knightley) is found in EVERY scene, from the opening shot of her walking home while reading her book to the final kiss in the American version. The camera follows Elizabeth through the house. We see her world through Elizabeth’s eyes. When she walks away from Darcy at the Meryton assembly, everyone else pales, but our focus remains constant on Elizabeth. She is framed by the retreating camera lens.

When Elizabeth and Jane share secrets under the blankets, the audience is invited to join them. When she sensually traces Darcy’s belongings with her fingertips, we feel Elizabeth’s longing for a man she has allowed to slip through her fingers.

Through the camera, the viewer is always at Elizabeth’s side. We read over her shoulder in the opening scene. We enjoy the interplay between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet regarding Mr. Collins’s pomposity. We hide behind a Netherfield column with her when her family’s actions bring humiliation. We observe Darcy’s approach through the morning mist as Elizabeth would, and we peek through the open door as she watches Darcy spin his sister around in circles.

Even when we have the occasional film seconds when Knightley is not in the framing, the scene pans to Elizabeth’s presence. It’s as if the camera leads us back to her. The maid carries items through the Bennet household and ends up in Elizabeth and Jane’s shared room. The intimate scene of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s bedroom guides us to another meeting between Jane and Elizabeth. Darcy’s appreciation of Georgiana’s pianoforte skills lead the viewer to Elizabeth’s accepting his invitation to Pemberley.

Knightley’s star power is “lessened” by her appearance in dingy, drab dresses and having her surrounded by a “working” home: animals, a barnyard swing, the kitchen, clothes lines, disarray. These techniques “muffle” Knightley’s beauty and allow the viewer to accept her as Austen’s most famous character. In contrast to the 1995 film, Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy is often shot from a distance and always fully clothed (minus the American ending again). Even his open-shirt appearance in the pre-dawn hours is viewed from Elizabeth’s point of view. He’s coming to her. She waits for him. Therefore, she remains the center of attention.

Wright’s “extra” scenes direct the desire to Elizabeth. Davies’s film showed Darcy in his bath and diving into a pond to increase Colin Firth’s role. Wright uses the near kiss from Darcy’s first proposal, the caress as Darcy helps Elizabeth to the carriage, and the seductive circling of Darcy and Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball as part of the film’s sexual subtext. These and several other scenes amplify the desire for Elizabeth.

One part of the film that has received much criticism is the way this adaptation minimizes the relationship between Elizabeth and Wickham and between Elizabeth and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Wright chose to omit Austen’s diversions because Elizabeth is the one to be desired, and Elizabeth desires Darcy. In this version, we do not consider her flirtation with either man as serious possibilities. In the 2005 film, Wickham spends more time with Lydia than he does with Elizabeth.

Okay, it is your turn. Where else in the film is Elizabeth the point of desire? How has her character been created? I have other ideas, but I am waiting for our Austen Authors’ loyal fans to add their own opinions.

Holden, Stephen. “Marrying off Those Bennet Sisters Again, but This Time Elizabeth is a Looker.” Review of Pride and Prejudice. The New York Times. 11 Nov. 2005. {http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/movies/11prid.html?ex=1176782400&en=97912be821dd7738&ei=5070}

Check out my latest interview at http://www.sellingbooks.com/regina-jeffers-the-scandal-of-lady-eleanor.

If, dear reader, you are also an author, you may receive information about also being included on this site by sending a blank email to interview@sellingbooks.com.

NOMINATIONS

LEADING ACTOR
Programme Channel
Jim Broadbent Any Human Heart Channel 4
Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock BBC One
***Daniel Rigby Eric and Ernie BBC Two
Matt Smith Doctor Who BBC One

LEADING ACTRESS
Programme Channel
Anna Maxwell Martin South Riding BBC One
***Vicky McClure This Is England ’86 Channel 4
Natalie Press Five Daughters BBC One
Juliet Stevenson Accused BBC One

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Programme Channel
Brendan Coyle Downton Abbey ITV1
***Martin Freeman Sherlock BBC One
Johnny Harris This Is England ’86 Channel 4
Robert Sheehan Misfits E4

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Programme Channel
Gillian Anderson Any Human Heart Channel 4
Lynda Baron The Road to Coronation Street BBC Four
***Lauren Socha Misfits E4
Jessie Wallace The Road to Coronation Street BBC Four

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
Programme Channel
Rob Brydon The Rob Brydon Show BBC Two
Stephen Fry QI BBC One
Harry Hill Harry Hill’s TV Burp ITV1
***Graham Norton The Graham Norton Show BBC One

FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Programme Channel
***Jo Brand Getting On BBC Four
Dawn French Roger and Val Have Just Got In BBC Two
Miranda Hart Miranda BBC Two
Katherine Parkinson The IT Crowd Channel 4

MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Programme Channel
James Buckley The Inbetweeners E4
***Steve Coogan The Trip BBC Two
Tom Hollander Rev BBC Two
David Mitchell Peep Show Channel 4

SINGLE DRAMA
Eric and Ernie
Victoria Wood, Peter Bowker, Tim Bricknell, Jonny Campbell
BBC Two /BBC Wales /Blue Door Adventures
I Am Slave
Andrea Calderwood, Gabriel Range, Jeremy Brock
Channel 4/A Slate Films and Altered Image Production for UKFC, Channel 4, Limelight, JAC Rights Management LLP and the Film Agency for Wales
***The Road to Coronation Street
Production Team
BBC Four/ITV Studios
The Special Relationship
Production Team
BBC Two/Rainmark Films and HBO Films

DRAMA SERIES
Being Human
Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan, Toby Whithouse, Colin Teague
BBC Three/Touchpaper Television
Downton Abbey
Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, Nigel Marchant
ITV1/Carnival Films
Misfits
Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Kate Crowe
E4/Clerkenwell Films
*** Sherlock
Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, Beryl Vertue
BBC One/Hartswood Films

DRAMA SERIAL
***Any Human Heart
Lynn Horsford, Lee Morris, Sally Woodward Gentle, Michael Samuels
Channel 4/Carnival Films
Mad Dogs
Cris Cole, Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie, Adrian Shergold
SKY 1/Left Bank Pictures
The Sinking of the Laconia
Alan Bleasdale, Jonathan Young, Uwe Janson, Hilary Norrish
BBC Two/BBC Productions
The Promise
Peter Kosminsky, David Aukin, Hal Vogel
Channel 4/Daybreak Pictures

CONTINUING DRAMA
Casualty
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Productions
Coronation Street
Production Team
ITV1/ITV Studios
***EastEnders
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Productions
Waterloo Road
Sharon Hughff, Sharon Channer, Fraser MacDonald, Lis Steele
BBC One/Shed Productions

INTERNATIONAL
Boardwalk Empire
Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, Tim Van Patten, Howard Korder
SKY Atlantic/HBO
Glee
Ian Brennan, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
E4/Twentieth Century Fox
***The Killing
Soren Sveistrup, Piv Bernth, Birger Larsen, Sophie Grabol
BBC Four/DR/ZDF Enterprises
Mad Men
Matthew Weiner, Scott Hornbacher, Jennifer Getzinger
BBC Four/Lionsgate Television

FACTUAL SERIES
Coppers
Production Team
Channel 4/Blast!
One Born Every Minute
Production Team
Channel 4/Dragonfly Film and Television
***Welcome to Lagos
Will Anderson, Gavin Searle, Chris King, Andrew Palmer
BBC Two/Keo North
The Young Ones
Leanne Klein, Tom McDonald, Michael Jochnowitz
BBC One/Wall To Wall Television

SPECIALIST FACTUAL *
Alan Bennett and the Habit of Art (The Making Of)
Martin Rosenbaum, David Sabel, Toby Coffey
More 4/Lone Star Productions
***Flying Monsters 3D
David Attenborough, Anthony Geffen, Celia Taylor, Sias Wilson
Sky 3D/Atlantic Productions
Human Planet
Brian Leith, Dale Templar, Nitin Sawhney
BBC One/BBC Productions
Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town
Paul Elston, Daisy Scalchi, Richard Bradley
BBC Two/Lion Television

SINGLE DOCUMENTARY **
***Between Life and Death
Nick Holt, Meredith Chambers, Marina Parker, Ben Brown
BBC One/BBC Factual Wales
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
Jamie Doran, Najibullah Quraishi, John Moffat, Mike Healy
More 4/Clover Films
Pink Saris
Production Team
More 4/Ginger Productions
Scenes From a Teenage Killing
Morgan Matthews, Ruth Kelly, Steve Hewlett, Michael Harrowes
BBC Four/Minnow Films

FEATURES
Come Dine With Me
Production Team
Channel 4/ITV Studios
***Hugh’s Fish Fight
Andrew Palmer, Will Anderson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Frankie Fathers
Channel 4/Keo Films
Mary Queen of Shops
Production Team
BBC Two/Optomen Television
Pineapple Dance Studios
Jonathan Stadlen, Pat Doyle, Hannah Springham
Sky 1/Pulse Films

CURRENT AFFAIRS
Kids in Care (Panorama)
Simon Gilchrist, Roger Graef, Tom Giles, Clare Johns
BBC One/Films of Record
Lost Girls of South Africa (Dispatches)
Deborah Shipley, Brian Woods, Xoliswa Sithole
Channel 4/True Vision Productions
Secret Iraq
Eamonn Matthews, Sam Collyns, James Jones, Philippa Lacey
BBC Two/Quicksilver Media
***Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children
Jezza Neumann, Zoliswa Sithole, Brian Woods, Deborah Shipley
BBC Four/True Vision Productions

NEWS COVERAGE
BBC One: Ten O’Clock News: Handover of Power
Production Team
BBC One/BBC News 24/BBC News
Channel 4 News: From Chile’s Ecstasy to Congo’s Agony
Production Team
Channel 4/ITN Productions
***ITV News at Ten: The Cumbria Murders
Production Team
ITV1/ITN Productions
Sky News: Egypt Crisis
Production Team
Sky News/Sky News

SPORT
6 Nations – England v Wales
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport
FA Cup Final: Chelsea v Portsmouth
Tony Pastor, Paul McNamara, Jamie Oakford, Rob Hollier
ITV1/ITV Sport
***Formula 1 – The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport
Wimbledon 2010
Production Team
BBC One/BBC Sport

NEW MEDIA
LabUK/Brain Test Britain
Richard Cable, Zoe Heron, Kathy Neil, Peter Harvey
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ BBC Multiplatform
Misfits
Matt Jarvis, Chloe Moss, Owen Priestly, Carl Hodler
E4.com/ Clerkenwell Productions & Kerb Digital
Malcolm Tucker: The Missing Phone
Dave Addey, Armando Iannucci, Henry Cooke, Henry Volans
iTunes App Store/Agant Ltd & Faber and Faber
***Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention
Production Team
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Aardman Digital/BBC

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME ***
***The Cube
Adam Adler, Nathan Eastwood, Andrew Newman, Andrew O’Connor
ITV1/Objective Productions
The Graham Norton Show
Graham Norton, Jon Magnusson, Graham Stuart, Steve Smith
BBC One/So Television
Have I Got News For You
Richard Wilson, Jo Bunting, Nick Martin, Mark Barrett
BBC One/Hattrick Productions
The X Factor
Andrew Llinares, Mark Sidaway, Nigel Hall, Richard Holloway
ITV1/TalkbackTHAMES and Syco

COMEDY PROGRAMME
Catherine Tate’s Little Cracker
Catherine Tate, Sophie Clarke-Jervoise, Izzy Mant
Sky 1/Tiger Aspect
Come Fly With Me
Adam Tandy, Paul King, Matt Lucas, David Walliams
BBC One/A Little Britain Production/BBC Productions
Facejacker
Kayvan Novak, Ed Tracy, Mario Stylianides, Tom Thostrup
Channel 4/Hat Trick Productions
***Harry and Paul
Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Sandy Johnston, Izzy Mant
BBC Two/Tiger Aspect Productions

SITUATION COMEDY
Mrs Brown’s Boys
Stephen McCrum, Martin Delany, Ben Kellett, Brendan O’Carroll
BBC One/BOCPix and BBC Productions, in association with RTE
Peep Show
Phil Clarke, Becky Martin, Sam Bain, Jesse Armstrong
Channel 4/Objective Productions
***Rev
Kenton Allen, James Wood, Peter Cattaneo, Hannah Pescod
BBC Two/Big Talk Productions
The Trip
Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Michael Winterbottom
BBC Two/Revolution Films
* Specialist Factual is given in honour of Huw Wheldon
** Single Documentary is given in honour of Robert Flaherty
*** Entertainment Programme is given in honour of Lew Grade

BAFTA 2011 Nominees & * Winners

BEST FILM
* The King’s Speech
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
True Grit

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
* The King’s Speech
127 Hours
Another Year
Four Lions
Made In Dagenham

DIRECTOR
* The Social Network – David Fincher
127 Hours – Danny Boyle
Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky
Inception – Christopher Nolan
The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
* The King’s Speech – David Seidler
Black Swan – Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, John Mclaughlin
The Fighter – Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
Inception – Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
* The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin
127 Hours – Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel
Toy Story 3 – Michael Arndt
True Grit – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Biutiful
I Am Love
Of Gods and Men
The Secret in Their Eyes

ANIMATED FILM
* Toy Story 3
Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon

LEADING ACTOR
* Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Javier Bardem – Biutiful
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
James Franco – 127 Hours

LEADING ACTRESS
* Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right
Noomi Rapace – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Christian Bale – The Fighter
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
Pete Postlethwaite – The Town
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
* Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Barbara Hershey – Black Swan
Lesley Manville – Another Year
Miranda Richardson – Made In Dagenham

ORIGINAL MUSIC
* The King’s Speech – Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours – Ar Rahman
Alice In Wonderland – Danny Elfman
How To Train Your Dragon – John Powell
Inception – Hans Zimmer

CINEMATOGRAPHY
* True Grit – Roger Deakins
127 Hours – Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak
Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
Inception – Wally Pfister
The King’s Speech – Danny Cohen

EDITING
* The Social Network – Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
127 Hours – Jon Harris
Black Swan – Andrew Weisblum
Inception – Lee Smith
The King’s Speech – Tariq Anwar

PRODUCTION DESIGN
* Inception – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
Alice In Wonderland – Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara
Black Swan – Thérèse Deprez, Tora Peterson
The King’s Speech – Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
True Grit – Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

COSTUME DESIGN
* Alice In Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
Black Swan – Amy Westcott
The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
Made In Dagenham – Louise Stjernsward
True Grit – Mary Zophres

SOUND
* Inception – Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick
127 Hours – Glenn Freemantle, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Steven C Laneri, Douglas Cameron
Black Swan – Ken Ishii, Craig Henighan, Dominick Tavella
The King’s Speech – John Midgley, Lee Walpole, Paul Hamblin
True Grit – Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F Kurland, Douglas Axtell

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
* Inception – Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb
Alice In Wonderland – Nominees TBC
Black Swan – Dan Schrecker
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicolas Ait’hadi, Christian Manz
Toy Story 3 – Nominees TBC

MAKEUP & HAIR
* Alice In Wonderland – Valli O’Reilly, Paul Gooch
Black Swan – Judy Chin, Geordie Sheffer
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 – Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
The King’s Speech – Frances Hannon
Made In Dagenham – Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

SHORT FILM
* Until The River Runs Red
Connect
Lin
Rite
Turning

SHORT ANIMATION
* The Eagleman Stag
Matter Fisher
Thursday

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
* Tom Hardy – Inception
Emma Stone – Easy A
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
Gemma Arterton – Tamara Drewe
Aaron Johnson – Kick-Ass

Do you know this term? What exactly is medical cannibalism? It’s the subject of a new book to be released on June 29, and the practice involves some of England’s monarchs.
Check out this article in the Daily Mail for more details. Did the British royalty really dine on human flesh?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389142/British-royalty-dined-human-flesh-dont-worry-300-years-ago.html

I recently discovered, along with several other Austen Authors, a new website called “Historical Hussies.” It is run by Donna Hatch, Joyce Moore, Jen Childers, and Linda Banche. Today they had an article on “cutting” someone in Society.
I use the term “cut” quite often in my writing. It refers to the purposeful ignoring of another person – pretending not to see him. To be “cut” during the Regency time period by members of the “ton” was devastating to aristocrats and, especially, to young ladies entering the Season.

To read the full article go to http://historicalhussies.blogspot.com/2011/05/regency-terms-cut-and-cut-direct.html.