Though these BBC-TV series are not cinema quality, they are a collector's delight true to Austen and in crystal-clear beautifully articulated dialogue of more of Austen's original verbiage than usually performed, as well visual historical authenticity so perfectly reproduced that you feel transported in time. In order of my preferences:
1) SENSE & SENSIBILITY ~ truer to the novel than the later modernized version with Kate Winslet & Emma Samms, this is my FAVORITE RENDITION of S&S also thanks to the actress portraying the main character I am delighted also portrays:
2) PRIDE & PREJUDICE character Charlotte Collins memorably in this series, too, though in this version of P&P, Elizabeth Bennett is more comely than her amiable but supposed-to-be "fairest of them all" eldest sister Jane Bennett (still enjoyable since we see more of the most beautiful & lively, Lizzie), but all the other characters are marvelously cast & memorably developed.
3) EMMA's heroine is more sympatico & likeable than later mimic by American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, or even British Kate Beckinsale version; and this production is as animatedly enjoyable as it is true to the novel. Usually I rate PERSUASION higher than EMMA, so it says a lot that in this set I like EMMA better.
4) PERSUASION ~ truer to the novel than other versions, but this heroine--though beautiful like American actress Jean Simmons, elegant, & an encouragement to senior romance like I've enjoyed in life and was ready to embrace this rendition--seems a bit too old, tired, & faded emphasized by the male romantic lead bringing more vitality & lightness to the part than usual. This version is most realistic of the more natural & less sophisticated times, like the Thomas Hardy novel movie "Far From the Madding Crowd" with Julie Christie & Peter Finch, or the more recent "Lost in Austen." I prefer the Amanda Root version of PERSUASTION, also on Amazon.
5) Though MANSFIELD PARK's lead actress is unengagingly homely & subservient, the others are all well cast & the production as well done as the other five in this tale a successor of Grimm's Fairy Tales' Cinderella and a forerunner to Charlotte & Anne Bronte and Charles Dickens.
6) NORTHANGER ABBEY is the only Jane Austen I can never like, made worse by this modernly British horror style barely cloaked in retro garb & settings, as well as the provokingly unattractive lead actress and her apparel & hairstyles. But the romantic male lead & his sister are a winning respite; and it offers some William Makepeace Thackery "Vanity Fair" quality & philosophizing on the times, making some classically thought-provoking points despite the noir setting.
It helps to know Jane Austen also wrote a satire of Ann Radcliffe's sensationalist gothic horror novels purchased by the same publisher but never printed lest it detract from Radcliffe popularity, helping me think Jane intended the Northanger novella along the same vein (pun intended). While it exposes vulnerability & foolish susceptibility of the young, and residual cultural feudal mercenary use of females as chess piece assets aka chattel, this rendition goes too far for classic tastes, in its gratuitously bloody imagery and requiring empathy I don't share with the main character's pursuit of evil thrills foreshadowing our current world's descent from the influence of European/American Christian heights of civilization we love to experience through classic literature like Jane Austen's, which I don't consider this novella of that caliber, & unlike the rest of this well presented series, this DVD will be rarely viewed by me.
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Jane Austen DVD Set
This set of Jane Austen DVDs are wonderful. It has beautiful sets and clothes. The stories are very close to the books. If you love Jane Austen stories, you would love this set. I have other versions of these stories, but it is fun to have different versions of something you love. These DVDs are a BBC mini series and are a little slower than some movies. They do tend to end each story a little fast, but they are still good. The DVDs are all in good shape and each story is in it's own case.
