Between June 2024 and June 2026, I watched all six of the Jane Austen adaptations in this particular box set, which includes:
- Emma (1972)
- Sense and Sensibility (1981)
- Mansfield Park (1983)
- Northanger Abbey (1987)
- Pride and Prejudice (1995)
- Persuasion (1995)
Most of these adaptations struck me as boring, fussy and strident like a stage performance, or terribly incomplete.
More on various other adaptations below.
In fact, the only one of these I liked was the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, which of course everyone loves (it’s the one with Colin Firth). I enjoyed the 2005 version with Keira Knightley, but it doesn’t in any way measure up.
I love the 1995 Sense and Sensibility, which has Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant in it. (And a scene-stealing Hugh Laurie, LOL!)
Regarding the edgy 1999 Mansfield Park… Like, okay, yes, well done, very creative, thank you… But I hate it. Maybe someday I’ll find a movie version of this novel that I like. I haven’t seen the 2007 version. I somehow didn’t like the casting of the 1983 version.
I remember thinking the 1996 Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow was ridiculous in that it gave the characters things to do while talking that I found unnecessary and distracting (such as shoot arrows). I prefer the 1996 version of Emma starring Kate Beckinsale. I have also seen Clueless (1995), a modern high-school retelling of Emma. I should see the 2020 Emma!
I haven’t seen the 2007 Northanger Abbey, which is supposed to be good.
There’s also a 2007 Persuasion and a 2022 version, but people seem to like the 1995 one, which is characterized as having a tendency to “gritty realism,” which is maybe why I didn’t like it so much.
Well anyway, it seems there are many more adaptations I haven’t seen that I might enjoy. Or not!
