PBS to show Austen films on Masterpiece Theatre

'Complete Jane Austen' features all her novels
By Steve Brennan

Nov 2, 2007
Jane Austen fans in the U.S. can be grateful for what appears to have been something of a local feud between the U.K.'s ITV and the BBC over filmed versions of the author's English classics. The rush to production over recent years has made it possible for PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre" to air adaptations of all six of her novels for the first time in what amounts to an Austen festival beginning in January.

Fans in the U.S. have been busily blogging for months with chatter about the upcoming series, "The Complete Jane Austen." But full details of the event are now being outlined by U.K. screenwriter Andrew Davies and "Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca Eaton, who are on a multicity tour to promote the series and meet sponsors.

"Complete Jane Austen" offers new productions of "Northanger Abbey," "Persuasion," "Mansfield Park" and "Sense and Sensibility." The lineup also includes "Pride and Prejudice," starring Colin Firth, as well as the version of "Emma" that stars Kate Beckinsale.

drawing above: Austen at Bath, England

theteach

Ian McEwan's "Atonement" is now a film

Atonement tests Knightley's fame

By Razia Iqbal BBC Arts correspondent

Keira Knightley's performance in Atonement has been applauded

When a British film is called highly-anticipated and shown on an international stage, the clarion call of "the British are coming" is never far behind.

As the curtain-raiser to the Venice Film Festival, Atonement, only the second feature from 35-year-old director Joe Wright, is generating such interest.

Critics have reacted warmly to the film, based on Ian McEwan's novel, and some have even been bold enough to talk about Oscars, not least for the central performance from Keira Knightley.

The actress says she was very keen to work with Joe Wright again, who steered her to an Oscar nomination in her role as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.

Knightley admits she read the script - about a couple who are divided by class but devastatingly intertwined by a false accusation - before she tackled the novel.

'Path to sanity'

"I eventually read it a week before we started filming. My character, Cecilia, is slightly different in the book. There is a maternal softness to her which I certainly didn't play," explains the 22-year-old actress.

Knightley, who has become a major film star, has mixed feelings about the culture of celebrity and being famous - which another high-profile role is likely to increase.

James McAvoy and Keira Knightley play lovers divided by class

"Once you become famous you get completely dehumanised. I think people forget there is a person in there trying to deal with it," she says.

"Partly the way you deal with it is by not reading, not looking and seeing any of it and burying your head in the sand. It is the only path to sanity," adds Knightley.

She hopes that cinema-goers will "bawl their eyes out" when they see Atonement, and dreams that the Venice Film Festival, where it will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion, will mirror the progress of The Queen last year - which culminated in Dame Helen Mirren winning an Oscar.

Knightley's co-star in the film, James McAvoy, has built an impressive film CV of his own, including a role in award-winning The Last King of Scotland.

But he is resigned to the fact that his glamorous female lead will steal all the headlines.

"I don't mind that Keira will get a lot of attention. She deserves it. She is incredible in the film.

Once you become famous you get completely dehumanised. I think people forget there is a person in there trying to deal with it Keira Knightley on the downside of fame

"I'm very, very lucky to be involved in this film and it was the finest professional experience in my life. I'm very fortunate," adds the actor.

Director Joe Wright, who is already working on his next feature, says he felt "fear" when he discovered Atonement would open the Venice Film Festival, but adds his career does not rest on the accolade, or box office takings.

But he admits to being prepared for the prestigious event's red carpet, having already purchased a new Prada shirt for the occasion.

Atonement premieres at the Venice Film Festival on 29 August. It opens at cinemas in the UK on 7 September.

Via BBC News

theteach

The Namesake, the film

Well, I saw the movie The Namesake today and I'm trying to collect myself so that I can describe it intelligently, comment on it with great sensitivity. The most important thing is that you feel the hand of the director (Mira Nair) in every scene.

There is the gentleness and lovingkindness of the people in the story: Asoke, Ashima, Gogol. The breathtaking scenes in locations in New York and India. It is at the same time funny and heartbreaking. The actors Irfan Kahn, Tabu, and Kal Penn play their completely believable roles perfectly.

Sooni Taraporevala's screenplay is clean and beautifully simple and entirely respectful of Lahiri's book.

You must take the time to see this film. It's the best I've seen in a long time.

theteach

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri's first book, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a rare feat for a short stories collection and even more notable for a debut work of fiction. This award affirmed the New Yorker Magazine’s summer fiction issue of 1999 that included Lahiri among the “20 best young fiction writers in America.” (Beachcomber)


Lahiri once again amazes readers with smooth and elegant prose in her novel, The Namesake. The Namesake is the story of the Ganguli family; Bengali immigrant parents and their American-born children. Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli, who were united through an arranged marriage, have difficulty assimilating to American customs and culture, while their children cannot entirely relate to their Indian heritage. The story is mainly about Gogol, one of the children, and how he reacts to his name in America and how he can live in America and yet respect his culture.

I'm going to see the film tomorrow with a couple of friends and I'm eagerly looking forward to it. See the trailer for the film below.

Readers' Guide

Notes on a Scandal

My Books and Brunch classes read and discussed What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller a couple of weeks ago. The book has a wonderful protagonist/narrator in the person of Barbara Covett, a lonely, frustrated older woman, who worms her way into the life of Sheba, a young attractive art teacher.

The scandal referred to in the title is Sheba's sexual relationship with one of her male students. However, if the book was only about the scandal, I would have never picked it for my classes. What's marvelous about the book is the character of Barbara, who is an "unreliable narrator" and who , while trying to be Sheba's friend, is writing a book based on Sheba's problems. Sheba's not aware that Barbara is writing the book. Therein lies the tension for the reader.

The reader soon begins to suspect that Barbara is not the friend she's believed to be; that, even if subconsciously, she has other designs on Sheba.

Today I found out that a film has been made of Heller's book. It's entitled Notes on a Scandal and it's currently in previews. Check out the International Movie Database (IMDB).

The film stars Cate Blanchett and Judy Dench. Can't wait. the teach :)