It is a truth universally acknowledged that a radio host in possession of a weekly film music show must be in want of a good theme. This week on “Picture Perfect,” we eschew the usual fare of Vikings, pirates, and dinosaurs, to enter the world Jane Austen, in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of her birth (on December 16, 1775).
We’ll hear Rachel Portman’s Academy Award winning score for “Emma” (1996), Patrick Doyle’s music for “Sense and Sensibility” (1995), and selections from two versions of “Pride and Prejudice,” with music by Dario Marianelli (2005) and Carl Davis (1995).
Not only do Austen adaptations sport amazing casts, the scores attract some of classical music’s star performers. Listen in for contributions by soprano Jane Eaglen, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and fortepianist Melvyn Tan.
A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of – at least according to “Mansfield Park.” The next best thing is a playlist assembled from Jane Austen movies. There’s an urgency for Regency this week on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX Classical Oregon!
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Clip and save the start times for all three of my recorded shows:
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – Saturday at 11:00 AM EST/8:00 AM PST
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST
Stream them, wherever you are, at the link!
https://kwax.uoregon.edu/
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If you’re an Austenite, feel free to let me know which novel or film adaptation is your favorite!
Jane Austen at 250 on “Picture Perfect”
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7 responses
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7 responses to “Jane Austen at 250 on “Picture Perfect””
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Have you played Carl Davis’s score for Spartacus? Or was it Ben-Hur? The silent original. He does great scores for silent movies.
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Zlat Zlat Not for Jane Austen, I haven’t. 😉 But I am familiar with some of his work. He did the silent “Ben-Hur.” I did a pre-concert talk for a performance with film of his score for “The Iron Mask” by what was then the Westfield Symphony Orchestra (now the New Jersey Festival Orchestra) in 2011. And of course I remember him from the TV series “The World at War.”
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Your most welcome, weekly plethora, Sirrah ! Cheers !.!.!
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SW Paul Mack I associate sirrah more with the time of Elizabeth II than Elizabeth Bennet, but okay!
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My sisters, daughter, niece, and several family friends did a Nerds Jane Austen tour this past spring. We made up our own quizzes and learned to play whist!
Love all the novels, but especially Sense & Sensibility and Mansfield Park.
Favorite adaptations:
P&P— Jennifer Ehle
Emma— Kate Beckinsale
NA— Felicity Jones
Persuasion— Amanda Root
MP— Sylvestra Le Touzel
S&S— Emma Thompson-
Claire Pula While I haven’t learned to play whist 🙂, I have read “Pride and Prejudice” — twice! (once for AP English in the ’80s and then again within the last few years for pleasure) — and “Emma” (in college). For the big anniversary, I thought I’d read either “Sense and Sensibility” or “Persuasion.” I decided to go with “Persuasion,” because it’s shorter. (It is, after all, the holidays!) But if I get on a kick, maybe I’ll read “Sense and Sensibility” in the new year.
For a time, I was pretty well versed in the film adaptations. I even saw some of the knockoffs (“Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “Becoming Jane,” but so far not “Clueless”). I was pretty good through the end of the 20th century, but now there’s a whole new wave of Jane Austen movies I haven’t seen. I’m not even sure whether I’ve seen the Keira Knightly P&P (for me, the Ehle-Firth series is the gold standard) or the Felicity Jones NA yet.
I did see the newer “Persuasion” with Dakota Johnson on Netflix, and it was absolutely horrible. Until then, I thought Jane was pretty much bullet-proof. The tone was all wrong, and the whole thing struck me as a little too Bridgertonesque. The more traditional adaptations of the 1990s are more my speed.
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My entire sisterhood would agree on all your points!
The Keira Knightly version fell victim to the “ dirty hem” trend in a big way, and the closing moments at Pemberley were cloyingly dreadful. Most of the recent Emmas have been decent. The two part S&S was good, although Willoughby was miscast. The 1999 Mansfield Park with Patricia Rozema is, to quote the Book of Armaments, “ right out”, as most Austen fans seem to agree. Enjoy “catching up”!
And do see Clueless if you get a chance, it’s a lot of fun and sweet and charming ❤️
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