P&P Part II + "studio purgatory"

Make haste, make haste!
What: Pride and Prejudice
When: Sunday, February 17, 9pm (check local listings)
Where: The sofa in front of your TV (USA)
Be there or be square.

If you haven't had your fill of Pride and Prejudice chatter, turn your attention to blogger Annette's thoughtful discourse on the superiority of the BBC production. You know her opinions are to be trusted when she says:

[...] [Jennifer Ehle's] performance makes Lizzy real and down to earth. Her personality comes through so clearly that again, it’s hard to believe that she’s NOT Elizabeth Bennett. The performance has a lot of depth as well. Her anger at the proposal scene is a controlled simmer, not an explosive one, which would have been easier to perform, I’m sure. But this way it’s a more powerful moment. Her eyes are so expressive that you sometimes feel as if you could read her soul.

That’s good acting. [...]

Good acting indeed! As for the realm outside of Pemberley:

• If you are curious to know when Washington Square was actually recorded, the good folks at silksoundbooks explained to me, "The recording sessions took place in New York in September/October of last year. Editing was done in London shortly afterwards." If you have already listened to the audiobook, pray tell us your thoughts either at the forum or in the shoutbox (located towards the bottom of the side bar).


• The George Street Playhouse has updated their blog with photos of Rosemary Harris visiting the Bristol Myers Squibb Children's Hospital, which sponsored the (now closed) production of Oscar and the Pink Lady. What a lady!

• Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere, who recently discussed Pride and Glory's postponement (and formed some pre-judgments about the film), received a heartfelt and respectful reply from director Gavin O'Connor. Here is a snippet of O'Connor's response:

  [...] I've been trying to realize this movie for over seven years, and though an amazing experience making the film at New Line, it has now become heartbreaking, watching it get caught up in corporate maneuvering, where bookkeeping seems to take precedent over filmmaking. My film is living in some form of studio purgatory, so it hurts to read negative comments about it before it's ever been released. [...]

• Things aren't looking good for New Line Cinema. Variety reports on the studio's legal troubles, which are also being discussed at Ben's Daily Movie News.

Oh well, all good things are worth waiting for. In the meantime, enjoy spending time in Regency England tomorrow evening!

"Prepare to swoon, Austen fans..."

...says Robert Bianco of USA Today. He is referring, of course, to the upcoming broadcast of our beloved Pride and Prejudice. Masterpiece Theater will be showing the movie in three parts beginning Sunday, Feb 10 (PBS, 9 ET/PT, USA). Woot! If this is the first time you've heard of this, then you've been living under a giant rock.

As part of "The Complete Jane Austen" hoopla, Masterpiece Theater has arranged for fans to submit questions to screenwriter Andrew Davies:

Masterpiece gives you exclusive access to screenwriter Andrew Davies! Ask Davies your question about any of his adaptations (Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility) featured in The Complete Jane Austen.

Enter your name, e-mail and question below then submit. We'll pick the best questions, and answers will be posted here to coincide with the premiere of Sense and Sensibility March 30, 2008.

Additionally, you can watch video clips of his responses to previous questions. Good stuff!

Also in honor of the event, Jane Austen's World has put together some "Fun Facts." Note that a certain blog is mentioned in reference to a certain Interview.

Laurel Ann of the Janites on the James blog hilariously comments on "The Men of Austen" poll going on over at the Masterpiece Theater website:

I'm having a good giggle from reading the results of the 'The Men of Austen' poll...Darcy still rules, and John Thorpe drools! Ha! I am just amazed that the drippy Mr. Collins is seventh in the poll out of a possible 16 candidates! Really, Janeites, have you all gone all Charlotte Lucas on me? [...]

I am just amazed by the 46,514 votes that this is based upon. Speaking of 'the men of Austen'...lookie, there is now a Colin Firth fan blog. Is this the yin to our yang?

Moving away from Pride and Prejudice...here are a few links to information about Washington Square, the novel that Jennifer Ehle has recorded with Silk Sound Books:

• The Literature Network has a bio of the author, Henry James, as well as a summary of the novel.
• Classic Notes includes a discussion of themes, characters, etc. in addition to a detailed plot synopsis, which has been divided according to chapters.
• There is a review of the novel at Blog Critics.
• Bookrags provides us with this interesting detail:

  [...] The book is often compared to Jane Austen's work for the clarity and grace of its prose and its intense focus on family relationships. James was hardly a great admirer of Jane Austen, so he might not have regarded the comparison as flattering. [...]

• And, Washington Square has its very own fansite.

Lastly, here are a few loosely related links:

• It has been announced that Richard Easton will play Polonius in the Public Theater's upcoming production of Hamlet, which will run from May 27 through June 29 at the Delacorte Theatre. See Variety and Broadway.com for more information. (It seems that Shakespeare in the Park is a popular venue for Utopians!)
• According to Playbill, Rosemary Harris is slated to take part in a gala honoring another Ms Harris -- Julie Harris. Julie Harris will be honored by The Actors Company Theatre on March 3 at the Hudson Theatre in Manhattan.
• And, attention aspiring actors: the Actor Nation blog claims that Rosemary Harris recommends the book How to be a Working Actor, available for sale at Amazon.com.

Happy fine eyes-gazing on Sunday night, P&Pers.

Fancy a bedtime story?!

• Firstly, if you like Henry James, you may be interested to know that Silk Sound Books are selling an audiobook of Washington Square....read by Jennifer Ehle! (Thanks to the person who let us know). Click the link to listen to a nice little clip. From that page you can also purchase the 6hr 55min audiobook for £7.95. Here is their synopsis of the story:

[...] Washington Square: The battle between a father and a daughter is usually portrayed in literature as a struggle between a headstrong but feisty girl and a tradition-bound lead weight of a father. Henry James of course had to do it somewhat differently. He tells a story of an intelligent man riding the turn of the tide in mid-nineteenth century New York, and watching what he sees as his numbingly dull and conventional daughter making the mistake of her life in her choice of husband. The fight between these two delicious characters makes this one of James’ funniest and most enjoyable of novels, with the suspense carried right up until the last page as to how the contest will end. [...]

A reminder that Ms Ehle also completed audiobooks for Witch Child and The Tempest in 2001. (Follow the links to go to their respective pages on Amazon).

• Secondly, there is some more information regarding the Pride and Glory postponement to 2009.

The Huffington Post attribute the delay to recently-released The Golden Compass and quote Colin Farrell as saying:

[...] They pushed it just now to 2009. ... There's this rumor going around that it's because it's a...bad film. I feel the need to kind of speak up, not from my own end but genuinely for Gavin O'Connor because he wrote and directed it. It's just a really really strong piece, but I think New Line lost the b******s on "The Golden Compass," ... and they literally don't have enough money to market things.

"Pride" is a tricky one to market anyways. It's pretty dark... Gavin did a great job and you know, Jon Voight is brilliant in it, and Ed [Norton] is great in it and [it has] a really strong cast of supporting characters... It's a really strong piece." [...]

Hollywood Elsewhere give a slightly less favourable input into the debate.

• Next, Utopian Richard Easton's Downstage Center interview is now online. Regarding the read-before-you-see debate that arose around The Coast of Utopia, he says:

[...] It was criminal what they did over Utopia - it was absolute nonsense. People were constantly saying 'I don't know if I'll be...' and I was saying 'For Heavens' sake'; ... it just enrages me, and the unfortunate publicity about it... Tom [Stoppard] started life as a journalist - he is totally a communicator, and a passer-on [...]

Discussion relating to his collaboration with Rosemary Harris and Ellis Rabb is 19 minutes in. Easton describes the former's acting at the time as 'wonderful'.

On the subject of offering advice to younger artists:

[...] I've become quite famous for this... In the cast of Utopia, there were quite a few ex students of mine...and they were talking to Plimpton...and saying that when Richard left, he left this 'Advice to Young Actors' packet...and she said what is this thing? So I dug it out and gave it to her and she had copies made... It was things like 'always be polite to the wardrobe', because that's where all the talk is...'remember that the...backstage belongs to the stagehands - not to you'...they keep the job - you're just here for this...and 'be on time, be early'...'make sure you can be heard' and...'get the laughs' [...]

On acting in The Coast of Utopia:

[...] A lot of the kids in Utopia had never done rep...and a lot of them...the joy they experienced when we added the second play - particularly if they were playing different parts. They thought 'Oh, I get it - I don't have to do it all in the first play. I can do just the character. And in the second play, I can do just that character' [...]

On the famous marathons:

[...] It was wonderful when we did those marathons - with all three in one day. They were sensational. The first play, 11 in the morning, packed of course, with people who were so proud to be there...they had got their powerbars in their socks and all that and they were just so keen! I had the first scene basically, and they laughed at everything I said - it was wonderful! In the second play they got a little tired as they wished they hadn't had that second glass of wine at lunch, but by the end...they went mad...they stood and cheered...it was so exciting for us. [...]

On scenes and dialogue:

[...] It was only really difficult for Brian O'Byrne...he talked the whole time, he was wonderful, but he was the only person really who suffered. ... Ethan [Hawke] had the wonderful thing of getting into a fat suit and having his teeth blacked out and playing the 'old' him, which he so relished, and that gave him an enormous zip of energy for the end. But Billy [Crudup] wasn't even in it! ... It was amazing - a wonderful experience. [...]

Elsewhere in the news:

• Kansas City briefly berate USA Today for criticising The Russell Girl.
• Jane Austen Today discuss PBS Masterpiece's great little 'The Men of Austen' poll as important preparation for the re-showing of Pride and Prejudice, which begins this Sunday, February 10 in the US. (WPBT/Channel 2)
• DNA India chat to Ms Ehle's Before the Rains co-star Rahul Bose about his latest project.
• The BBC are continuing to follow the sad disappearance of make-up artist Diane Chenery-Wickens who worked on Pride and Prejudice.
• The Charlotte Observer briefly mention John Ehle's The Land Breakers.
• Finally, a reminder that Rosemary Harris' Oscar and the Pink Lady closes on Sunday. Pop along and see it if you are able to in the next four days!