Description: Emma Woodhouse has a rigid sense of propriety as regards matrimonial alliances. Unfortunately she insists on matchmaking for her less forceful friend, Harriet, and so causes her to come to grief. Through the sharp words of Mr. Knightley, and the example of the opinionated Mrs. Elton, someone not unlike herself, Emma's attitudes begin to soften..
Actress Emma Thompson both wrote and stars in this adaptation of Jane Austen’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY--a novel that perceptively examines the social manners and laws of early-19th-century Britain. Set in the English countryside, the film follows the loves and heartaches of sisters Elinor (Thompson) and Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet). The two have extremely divergent approaches to life: Elinor represents “sense“ and believes in behaving with propriety and thoughtfulness, while Marianne represents “sensibility“ and basks in her own emotions. Both women, however, experience confusion when their lovers, seemingly on the verge of proposing marriage, spurn them. For director Ang Lee, the film marks a break from his Father Knows Best trilogy, which examined the problems of the contemporary Taiwanese family. Many people questioned whether an Asian director could handle an English period film. Lee answered those questions with a gorgeous film that both captures the nuances of Austen’s novel and proves that Lee is a first-rate director capable of tackling any material. Featuring Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, among others, the stellar cast inspired Lee to flatteringly exclaim, “Can everyone in England act?
Film won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay and was nominated in 6 other categories.
The origins of Jane Austen in Manhattan, also set in New York, go back to the sale of the manuscript of Jane Austen's childhood play, based on Samuel Richardson's novel Sir Charles Grandison, at a Sothebys auction in London. The manuscript was acquired by David Astor, owner of the Observer newspaper, who was quickly approached by the London Weekend Television arts program "The South Bank Show," apparently without actually seeing it, for production rights. Melvyn Bragg, who had co-produced Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures for the program and was at a party for its screening with Merchant and Ivory, mentioned to them that LWT had just acquired an option on the play. Also without having seen the play, they enthusiastically agreed to do the film version. When Ivory received a photocopy of the manuscript, however, he discovered that it "wasn't a complete play, just this childish thing." Yet Jhabvala felt that it could be used as the "seed" for a film in which theatrical groups compete to acquire and produce the Austen play. After The Europeans was made, she prepared the screenplay for Jane Austen in Manhattan, and in January-March 1980 the film was shot on location in New York. Its $450,000 cost was underwritten by a group of investors, including London Weekend Television and Polytel, backers previously of Hullabaloo.
Summary written by Snow Leopard
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs. Bennet is especially eager to find suitable husbands for them. When the rich single gentlemen Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to live nearby, the Bennets have high hopes. But pride, prejudice, and misunderstandings all combine to complicate their relationships and to make happiness
difficult.
Plot summary from IMDB:
The only thing more outrageous than French novelist George Sand's torrid love affair with the decadent author Alfred de Musset and her affinity for wearing men's clothing, was the content of her writing. Though Sand (otherwise known as the Baroness Dudevant) smoked cigars and cross-dressed, it was the boldness of her writing on issues such as the abstinence of marriage and women's frigidity that most contributed to the scandalous reputation she earned in French literary circles. When she met Alfred de Musset, the most gifted poet of his generation, the two quickly became a public cause celebrity while their work would go on to become some of the finest examples of 19th century romanticism.
Description: Has Zulawski ever made a comedy? No, he has not. But "La note bleue" is the "funniest" of Zulawski's films. It is irony and some malice towards his heroes that make the ambience.
The story reminds that of Ken Russell's Gothic: the greatest romantic artists spent a day and a night at a country palace; left by the unpaid servants they had to prepare meals themselves. But the passions burst in an incontrollable way...
The artist are: Georges Sand, Alexandre Dumas (son), Eugene Delacroix, Ivan Tourgueniev and above all - Frédéric Chopin, who is the main hero of the film. Acted wonderfully by the great Polish pianist Janusz Olejniczak, he spends most time at his piano, playing madly and touchingly, fighting his illness (tuberculosis? now it is said that it was mucoviscidosis), frightened by smells and colours, engaged in sick erotic relationship with George Sand and her daughter (Sophie Marceau). Victorian himself, he is drowned in his libertine company because they adore him and finance his living - sad genius, meticulous and egocentric.
The music of Chopin is everywhere. If you do not like it you certainly will. Olejniczak plays with almost punk-rock energy, using the 19th-century instruments, and makes us realize convincingly why Chopin was beloved in the way the Beatles were 130 years later.
Hoping to recapture the success of its 1945 Frederic Chopin biopic A Song to Remember, Columbia Pictures concocted the 1960 Technicolor costume drama Song Without End. Dirk Bogarde is cast as musical genius Franz Liszt. Bogarde's piano scenes are dubbed with another's singing voice, but this hardly matters in that the film is preoccupied with Liszt's infamous romantic entanglements. The crux of the matter is Liszt's desire to wed the already married Russian princess Carolyne (Capucine), which will necessitate an unpleasant breakup with his current lover, Countess Marie (Genevieve Page). Director Charles Vidor died after only a few weeks on the picture; he was replaced by George Cukor, who graciously insisted that Vidor be billed in letters larger than his. The chief selling point of Song Without End is its wall-to-wall music; the film won an Oscar for "best musical arrangement."
Hal Erickson, allmovie
Description:
Mauprat was adapted by Jean Epstein from a novel of the famous novelist George Sand. Like many of Sand's novels, Mauprat borrows from various fictional genres- the Gothic novel, chivalric romance, the Bildungsroman, detective fiction, and the historical novel. Luis Buñuel was assistant director on this film, and was Buñuel's first film credit.
Description: Lucile enjoys a life of leisure and comfort, thanks to her rich sugar daddy, Charles. Despite the difference in their ages - Lucile is 25, Charles is in his forties - they appear to be the perfect couple, sharing a large house, socialising with friends. Then, one day, Lucile meets a man of her own age, Antoine, towards whom she is instantly attracted. They hurl themselves into a passionate love affair, and Lucile soon realises that she must leaves Charles and move in with Antoine - even though the latter hasn’t enough money to support both of them. Antoine finds his lover a job, but Lucile soon realises she is not cut out for work.
"Plot Synopsis by Sandra Brennan
This black comedy is based on the dastardly deeds of French serial killer Henri-Desire Landru, who wined, dined, scammed, and dismembered over 10 women during WW I. He obtained his victims by placing ads in the Personals section of the paper. He then chose wealthy dowagers in their fifties. First he would woo them to his villa. Then he would con them into forking over their fortunes. Finally he would kill them, chop them up, and immolate the pieces. He is finally captured after he is recognized by the sister of one of the victims. Landru swears that he is not a psychotic killer, that he only did it so he could continue to support his family in the bourgeoisie style that they were accustomed to. During his trial, Landru refused to plead for himself one way or the other; he showed no remorse at all. He was guillotined on February 25, 1922."
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