LIVELY CURIOSITY
Mr. Frank Churchill was one of the boasts of Highbury, and a lively curiosity to see him prevailed, though the compliment was so little returned that he had never been there in his life. His coming to visit his father had been often talked of but never achieved.
The Narrator on Frank Churchill, Emma, Chapter 2
The highly anticipated premiere of Miss Austen Regrets is less and two weeks away on Sunday, February 3rd at 9:00 pm on PBS. This new biopic will surely be the highlight of the Masterpiece Classic’s The Complete Jane Austen series. Since Janeites and viewers know the storyline of her life, the big questions are how it will be presented, and how much the plot will reveal. Very little advance publicity has been put about of any substance, except two interviews of the lead actresses Olivia Williams and Imogen Poots. Mystery has loomed and interest generated just from lack of information. I felt like a resident of Highbury in Jane Austen’s novel Emma, anxiously waiting the arrival of that much talked about, but hitherto unseen Frank Churchill.
Unlike the previously filmed novel adapations in the series, (Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Pride & Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility), this is an entirely new co-production with WGBH/BBC, and filmed only last summer in England. One can only speculate that because of the short production time, that the producers Anne Pivcevic (Sense and Sensibility, Doctor Zhivago) and Jamie Laurenson were hard pressed to bring it all together in time for it’s premiere on February 3rd.
What a relief to finally receive additional photographs and information from PBS today. I knew you all would love to see the stills, so I have posted them all for your enjoyment.
As far as the story goes, here is blurb from the official press release…
Of all the love stories filling the rich imagination of Jane Austen, one in particular did not end with wedding bells. Her own. Why did the author who embodied the brilliant wit and high spirits of her heroines not take the plunge into matrimony herself? Therein lies a very poignant tale, as presented by Masterpiece in its bittersweet period drama, Miss Austen Regrets.
I have had the pleasure of viewing an advance copy, and am favourably pleased. I think that the writer Gwyneth Hughes and director Jeremy Lovering have handled a very sensitive subject with honesty and respect. I hope that you will read my complete review of Miss Austen Regrets, on the PBS blog Remotely Connected prior to the Sunday February 3rd premiere, and tune into to view the production. You can read the current reviews of The Complete Jane Austen series presentation of Northanger Abbey by Natalie Zee Drieu of Coquette and Heather Laurence of Solitary Elegance on-line at the PBS Remotely Connected blog.
And on an aside, it looks like the Pope, or more precisely the Catholic Counsel of Bishops who answer to the Pope, have included Miss Austen Regrets in their online program TV listings, Catholic Online. It’s good to know that Miss Austen has fans in high places, and that the viewing will be guilt free.
Hi everyone. Love this site. Just wanted to stop in and let you know that Lori Smith, Author of A Walk With Jane Austen, has a wonderful interview at She Plants a Vineyard today. Here is the link if you are interested:
http://tinaannforkner.blogspot.com/2008/01/walk-with-jane-austen.html
Thank you for this very enticing “sneak peak”!