"In a time when one's town was one's world, the actions at a dance excited greater interest than the movement of armies..."
I've been watching all period movies based on Jane Austen's novels:
-Sense and Sensibility.
-Pride and Prejudice.
-Mansfield Park.
-Emma.
-Northanger Abbey.
-Persuasion.
I've always loved the novels and to my surprise, the movie adaptations aren't bad at all. I'm not that fond of Mansfield Park and Emma but the other four are impressive to me. I've realized they have a lot of things in common so here is a list of 25 facts (in no particular order) I love about them:
Left to right, up to down and clock wise, the images belong to:
Jon Jones' Northanger Abbey (2007).
Adrian Shergold's Persuasion (2007).
Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice (2005).
Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995).
1 Rain scene: there is always a scene involving pouring rain, and it's never meaningless since it seems to usually bring about some important realization for the characters. In my opinion and for some reason, taking a rain walk and getting drenched is a good way to come to terms with one's thoughts and feelings.
2 Gallantry, because it simply feels good.
3 Carriages, I find them highly romantic.
4 Walks in the nature. Bless the time where malls (and crowds) didn't exist.
5 Some character gets sick, which will tangle the storylines very conveniently.
6 The unexpected: good starts don't necessarily mean a brilliant future and bad starts won't necessarily bring only sorrow.
7 Four poster beds, I simply love them. I use a mosquito net around my bed in summer, it kinda conveys the feeling of period beds so it makes me double happy.
8 Books: the characters that come out of writer's mind of course like reading and daydreaming.
9 Fireplaces: I love them insanely, probably because condos don't come with one *pouts*
10 Old pianos: harpsichords, pianofortes, you name it. I love the sound. I'd love to know how to play the piano, but I'm certainly not gifted towards music.
11 Family houses: amazing dwellings I'd seriously love to visit.
12 Men: handsome ones in amazing costumes. Can't help it, they make me melt. I'd love for men to wear those nowadays, I simply find them hot.
13 Subtleness: groping was not etiquette and cunning was a must. Some could find it boring, I find it terribly exciting.
a) Henry wipes some mud stains off Catherine's face.
b) Louisa keeps throwing herself into Frederick's arms each time the occasion is fitting.
c) Charles touches Jane's dress ribbon. I can't even tell how much I love this.
d) Marianne allows Willoughby to cut a lock of her hair as a token of her affection.
14 Stolen glances: in a time where people weren't allowed to talk to each other until they were formally introduced by a third person (and even after that strict norms were to be observed) stares made up for words.
15 Dances. Gah, those dances. I love them irrationally. They were fun and flirty. Perfect time and place to meet people, to steal a glance, to be subtle and to put into practice some courtship according to the conventions of the time.
16 Passion: seems to be the more intense the more it needs to be refrained.
17 Letters: bearers of the best and the worst news.
18 Romantic spots: those people did know where to hang out.
19 Horse riding: delightful activity and a good way to get some privacy.
20 Confessions: secrets shared at night time are even more secret.
21 Tears: it is not Jane Austen without some good degree of drama.
22 Laughter: gotta balance out from the tears.
23 Jealousy: usually as a product of misinformation or misunderstanding, thickens the plot in a catchy way.
24 Happy endings: good things come to those who wait.
25 Random things I love and that have their space in the movies:
Top hats
Tree houses
Candles and chandeliers
Atlas
Now, my favourite scene from all 4 movies belongs to Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth don't get along well: he is too proud, she is prejudiced and they've hurt each other's feelings. At some point, she leaves Mr. Bingley's house where both of them are guests at. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley say their goodbyes to her by the carriage. She starts to get up and suddenly she is helped into it. Taken by surprise, she turns around and realizes that it is Mr. Darcy the one holding her hand. They share a look that speaks volumes for both and then he quickly leaves. Best moment of all comes from a zoom in where Mr. Darcy stretches out his hand on his way back into the house: the touch has burnt. They'll face some struggle but there'll be rewarded with a happy ending :D
