Jane and Mark and Me

As any reader of this blog has probably figured out, there is an inexhaustible sea of shallowness here at the Curiosity Shop. So it should come as no surprise that I have never read Jane Austen or, to any great degree, Mark Twain. Not even the Cliff notes of yesteryear or the Sparknotes of today. There is a difference in my lack of literary accomplishments since I have seen every Jane Austen movie ever made. I love Ms Austen's subtle take on society, people, etc.. It's those 18th century sentences, so elegant and so long that turn me off to the books-why couldn't she write more like Hemingway? My favorite Austen is 1995's Persuasion (not the 2007 TV version). The remarkable Amanda Root played the "plain" Anne Elliot.

 
How could so many people underestimate this incredible character? Not ultimately, the sea captain Frederick Wentworth played by Ciarán Hinds. No need for a spoiler alert, but the final scene is a well shot, wonderful visual summary of the whole film. Hinds, by the way, is one of the finest actors working today. See him there in a romantic role, or as Caesar in Season One of the TV series Rome, or as a corrupt 18th century villain in Amazing Grace.

As you can see, I prefer my Austen in movies although I do have a TV version of Emma awaiting a view. That miniseries version stars Romola Garai, another British favorite of mine. See her in 2003's I Capture the Castle. Here's a PR photo.

Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3 would have been so much better if Romola got the heroine's part instead of that wooden Keira Knightly. There's a look on that face that would have given Captain Jack Sparrow a run for his money.

Twain is more difficult for me. Dialect which is charming to hear is a pain to read. Then there's the humor. I admit it, I'm glum. Then there are the innumerable children's versions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn even though we know that Huck is one of those Great American Novels. Twenty or more years ago public TV did a series of Twain's lesser writings for TV: Life on the Mississippi, Innocents Abroad, The Mysterious Stranger, The Man Who Corrupted Some Place or Other.  They made me want to read Twain, but I just never did. Today I read a humorous yet thoughtful review of Twain's Autobiography which is the genesis of this blog. Makes me want to read Twain again. Sigh, so he's back on the bucket list somewhere after white water rafting, but before Paris, way before Paris. Paris comes just before weedwacking my backyard in 100 degree heat.

Here's the article that made me think of Jane Austen, and, hey, we do research here at the Curiosity Shop so here's Sparknotes list of movies important enough to have Sparknotes for. Start your film school experience there! No really, you could do a lot worse than actually viewing these films.