Austen and Romance

Though not the most accurate version of Jane Austen 's classic tale, the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice is my second favorite after the 1995 BBC Miniseries. One of the reasons for this is because the 1940 version has an excellent cast of characters, in particular my favorite actress in the role of Elizabeth Bennet , Greer Garson. This version of the film, with a script primarily written by novelist Aldous Huxley , is more of a combination of Pride and Prejudice along with another Austen novel, Emma.

I won't bore you with the details of a story we all know so well, but I will point out Garson's excellent fellow cast mates in this film. Mr. Darcy is played by the illustrious actor Sir Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland is Mrs. Bennet, Edna May Oliver is Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Edmund Gwenn is Mr. Darcy, Maureen O'Sullivan is Jane Bennet and Ann Rutherford is Lydia. Though the film is not accurate, it is still a treat to see so many wonderful screen greats at their craft.

A lot of criticism arises over how the film does not follow along with the book and how the costumes do not match the period. The film was made in 1940, during the Great Depression when the US still was not recovering entirely because World War II was just beginning. The costumes were reused from epic Gone with the Wind, because MGM did not have the money to make new ones. They also did not have money to shoot some of the location scenes, which is why the Pemberly scene is missing. Keeping up with its Gone with the Wind leftovers, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable were both considered for lead roles in this film.

The film has been remade several times since this inception and will probably continue to be redone. Still, I prefer the book version, if I have to choose. For those that are interested, here is a trailer for the film:

A Murder Mystery for Christmas

Though it is not necessarily a Christmas movie, the 1934 classic The Thin Man is set around Christmas time and even has some climatic moments during the Christmas holidays. The film was based on the book The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, who based much of the relationship between comedic and loving couple Nick and Nora Charles on his own relationship with acclaimed playwright Lillian Hellman. The film went on to create Myrna Loy and William Powell as a comedic duo in the Thin Man series of six films, combining humor and mystery.

Nick Charles (William Powell) comes to New York with wife and dog Asta in tow, only to be lured back into the detective business by his sweet, funny, and curious wife Nora (Myrna Loy), the NYPD, and the case of a murderer who Nick might know. Dorothy Wymant (Maureen O'Sullivan) comes to Nick, asking him to help track down her father and Nick’s old friend, Clyde Wymant (Edward Ellis). Soon after Wymant goes missing, his girlfriend Julia Wolf (Natalie Moorhead) is murdered and Chris Jorgenson (Cesar Romero), Wymant’s ex wife Mimi’s (Minna Gombell) new husband, goes missing as well. Everyone believes that Wymant is behind the crime, except for Nick, who has a hunch. During the course of the film, Nick is attacked on Christmas Eve by gangster Joe Morelli (Edward Brophy), getting questionable info from Wymant’s lawyer MacCaulay (Porter Hall), and is surrounded by a loony cast of characters who all could have had a hand in the crime. It is up for Nick to reveal the truth at a dinner party he and his wife are throwing, with a real murder mystery as the main entertainment.

The film was originally intended to be a “B” picture, but gained so much fame it became a profitable series. The “Thin Man” in question was supposed to be Edward Ellis’s character of Wymant but so many audience members and critics assumed that Nick was the Thin Man, and so the name stuck. The films have considerably infiltrated the pop culture and the pair of Nick and Nora Charles was parodied in the 1976 mystery comedy Murder by Death, in which Dame Maggie Smith and David Niven played Dora and Dick Charleston.

The film has a large following and his become somewhat of a cult classic, if not a classic film. The Thin Man series has its own fan site and you can learn more about Nick, Norah, and the original book series here. Filmsite.org does a great review and synopsis, which can be found here. And I also have two reviews for your second or third opinion, this one from cinematical.com and this review from Roger Ebert himself from his site. If you want a good mystery for Christmas, The Thin Man is the way to go, but don’t blame me if you get addicted to Nick and Nora. Just in case you want a watch, here is the cleverly done original trailer for the film:

It Happened on Wimpole Street

If you like poetry, the Victorian period, or romance, I have found a movie for you to watch. The original 1934 film, The Barrett's of Wimpole Street, is a truly classic film made from the play of the same name by Rudolph Besier. The story follows along with the real life romance of Victorian poets, Robert Browning and his later wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

This film verison, directed by Sidney Franklin, stars Norma Shearer in the role the invalid Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who, along with her siblings, is forbidden to marry by their opressive father, played by Charles Laughton. Despite her stern father, Elizabeth falls in love with the dashing poet Robert Browning, played by Frederic March, and the two conspire to marry with the help of Elizabeth's sister Henriette, played by Maureen O'Sullivan. Through the course of the film, Robert's love helps Elizabeth recover from her mysterious illness and stand up to her opressive father. Always at Elizabeth's side is her loving dog Flush, who played himself.

This film truly is a great love story with an amazing cast who portray their characters so well. Whereas a film can never truly recreate the events of history, this film comes pretty close to echoing what really transpired during Brown and Barrett's courtship.The acting and cast work wonderfully as indiviuals and together. In fact, the film was so good it was nominated for Best Picture.

Sidney Franklin later remade the film in 1957, a remake that was nearly identical, word for word and scene by scene. Shearer's husband, Irving Thalberg, was the producer and cast her in the role, angering William Randolph Hearst, who wanted the part to go to his actress mistress, Marion Davies. This action caused a fall-out between Hearst and MGM, as well as Shearer. Marion then went to work for Warner Brothers.

For those of you who want more information, you can go here and get some review and analysis by classicfilmguide.com. The blog Colet and Company also discusses the various stage and film versions of the film, which can be read here. So, for any of you looking for a good romance, I would say The Barretts of Wimpole Street is an excellent pick.