Lost in Austen (DVD)
May 6th 2009 05:57
Director: Dan Zeff
Writer: Guy Andrews
Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper) is an avid fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and often escapes from her unsatisfying modern life by re-reading the book. One evening, while her drunken boyfriend is snoring on the couch, Amanda finds – in her bathroom of all places – the heroine of her favourite novel, Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton).
Through a door in the bathroom of her 2008 London apartment, Amanda enters the Bennet family home in the fictional world set around 200 years ago and unwittingly swaps places with Elizabeth.
Jemima Rooper is engaging and funny as the protagonist dismayed at making a mess of the plot she loves and knows so well; her meddling to correct her blunders, including a drunken snog, invariably leads to something other than what she intended.
The roles are well cast: Hugh Bonneville’s kind Mr (Claude) Bennet is hilarious with his dead-pan sarcasm; Morven Christie as the gentle and obedient Jane can break one’s heart when she is unable to be with Tom Mison’s painfully repressed Bingley; Elliot Cowan’s Darcy is unreservedly severe, yet smoulders at the same time; Guy Henry as the toady Mr Collins is marvellously vile; and last but not least, Alex Kingston is superb as the melodramatic wife, the overeager and slightly embarrassing matchmaker, and the fiercely protective mother that is Mrs Bennet .
While fans of Pride and Prejudice can enjoy the in-jokes (including a scene where Darcy emerges from a lake) and discover some surprising twists - a couple of which involve Wickham (Tom Riley) and Caroline Bingley (Christina Cole) - the series, courtesy of excellent writing, is easily accessible to those who have not read the book.
As with any decent period drama, careful attention has been paid to the authenticity of the sets, costumes and dialogue - the characters are courteous and articulate even when rebuking or insulting others, but the greater appeal comes from the modern spin in this witty and beautifully crafted series.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Behind the Scenes of Lost in Austen
The actors, producers, director, make-up artists, costume designers, scenic artists and many more give brief interviews on location about the preparation and challenges involved in making the series.
GREAT LINES FROM THE SERIES:
Amanda: I’m not hung up about Darcy. I do not sit at home with the pause button on Colin Firth in clingy pants, OK?
***
Mrs Bennet: Do not obstruct anyone of them in her quest for a propitious marriage. For if you do and my estate is lost because of it, something may come over you, Miss Price, like a thief in the night, which may not be quite so agreeable.
Amanda: Well, you’re a real ball-breaker.
***
Amanda: Collins. On the page, OK, he’s pretty bad. In the flesh, he’s all-time king of the mingers. He squeezes himself through his trouser pocket. You know the thing men do when they think you can’t see? And then he sniffs his fingers!
***
Bingley: Brava, Miss Price. And whenever life is gettin’ me down, I shall be sure to go downtown. Eh, Darcy?
Darcy: With alacrity.
***
Amanda (THINKS): Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I am never going to speak to Darcy again. If I have to, I will be so bum-crushingly correct, he’ll faint with boredom and I’ll just step right over him, fanning.
***
Wickham: Where am I to sleep?
Amanda: I am grateful to you, George. But where you… put yourself tonight is not my concern. Perhaps you should address yourself to Mr Collins.
Wickham: I, um… doubt if Mr Collins is equipped to give me satisfaction with regard to this inquiry.
Amanda: Then you must take matters into your own hands. Mine are full.
***
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