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🎬5 Jane Austen Adaptations As Good As the Book (And Which Ones to Skip) · Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Friday Night Readers.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Jules, a real-life Rory Gilmore.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Built by coffee,
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I help you read, live, and write like a Gilmore in our little corner of the world.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Step into a virtual stars hall up in a world of books just like Rory.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Before we dive in,
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  SPEAKER_00: don't forget to subscribe
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  SPEAKER_00: to our Friday Night Readers newsletter community also staff.
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  SPEAKER_00: You'll get instant access to a pre-printable list of the 475 plus books
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: on Gilmore Girls plus even more Gilmore Girls inspired content like our Rory Gilmore
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  SPEAKER_00: Reading Challenge which we've been doing together
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: since 2021 Paid members get exclusive extras like the list of books from
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: the show WIP episodes which I've personally verified over several years of rewatches
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  SPEAKER_00: and wrote about in my book The Unofficial Guide to the Books on Gilmore Girls
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Come hang out where the real Gilmore magic happens.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: fridaynightreaders.substack.com Hello Friday Night Readers.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: We got a fun episode today and that was because of summer.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: This month in our Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge we are reading female authors from
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: the list of the books on Gilmore Girls and I thought who better to feature
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: than Jane Austen
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  SPEAKER_00: 81% of you voted that she was the most classic female author of all time,
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  SPEAKER_00: and I definitely agree.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I've got to say,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is the truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession
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  SPEAKER_00: of Jane Austen books must be in want of an adaptation.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see what I did there?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: That was actually the first line of Pride and Prejudice,
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: which I have a tweet today to align with our listicle today,
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: which is my five favorite Jane Austen adaptations.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think these are just as good as the book.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: notice i'm not saying better than the book because nothing is better than the book
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: that said these are some of my favorite movies of all time
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: so i definitely think they deserve an as good as title and at the end i'm also going
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  SPEAKER_00: to share which ones i watched i think that you can skip and give you
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: a few more recommendations for readers so before we want to get started i want
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  SPEAKER_00: to note that last year was jane austen's 250th birthday so i read all of her
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Goodreads readers also rank Pride and Prejudice first but they put Persuasion second
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: then Sense and Sensibility so those two are flicked
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  SPEAKER_00: from what I recommend it fourth they have Emma and my fourth was Northanger Abbey
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: then whereas Mansfield Park was last for me Goodreads placed it fifth out of sixth
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: and then lastly they voted for Northanger Abbey
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, why are these a little bit different?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think that a lot of readers are very passionate about Persuasion.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a very yearning romance novel.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they also just say that Mansfield Park is a little bit more talked about
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: than Northanger Abbey.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Northanger Abbey is more of a young adult novel.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: because she related to the quirky characters and the dysfunctional family dynamics.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think as Gilmores we can all relate to books with dysfunctional family dynamics
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  SPEAKER_00: and truly I believe that is why Sense and Sensibility ranks above Persuasion for me
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: because the family drama stuff is just more for me than
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: the really high stakes romance.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you're choosing to read Austen this summer,
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: one thing I want to recommend to you is the Audible Originals.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: They are exclusive to Audible and they are narrated by famous actors,
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  SPEAKER_00: and I found these to be especially immersive.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: You get people like Emma Tawson,
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  SPEAKER_00: who we'll talk about today, Rosamund Pike, who starred in a Jane Austen adaptation,
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  SPEAKER_00: And I just think that these actors are so skilled in their craft that it makes it
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: that much easier to get into the book and understand the classic text.
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  SPEAKER_00: There are also dramatized versions of these novels on Audible.
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  SPEAKER_00: And what I mean by this is more of a full-carry
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And as writers,
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  SPEAKER_00: which many of us also are,
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  SPEAKER_00: we can often get stuck feeling bad about our written work or even how we read
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  SPEAKER_00: and what is a struggle for us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I want to let you know that even our favorite female authors like Jane Austen also struggle.
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  SPEAKER_00: So only four for six novels were published prior to her death.
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  SPEAKER_00: Which, by the way, came at the young age of 41.
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  SPEAKER_00: I know this age was not super uncommon for death at that time,
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  SPEAKER_00: but it still seems like there was so much more we could have gotten from her.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I also want you to know that she published anonymously during her lifetime.
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  SPEAKER_00: Her books were written, quote, by a lady.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in this way,
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  SPEAKER_00: she never realized true personal recognition that any writer would want to realize
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  SPEAKER_00: in their lifetime,
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  SPEAKER_00: let alone up until her 250th birthday when legions of fans around
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  SPEAKER_00: the world were celebrating with balls and other countless events,
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  SPEAKER_00: including the adaptations we'll talk about today.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just think it's important to keep in perspective that every woman
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  SPEAKER_00: and every author experiences highs and lows all throughout their lifetimes.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not alone and you are not behind.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are all complex and experience a range of emotions and life experiences.
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  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so one last thing before we move on to my top five Jane Austen adaptations is
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: where does this appear on Gilmore Girls?
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  SPEAKER_00: So of course,
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  SPEAKER_00: Max Adina loved to teach Jane Austen's work and I think I recall
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  SPEAKER_00: a Jane Austen poster on the wall of his classroom.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: We also see Rory reading North Ayer Abbey in the Stars Hollow gazebo and this was
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: the day that Dean got married.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: one of my favorite scenes of all time and one that I wrote an entire essay
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: about recently Jess and Paris debated it at the Gilmore's table one Friday night
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: while she was home alone and her mother was out at the spa with Emily for
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: the weekend which means there was a new Friday night dinner
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I honestly think this is one of the smartest and best scenes in the entire series.
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  SPEAKER_00: We really see these two go at it.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Personally,
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that Gilmore Girls fans deserved way more of Jess and Paris together
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: in scenes like these, but I digress.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: The last time we see Jane Austen on Gilmore Girls is that Dean actually admitted
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: to trying and liking it.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He has Pride and Prejudice Batuary.
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  SPEAKER_00: So of course she recommended it to him and then that's why he read it.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I actually think this is pretty sweet.
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  SPEAKER_00: I know there's a lot of Dean haters out there,
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  SPEAKER_00: but I think it shows that he was trying to impress her and trying to give the things
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  SPEAKER_00: that she likes a chance.
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  SPEAKER_00: So onto my top five Jane Austen adaptations.
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  SPEAKER_00: The reason I am featuring Jane Austen this way,
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  SPEAKER_00: this month, not through a book or her books in general,
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  SPEAKER_00: is because I want to do this in a very light and summery way.
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  SPEAKER_00: Currently,
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  SPEAKER_00: The Other Bennett Sister,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is sort of a reimagining of Fright and Prejudice, is airing on BritBox.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am watching that through Prime Video, and I know many people are watching it.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a great adaptation.
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  SPEAKER_00: It follows Mary, who is The Other Bennett Sister.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's kind of the forgotten one who's not as smart or as pretty or as funny,
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  SPEAKER_00: and it takes her on this journey of self-discovery that is so satisfying.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's just a delight,
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  SPEAKER_00: so I thought that people who are watching that would also want
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  SPEAKER_00: to watch some Jane Austen adaptations.
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  SPEAKER_00: Of course,
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  SPEAKER_00: adaptations are always a touchy subject for book lovers,
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  SPEAKER_00: but these slides did not disappoint.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with the best one.
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  SPEAKER_00: My personal favorite is Friday
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  SPEAKER_00: the 2005 Virgin with Keira Knightley so you probably know this storyline but
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: in case you don't Elizabeth Bennett who is one of a family of sisters looking
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  SPEAKER_00: for husbands and Mr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Darcy have to overcome these mistaken first impressions they have and their
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Jane Austen's works are no
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Realistic and refined.
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  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of the settings and fashion are not super over the top fancy.
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  SPEAKER_00: They're actually kind of ordinary.
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  SPEAKER_00: But then we also get a lot of beauty in things like Pemberley and
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  SPEAKER_00: the beautiful English countryside, including that rates
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: The scene I mentioned, as well as Lizzie on the Top of the World.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is a song and a moment in the movie that is just like a breath of fresh air.
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  SPEAKER_00: Elizabeth is standing on this cliffside and you can almost feel the winds going
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  SPEAKER_00: through her as this beautiful song plays.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: And while we are talking about music, this is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's possible.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I listened to it all the time while I were.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we all know that music can make or break the movie and here it totally makes it.
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  SPEAKER_00: a paid subscriber Karen agreed with me on this one in our chat so shout out
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: to Karen I'm linking the entire soundtrack in the show notes but I'd love if you
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: at least listen to Lizzie on top of the world this moment in the film is so euphoric
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  SPEAKER_00: on a visual and audible level combined it is an absolute chef's kiss
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  SPEAKER_00: Another thing that I find so interesting about this particular adaptation is that
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  SPEAKER_00: the streamwriting is so good that many people believe some of the quotes are from
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  SPEAKER_00: the book.
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  SPEAKER_00: They are not.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can't believe everything you read on the internet.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen this one everywhere.
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  SPEAKER_00: It is not in the book.
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  SPEAKER_00: I have checked many times.
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  SPEAKER_00: It is only in this movie.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: You have bewitched me, body and soul.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I love, I love
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  SPEAKER_00: I love you I never wish to be parted from you from this day on and if you find that
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: to be yearning well let me tell you the yearning tension nouns to Mr.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Darcy's hand flex yes that is hand flex I said if you're not familiar with
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  SPEAKER_00: the film this is a moment where she talks Elizabeth into a carriage and she sort
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  SPEAKER_00: of turns back and looks at him after he touches her and the camera pans to his hand
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  SPEAKER_00: which makes a flex
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  SPEAKER_00: I know this sounds crazy, but you've got to see it.
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  SPEAKER_00: It totally defines the restraint involved in romance at that time and
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  SPEAKER_00: the desire he had to touch her again and probably more deeply.
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  SPEAKER_00: This was actually an improv by the actor who played Mr. Darcy.
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  SPEAKER_00: The director saw it and said, you've got to do that again.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we've got to catch it on film.
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  SPEAKER_00: To this day, it is a cultural moment and a meme.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've even seen people wearing t-shirts with it printed on it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yes,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to place a picture of it in the show notes for you,
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  SPEAKER_00: but I kind of think this is one you've got to see.
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  SPEAKER_00: So considering that my final argument that Pride and Prejudice 2005
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: And you may be thinking, how the heck is this a Jane Austen adaptation?
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  SPEAKER_00: Well, it is an adaptation of Emma.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here, it stars a rich kid of Beverly Hills.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Her name is Cher, yes, named after the one and only Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's a high school student.
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  SPEAKER_00: who loves to become involved in everyone else's love lives including her friends
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  SPEAKER_00: and even her teachers in the process she messes up her own including chasing
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: after this James Dean looking rat pack kind of guy who may actually not like women
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  SPEAKER_00: until once and for all she finally realizes
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: that her cringeworthy former subbrother is actually her perfect match
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  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I guess we just have to ignore that part.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know the movie makes him her former stepbrother, but it is still a little bit weird.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Again, we are overlooking that.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that is because Clueless did for rom-toms kind of what Hamilton later did for the stage.
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  SPEAKER_00: It was this totally fresh way of looking at a story
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: that was once only considered historical and maybe even boring.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's this defining moment where
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: is a motorized closet kind of like you'd see at a dry cleaner where
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: the clothes are moving on racks and then she has a computer which of course is
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: an old-fashioned computer it's really big and it mixes and matches the pieces
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: of clothing that are in her closet until she finds the perfect one and
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  SPEAKER_00: then it delivers it to her
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  SPEAKER_00: This was absolutely mind-blowing to us at the time, and somehow I find it odd that it still is.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: How is this not a thing in the age of AI?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: We've come so far in technology,
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: yet I'm not aware of anyone to this day who has the Cher closet.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Cher also taught us what an ally was.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: She gave us new slang.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: There is whatever which you say with your thumb
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: and your pointer fingers together forming a W,
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: which my sister did so many times, it actually became really annoying.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: and then as if is actually a great one and I think we should bring it back.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: I doubt the team that today would agree with me though.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: My nieces are preteens and they have their own way of saying things,
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: some of which I understand and some of which I doubt.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: For example, Riz, I believe that means someone is good looking.
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: It took the familiar thought of Emma and just jammed into it everything else
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  SPEAKER_00: about this over-the-top, preppy,
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  SPEAKER_00: wealthy California lifestyle including fashion, music,
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  SPEAKER_00: language,
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: the dynamics of their high school, rich people problems, and of course, dating.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Personally,
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I will die on the hill that it is one of the best films of my,
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: as an elder millennial like Rory Gilmore, generation.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: One Substack reader lessons off creativity of read with me on this one.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Here is what she said.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Clueless is the perfect adaptation for Emma.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, the fashion.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: The 90s never disappoint.
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  SPEAKER_00: Second, they captured Emma's essence.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Still good, but the
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: The transition to the modern era does not affect the plot.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: It makes it fun and reachable, as well as a millennial classic.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Couldn't agree more.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Very well said.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Coolest is one of those movies I will watch any day of the year,
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: so consider this your sign to watch it this summer.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Next is a real proud pleaser.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: It is Bridget Jones's Diary from 2001.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: So, Bridget Jones's Diary was adapted from the book of the same name,
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: which is actually a retelling of Pride and Precious.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: On Gilmore Girls, we do also hear Rory Gilmore talk about the movie.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so what do I and everyone else love about Bridget James' diary?
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is one where the calm part of rom-com really shines.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just comedy, it's British comedy.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: It also really captures turn of the 21st century of dating,
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  SPEAKER_00: and I mean that both for fetter and the worst.
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  SPEAKER_00: Renee Zellweger,
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  SPEAKER_00: who is so multi-talented in comedy and drama and in musicals,
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  SPEAKER_00: is just so delightful as the modern-day Elizabeth Fennett.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: And here she's grappling with everything from the pressure to be the perfect weight
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers Friday Night Readers
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  SPEAKER_00: who starred in so many rom films of that time particularly of the british sort and
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: the reserved mark darcy who is also perfectly cast he is played by calling for
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: who we know for so many sounds like love actually but who first defined mr darcy in
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: the 1996 bbc series adaptation of pride and precious it's just so fitting
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  SPEAKER_00: that he played both a classic and a modern darcy and of course
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: who doesn't love him he has so much ordinary charm
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  SPEAKER_00: Anyway,
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  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned that this is all about turn of the 21st century dating for better and
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: for worse.
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  SPEAKER_00: So let's dig into that a little bit deeper.
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  SPEAKER_00: This was a time when it was like, God forbid you are over 30 and not settled down with a man.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: We also have to overlook the implications that Bridget is, quote, fat.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of her diary is about trying to lose weight.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: But when you see the numbers in the book and when you look at her on the screen,
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: she'd actually quite thin.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: This was also sadly very true at the time.
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  SPEAKER_00: The whole waste model look was in,
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: and anything that was really not a size zero was considered overweight.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yes, really.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: When I said for worse, I really did need for worse.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: This was also a time
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  SPEAKER_00: I just rewatched something about Mary over the weekend,
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: and while they say there is something about Mary,
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think there is something about Bridget Jones.
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  SPEAKER_00: She is an icon both of her time and today.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just want us to leave Bridget alone.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's fine the way she is.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, I've Got A Great Love For You.
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  SPEAKER_00: This was also from 1995, which she was clueless.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: It is Scent and Sensibility.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's an Oscar-nominated film,
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  SPEAKER_00: and in case you are not familiar with the plot,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is about two very different sisters.
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  SPEAKER_00: First, we have Eleanor, who is played by the incomparable Emma Thompson.
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  SPEAKER_00: Also, you may know her from Well, Actually.
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  SPEAKER_00: And Marianne, who was played by a pre-Titanic Kate Winslow.
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  SPEAKER_00: Of note, Emma Thompson also wrote the screenplay.
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  SPEAKER_00: I find this to be so mind-blowing.
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  SPEAKER_00: What a talent.
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  SPEAKER_00: So what happens in both the book and the movie is both
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  SPEAKER_00: of these sisters navigate her grave, but they do so in very different ways.
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  SPEAKER_00: Eleanor is more restrained and she hides her emotions.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's really driven by duty.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then you have her sister Marianne, who kind of reminds me of Amy in Little Women.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's very emotional.
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  SPEAKER_00: She feels very deeply in love.
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  SPEAKER_00: She's very open about it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And of course, then she ends up completely devastated when it doesn't work out.
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  SPEAKER_00: The book is more about the tensions of their yin and yang than necessarily tensions
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  SPEAKER_00: within relationships.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I thought that this translated seamlessly to the screen in this adaptation.
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  SPEAKER_00: The way I would describe this film is cottagecore at its finest.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: It has this very good old-fashioned romance,
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  SPEAKER_00: simple film set in the English countryside kind of feel that is something so many
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: of us create when we think about nostalgia and analog living and
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  SPEAKER_00: the very simple things about life that make us just feel good.
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  SPEAKER_00: For that reason, I like to recommend it just as spring starts.
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  SPEAKER_00: I always say of spring as the season of Austin because of the English Country Sun.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the way this film is shot really gives you that vibe
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  SPEAKER_00: that you're looking for at that time of year when you're just coming out of a cold
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  SPEAKER_00: and dark winter and wanting to feel hopeful about all that is life.
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  SPEAKER_00: Did I mention that Hugh Grant, once again, and Alan Rickman also a star?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: You may know Alan Rickman better as Professor Snape in Harry Potter,
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  SPEAKER_00: or you may also know him from co-starring with Emma Thompson in Glove, actually.
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  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, I think that
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• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Last but not least in my top five is 2020's Emma.
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  SPEAKER_00: This one was also Oscar nominated.
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  SPEAKER_00: And when I first saw the trailer,
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  SPEAKER_00: I immediately noticed that it looked like a blend of classical and modern.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in these circumstances,
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  SPEAKER_00: I think you just never know, is this going to end up inspiring me or infuriating?
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  SPEAKER_00: and luckily this one fell into the inspired category.
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  SPEAKER_00: Emma is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who you may know that is from the Queen's Canada.
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  SPEAKER_00: She has those beautiful big eyes and furceled skin.
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  SPEAKER_00: And Bill Nighy, who is the rock star in Love Actually, also plays in it.
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  SPEAKER_00: I know he is a fan favorite, who is beloved by moviegoers everywhere.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I do want to recap the story of Emma because I know that we talked about it
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: in Clueless, but that story as Aiden telling is a little bit different.
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  SPEAKER_00: so emma is about a wealthy and charming young woman and she prides herself on being
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  SPEAKER_00: a match leaker
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  SPEAKER_00: but in doing so she is always misreading the dynamics around her and
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: of course dynamics romantic and social were a big part of what Jane Austen wrote
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  SPEAKER_00: about this ends up causing her more horror than good so through all
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  SPEAKER_00: of her experiences with love and around love she must learn self-awareness
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  SPEAKER_00: and humility so again it really feels like lessons of the time and what I want
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  SPEAKER_00: to tell you about the movie is that it is I can from start to finish
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: What you get is the aesthetic of Bridgerton that's super over the top and pastel
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  SPEAKER_00: and feminine with the reverence that 2005's Pride and Prejudice gave to
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  SPEAKER_00: the original text and the story itself.
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  SPEAKER_00: The way I felt watching it was through
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  SPEAKER_00: I did try the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma, which was a 1997 movie.
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  SPEAKER_00: Personally, I found it boring within even the first few scenes and turned it off.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you can change my mind on that and tell me to try it again, please do so.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so Mansfield Park.
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  SPEAKER_00: this was a 1999 movie starring Hugh Bonneville who you may know
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: from Downton Abbey I thought this movie was just fine it was neither here
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  SPEAKER_00: nor there neither excellent nor unwatchable but I kind of also thought this was true
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  SPEAKER_00: of the book in my humble opinion that is I know people have different opinions
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  SPEAKER_00: on Austin this was my least favorite Austin so I do think it makes sense that
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  SPEAKER_00: the movie was not a favorite either again I'm open to change my mind on that one
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm not really willing to change my mind on is Northeater Abbey.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I loved this book.
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  SPEAKER_00: I thought it was so fun.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: I loved the young adult tonative.
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  SPEAKER_00: I loved how it was about emanation and the flightiness that comes from being
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  SPEAKER_00: a teen girl navigating love and romance.
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  SPEAKER_00: But I found the 1987 movie to be really outdated.
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  SPEAKER_00: I did not make it through this one either.
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  SPEAKER_00: South Fawcett's really stand the test of time.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: This one did not for me.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: What I would love to see for this story is a very modern version to be made
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: and I think it can either be a classic interpretation like 2020's Emma
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  SPEAKER_00: that just has this modern twist or modern visuals to it
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  SPEAKER_00: or I think it can also be this really culturally
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  SPEAKER_00: and that is because it played fast and less with the original text
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  SPEAKER_00: and what it did was it had the look of a classic film but it does down the language.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry to say it that way but it is true.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: They took this beautiful love prose and kind of gave it the hemi-lead treatment
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  SPEAKER_00: where it's just the facts, nothing lyrical or poetic or expressive.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: Personally, I didn't mind it.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I was glad I watched it because it helped me understand the plot of the book a lot better.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: That said,
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: it did not crack the top five for me,
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: especially because I do know somebody could hate it.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Personally, I would describe it as middle of the road.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Last but not least, I have a few bonus recommendations for you.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a great one I heard from Kelly Miller,
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: who is an award-winning author of Austin Ask Regency Romances,
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: and she gave us a bunch of tips.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: She said,
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: my favorite adaptations are the 1995 Pride of Prejudice miniseries because
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: of Colin Firth,
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: and the 1997 persuasion for wonderful performances all around.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: My favorite Mr. Knightley is Jeremy Northa and my favorite Emma is Kate Beckinsale.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: 1995 sentence sensibility is awesome too.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: So she agreed with me on a couple and she gave us a few new ones to consider.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: And paid subscriber on Substack Olivia introduced me to something new.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: She said, I love the miniseries Lost in Austin.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care about any critiques.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's perfect.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: While we're talking about bonus recommendations, I know that Jane Austen adaptations are a
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: very hot literary topic and people have their own opinions on what's the best
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: and what's the worst and why so I will leave the Substack Post
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: that accompanies this podcast episode in the show notes and please go there
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: and let us know your thoughts this summer pour yourself a whole glass of lemonade
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: and rest play on one of these Jane Austen adaptations thanks so much for listening
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: to Friday Night Readers I love having you here in our little corner of
• 27:57
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• 27:58
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• 28:36
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• 28:41
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• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, life's short, read fast.