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PBS Masterpiece Classic: The Complete Jane Austen
By Julie | January 29, 2008
Marc and I don’t watch a lot of TV. We used to, and then we had kids. With their entrance into our lives, TV took an exit. (So has the majority of our extra time.) If we do have the TV on, it’s usually for a kids show. Occasionally after the kids go to bed we’ll watch a sitcom, but not regularly. When we do I’ve noticed either I have changed, or TV has. Maybe simply being a parent has put a permanent sensor in me. Before I was a mom I would notice things in shows I did not agree with, but not always. I remember a few times wishing they’d write characters with better morals. Now I have the permanent mom sensor running in the background of my brain. Even when we watch TV when the kids are asleep, I always think, “There’s no way my kids are watching this!” Or, “When did they start saying things like THAT on TV?” I’ve even said to Marc, “Can you believe they allow that! It’s only 10 PM!” I don’t think I ever said, or thought anything like that before I had kids. Now, even the sitcoms we watch have become mixed bags, some lines I’ll laugh out loud to, in the next second, I’m offended.
Maybe I’ve gotten old. On the other hand, I’ve heard it said, that often times the more in tune with God a person becomes, the less TV they watch. Because so much is contradictory to what God wants for the person, and their lives. I don’t know, maybe that’s part of it.
So, we’ve had an amazing TV switch in our house lately. We have been watching regularly scheduled TV. PBS is running a Masterpiece Classic Series of movies, based on the books of Jane Austen. The series runs until May 18th. If you’re interested in seeing what’s playing, click for a complete schedule, from the PBS website.
Every Sunday night, for three weeks so far, at precisely 10:30, Marc and I clear everything to take in a new movie. And all of them have been new to me. I’m familiar with Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. I’ve heard of Persuasion, but had never read it, or seen it. Until recently those had been the extent of my Jane Austen experience.
The first movie in the series we watched was Persuasion. It follows the story of Anne, a woman quickly approaching spinsterhood, back in the days when that actually meant something. When the story begins we discover eight years earlier Anne was proposed to by a man she really loved. But, she was “persuaded” (hence the title) to decline his proposal because they were both young, and the man was not wealthy. As the luck of fiction works, the man who proposed drifts back into her life, just in time for the movie.
It always takes me a few minutes to get into the language of a Jane Austen movie, or any period piece. But once I picked up the lingo, I was completely hooked on this movie. I felt so bad for Anne, as she watched the man she loved, and felt the guilt of having rejecting him. It was a very moving show. Yet, simple, and sweet.
Northanger Abbey, last week’s movie, was more of a mystery. Catherine, the main character, is addicted to stories, and reading. At times the fiction she reads invades her mind, manifesting into daydreams, or paranoia about the people and places she encounters. This is especially true when she visits the castle-like Northanger Abbey.
The pace of this movie was much different then Persuasion. It was a nice switch from a drama. Of the three Jane Austen movies we’ve seen so far, this was my least favorite, but it was still enjoyable to watch.
Last night we watched Mansfield Park. This is the story of Fanny Price. She is sent to live in her uncle’s home, Mansfield Park, because her mother decided they could no longer afford her. She was ten years old at her arrival. The real story takes place after she turns 18. We learn she is in love with her cousin. Definitely in our time, this is a huge ick factor. In 2007, cousins are pretty much a no no, and I think that’s good. For that reason it took me a little while to get into this movie. But, as I watched, and was further sucked into the time period, I could accept that cousin relationships were not so frowned upon back then. It was a wonderful show. For me, the beauty was seeing how Fanny was looked down upon by her uncle, while he prided himself in his own kids. Then, his kids messed up a few times. And, Fanny was so kind, and true to herself that everyone around her, even her uncle, realized what a wonderful gem she was.
I’ll confess, I loved this show so much I’ve looked up Youtube.com clips of it today. (And that’s coming from a non TV watcher.)
So, if you’re ever free on Sunday nights (and I believe they also run them through the week), you like period pieces, and are looking for a movie that won’t offend your permanent mom sensor, you may want to check out PBS’s Jane Austen series.
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