This elegantly repackaged box set contains a superb collection
of six popular BBC dramatizations of Jane Austen classics: Pride
and Prejudice, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Sense and
Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Emma.
Pride And Prejudice (Dir. Simon Langton, 1995): The arrival of
the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) in the neighbourhood causes
great excitement within the Bennet family. One of her five
daughters, Mrs Bennet (Alison Steadman) feels, is sure to capture
the heart of the wealthy young aristocrat. That e befalls the
spirited Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle). Judging him on first
impressions and the malicious gossip of friends she rejects his
advances. However, as she busies herself with the stormy romances
and scandal of her sisters, she once again finds herself in his
company. Gradually her opinions of this proud young man begin to
change...
Persuasion (Dir. Roger Michell, 1995): "At nineteen, to involve
yourself with a man who had nothing but himself to recommend him!
Spirit and brilliance, to be sure, but no fortune, and no
connections! It was entirely prudent of you to reject him." Anne
Elliot (Amanda Root) has spent over seven years regretting being
persuaded to reject the young Captain Wentworth (Ciarán Hinds).
Northanger Abbey (Dir. Giles Foster, 1986): A tale of intrigue,
adventure and romance. This enchanting BBC dramatization captures
the spirit and wit of Austen's classic novel Northanger Abbey.
The setting is eighteenth-century Bath, a society of decadence
and deceit, into which Catherine Morland arrives bursting with
freshness, integrity and a passion for macabre Gothic novels. In
a time when materialism, not love, governs marriage, Catherine's
head is full of fantasy and fiction, of maidens being abducted to
sinister castles and heroes riding to the rescue on white horses.
When romantic Henry Tilney invites her to his ancestral home,
Northanger Abbey, a dark mystery starts to unfold that makes her
blood run cold. Are her fantasies coming true? What does the
brooding General Tilney want from her and will the truth destroy
her chance for love...?
Sense And Sensibility (Dir. Rodney Bennett, 1981): Jane Austen's
tale of two devoted sisters with totally differing attitudes to
life and love. Filmed on location in the stately homes of
picturesque Dorset and Somerset.
Mansfield Park (Dir. David Giles, 1983): True virtue triumphs
over superficiality in this distinguished BBC production of Jane
Austen's celebrated novel Mansfield Park. Set in 18th century
England, Jane Austen's tale of virtue and vice, tells of young
impoverished Fanny Price who arrives at the elegant country
estate of her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertam. Snubbed by everyone
except her cousin Edmund, Fanny begins her long struggle for
acceptance by her shallow relatives who believe wealth
automatically means quality. When Fanny finally wins the respect
of her snobbish relatives, she incurs the displeasure of her
uncle by rejecting the handsome philanderer Henry Crawford
because she has fallen in love with Edmund.
Emma (Dir. John Glenister, 1972): This splendid BBC dramatization
brings to life all the glorious wit and sharp humour of Jane
Austen's - arguably her finest - novel Emma, recreating her most
irritatingly endearing female character, of whom she wrote "no
one but myself could like." Emma presides over the small
provincial world of Highbury with enthusiasm, but she will find
that it is all too easy to confuse good intensions with
self-gratification. the often insensitive, ever well-meaning,
incorrigible Emma Woodhouse having engineered the marriage of
governess, companion and friend to Miss Taylor, now turns her
attention towards making a match for Mr. Elton, the local vicar,
and her new protégée Harriet Smith. Her one voice of reason and
restraint is Mr. Knightley, who has known her since she was a
child and who watches her behaviour with wry amusement and
sometimes anger.