Tapes on this page: 0 new, 3 already catalogued (1245N on 20260908_071551; 1245O on 20260908_071551; 1245P on 20260908_071551)
## LEFT COLUMN 1245N. JANE AUSTEN'S WORKS: JANE AUSTEN'S 'EMMA' (1996) JANE AUSTEN'S 'EMMA' Beckinsale, Coulthard The 1816 comic masterpiece is brought to life by producer Sue Birtwistle and screenwriter Andrew Davies, the team behind last year's acclaimed miniseries Pride and Prejudice. Though this 1996 BBC adaptation is visually arresting and faithful to the novel, it lacks the charm of last year's theatrical release starring Gwyneth Paltrow. In this version, Kate Beckinsale displays little of Emma's willful likability; she plays her as a sometimes mean-spirited matchmaker determined to raise a friend's social station by finding her a husband. Her misguided efforts exasperate Mr. Knightley (Mark Strong), her lifelong friend and most severe critic, and trigger a series of humorous misunderstandings. Churchill: Raymond Coulthard. (2:30) PERSUASION. (1995) Persuasion ON: PBS, October 19 STARRING: Amanda Root (left) AS: A 27-year-old "spinster" who's a plain Jane with a brain IN LOVE WITH: The naval officer (Ciaran Hinds) she dumped eight years ago PROBLEMS: Bad advice, clueless family TALENT: Plays piano TURN-ONS: Men in uniform CREATED BY: Jane Austen (below) WHO WAS: Author of many sophisticated social comedies, suddenly a hot property in the late 1990s (if 19th-century female novelists were Spice Girls, Austen would be Posh Spice) ROMANCE: ♥♥♥♥ MORAL: Don't assume you've missed the boat—your ship may come in. E M M A . (1996) Gwyneth Paltrow lends charm and sophistication to this 1996 version of Jane Austen's 1816 novel. Paltrow stars as Emma Woodhouse, an accomplished 20-year-old with a penchant for running other people's lives. After her faithful governess marries (a match for which Emma takes credit), she turns her attentions to the gawky Harriet Smith (Toni Collette), encouraging a hopeless union between Harriet and an opportunistic minister. It's a turn of events that family friend Mr. Knightley, Emma's only critic, watches with disgust. "[It's] better to be without sense than to misapply it as you do," he tells her. The film is rated PG for strong language. (2:00) Paltrow, Collette GWYNETH PALTROW "Two Thumbs Up!" ★★★★! EMMA ## RIGHT COLUMN 1245O. THE BRONTE'S WORKS: RALPH FIENNES JULIETTE BINOCHE Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights w/ Janet McTeer, Sophi Ward & Simon Shepherd. (1992) REVIEW OF: WUTHERING HEIGHTS. JANE EYRE. By: Charlotte Brontë. (1996) w/ William Hurt, Joan Plowright, Anna Paquin, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. (Semi-autobiographical) JANE EYRE. 10/19/97 CREATED BY: Charlotte Brontë (above) A.K.A.: Currer Bell (pen name) WHO WAS: The over-achieving Brontë sister (if the Brontës were the Brady Bunch, Charlotte would be Marcia) Samantha Morton A handsome 1997 cable adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's oft-filmed Gothic classic. Samantha Morton, who appeared in A&E's February production of "Emma," plays Jane, who, as the film opens, is a Yorkshire orphan sent to a substandard boarding school. Eight years later, Jane finds contentment as a governess to an orphaned French girl, whose guardian is the aloof Mr. Rochester (Ciaran Hinds). Despite his caustic manner, lonely Jane finds him attractive, and friendship between them blossoms. But her happiness is soon threatened—by a dark, bizarre secret from Rochester's past. Mrs. Fairfax: Gemma Jones. Blanche Ingram: Abigail Cruttenden. (2:30) 1245P. MORE BRONTE'S WORKS: THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL. By: Anne BRONTE. 10/26/97 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ON: PBS, October 26 STARRING: Tara Fitzgerald (below, with Jackson Leach) AS: A runaway wife IN LOVE WITH: A neighboring farmer (Toby Stephens) who saves her son PROBLEM: Dissolute hubby (Rupert Graves) teaches their tot to drink, cuss, and kill birds TALENT: Paints landscapes professionally TURN-ONS: Bad boys CREATED BY: Anne Brontë (above) A.K.A.: Acton Bell (pen name) WHO WAS: The obscure Brontë sister (if the Brontës were the Marx Brothers, Anne would be Zeppo) ROMANCE: ♥♥♥ MORAL: Bad boys make worse husbands.