Although Jane Austen's novels are nearly 200 years old, they have continually provided inspiration to films and television for years. Film adaptations of popular novels are not unusual; however, they normally adhere to the time and setting of the original works. While there are many such successful adaptations of Austen's works, several took the chance that her timeless themes, stories and characters were still fascinating enough to be plucked from their period dresses and bonnets and thrust into a modern day setting. These films are among the most popular of both in recent years.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
This star-studded version, with Emma Thompson as the silently suffering Margaret Dashwood and Kate Winslet as her outspoken sister Marianne, was popular of critics and collected numerous award nominations and several wins. The adaptation remains true to Austen in plot and period, with the Dashwood sisters struggling to find love and keep it in limited circumstances they are powerless to change.
Clueless (1995)
Amy Heckerling transformed the snobbish Emma into a rich and spoiled high-school girl named Cher, played by then unknown Alicia Silverstone. The story closely resembled Austen's work, portraying Cher as a relentless matchmaker who thinks no one is good enough for her, until the least likely person catches her heart. The setting, a Beverly Hills high school in which teenage stereotypes run rampant, could not have been more different from Austen's experience. However, the film, having been dubbed a "new classic" by Entertainment Weekly in 2008, has clearly stayed in the subconscious of its viewers.
Bridget Jones's' Diary (2001)
Austen's plucky Elizabeth Bennett is given a new millennium makeover in the form of Bridget Jones. The novel Bridget Jones' Diary was said by its author Helen Fielding to be an "homage" to Pride and Prejudice, and while there are of course differences between the two novels, Austen's characters have worthy counterparts in the lovable Bridget, roguish Daniel Cleaver and seemingly stuck-up Mark Darcy. Bridget is torn between the two men, but, as did Elizabeth, gets it right in the end.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
This is another adaptation that mirrors the novel it was based on, from story to setting, with Keira Knightley as the heroine. Like Sense and Sensibility, it also garnered a variety of award nominations.
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The most well-known novel by Jane Austen which portrays love and misapprehension in a bewitching manner. |
