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Friday 21 November 2014

Janeapalooza

As the build-up to Christmass begins, my thoughts turn to Scroogeapalooza, the nearly annual event in which Himself and I watch as many filmed versions of Dickens' gems as we can stand, some of them, more than once.
It is a once-a-year indulgence.

Until now.

Last week, bad weather and bad backs let to an orgy of viewing which began with the mediocre George C. Scott movie of Jane Eyre which Himself had picked up for a dollar somewhere, (for a fine actor, Scott managed to give flavorless or just plain wrong-headed renditions of some iconic characters, viz. Christmas Carol above.) followed by the palate-cleansing entire 11 part mini-series of Jane Eyre, with the incomparable Zelah Clarke, (and the too-hot-to-play-Mr-Rochester Timothy Dalton, who is nonetheless perfect somehow, he captures the mercurial man to perfection.)

And thus is a new tradition born! (Bronte's biggest hit, along with Much Ado About Nothing and Jane Austen's Persuasion are, as we old folk say our our soap operas, "my stories."

Since we already have our Winter Film Festival for Two in place, we decided Janeapalooza should henceforth after its inaugural iteration, be a spring event, and in place of Scroogeapalooza's repast of home-made Christmass cookies and hot toddies, (alas! no smoking bishop!) we would feast on potato farls, (probably rolls,) Stilton, (probably whatever blue is affordable,) and white cider, (which, yeah, we probably can't get in this country.)

We haven't watched them yet, but we also have the Charlotte Gainsbourg/William Hurt movie, (very fine, IIRC,)  the Wilson/Stephens, (silly and pretty much misses the point of the novel, maybe all the points of the novel,) as does the Wasikowska/Fassbender version. (I admit, I have the two of them a bit jumbled up in my memory.)
An internet  search reveals that there are many more, we'll check out Virginia Bruce later.
We're looking for the Samantha Morton/Ciaran Hinds which I liked a great deal.

Interested to learn that the actress who plays "Dame" Fairfax in the Clarke/Dalton is Aunt Reade in a tv series with Sorcha Cusack, of which I've only seen a bit so far.

Himself decreed than in light of our having them to hand, we should not limit ourselves to eponymous Jane movies, but also include costume dramas from sources written by a Jane, so multiple versions of Persuasion, P&P, S&S, and Emma will provide for our viewing pleasure.

Am I the worst slacker I know? Perhaps.

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