love and friendship and other early works

It didn't bother me particularly, but her accent took me out of things at times. I also think making Alicia American was a bit random. That'll be partly to do with the letters only alluding to certain events, and not telling us the details, but they could have made something up, couldn't they? Stephen Fry (as Alicia's husband) was under-used and the girl playing Lady Manwaring was a bit over the top. There were some seemingly pivotal scenes which they cut away from (and then Lady Susan or whoever filled us in on the details later) that I wanted to actually see. I suppose that's the style, but it felt to me like it jumped about too much. If I had to criticise this film, I'd say that the way it's cut is a bit odd. It was just a simple scene, but for some reason it cracked me up. Tom Bennet as Sir James Martin was great ( I loved the bit about the 'Twelve' commandments) and one of my favourite scenes was between Catherine and Reginald's parents (a very funny James Fleet and Jemma Redgrave) reading a letter.

Love & Friendship was genuinely funny - people were laughing out loud in my cinema, a lot, and while not all the jokes are Jane Austen's own (although some of the best ones are) the humour throughout is witty and Austen-esque, and the cast make the most of some great lines. However, writer and director Whit Stillman has done a brilliant job. Particularly as Jane Austen has plenty of finished novels to deal with first (will someone make a decent Mansfield Park already?).

After dumping her daughter in a boarding school, Susan then re-locates to Churchill, the family home of her dead husband's brother and his wife Catherine, where she precedes to cause ructions, particularly following the arrival of Catherine's younger brother, Reginald DeCourcy.Ĭonsidering all the problems this novel throws up - an incomplete conclusion, letter form, lots of unknown characters, an anti-heroine as protagonist (not to mention, no-one's heard of it) - it's not surprising that an adaptation of Lady Susan hasn't been made until now. Our charming anti-heroine has also been trying to ensnare wealthy family friend, Sir James Martin, for Frederica, who wants none of him (the reason becomes clear later on). Something's obviously gone down between Susan and the husband, and naturally the wife wants rid of her. The novel begins with Susan and her daughter, Frederica, vacating the house of the Manwaring family, who they've been staying with. She's horrible really, but fun to read about. In any other Jane Austen book she'd be a scheming side-character, but because the novel is told through letters she almost manages to get you on side. The story focuses around the widowed Lady Susan Vernon, who's not your typical heroine. It's not as good as Jane Austen's other works, but it's funny and a bit different. The book itself is nice and short (so not that intimidating) and I would really recommend it.

Love and friendship and other early works