Lost in Lost in Austen

Sorry for the lateness of the post Loyal readers but I have spent the most enjoyable morning watching "Lost in Austen", a must see for any fan of Jane Austen or "Pride and Prejudice".

It is the funny, quirky tale of Amanda Price, a modern day Brit who loves to read her Jane Austen novels and day dreams about what life was like in Austen's time. One day she finds the heroine of "Pride and Prejudice", Elizabeth Bennet, in her bathroom and her tub contains a doorway to Lizzy's world. But like Alice in Wonderland, Amanda finds that all that she knows from Jane Austen's book may not be correct after all. And Amanda turns the Bennet world upside down as well. Suddenly Jane is married to Mr. Collins, Charlotte Lucas is off to Africa, Caroline Bingley is a lesbian and Charles Bingley has run off with Lydia. Not to mention that the evil Mr. Wickham is really a good guy at heart. One thing never changes and that is Mr. Darcy. Infuriating, irritating and handsome as ever. Poor Amanda knows she has to make everything right even if it means heart break for herself.

As a fan of the BBC show "Hex", I was glad to see Jemima Rooper (who was the lesbian ghost Thelma on "Hex") playing Amanda. She's a hoot and such an every girl that you can't help but root for her even when you know that "Pride and Prejudice" ends with Darcy and Lizzy living happily ever after. She's not just a fish out of water but a fish out of time. Also from "Hex" is Christina Cole, who plays Caroline Bingley with the haughty aristocraticness we have come to know and hate. She's perfect and I loved the line when Amanda says "I never understood your character". I don't know much about Elliot Cowan, the actor who plays Darcy, and he's no Colin Firth (even Amanda admits that) but he's perfectly arrogant and a great sport, especially when Amanda asks him to get in the water so she can have the live moment when Darcy emerges from the lake. (Too perfect, I would have done the same.)

Apparently, "Lost in Austen" aired in Britain on ITV. It had a showing in America on Ovation, a channel unavailable in Las Vegas. So I watched "Lost in Austen" on YouKu which appears to be a Japanese You Tube. All four episodes (about 45 minutes each) are available on YouKu and don't worry, they are all in English. You'll have to watch it on your computer, but for fans of romance and Austen, this is a necessity to watch. And ITV, bring it on to America please!

Underrated Movies

I read another blog where a woman wrote about movies. Most of the movies she reviewed were not popular films, her choices were more like older and foreign films. Now I love older films (love, love, LOVE classic Bette Davis films like Jezebel, Now, Voyager and All This and Heaven Too) and I adore foreign films - please see Adam's Apples (available on Netflix and playing on the Sundance channel) and Reprise (in limited release but sure to be on DVD at some point). But I also love films that are, perhaps, a little less lofty in their aspirations. I love films that entertain, with no higher purpose than that.

On this particular blog, the author had a list of her most underrated movies. One of these movies was The Rapture, starring Mimi Rogers. Now I will never criticize another person's choices because movies speak to each viewer differently. But I hated The Rapture. I have seen it twice because I thought I'd give it a second chance. But I still hated it. It didn't speak to me. And that's okay. There have been lots of films that millions of people have loved that I didn't (The English Patient? Ugh. Knocked Up? So completely unbelievable to me and I so don't relate) But it got me thinking about films I liked that I don't think got any attention. So I am paying homage to those films by spreading the word. These are films I enjoy. I'd love for others to enjoy them too. But if you don't like them, that's cool by me. I'd love to hear your choices too!


The film I'm recommending today is Bride and Prejudice. I love it because it combines two of my favorite things, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and Bollywood. For those who are unfamiliar with Bollywood, it's a style of film making from India (which makes way more films each year than Hollywood does). Some of the key components in Bollywood films are bright costumes, large musical numbers, guest musical performances and the heroine never kisses the hero. I love these films because they are a lot like my beloved Elvis musicals of the early sixties, and I love the sweet, simple stories like Elvis in Clambake, Spinout and Viva Las Vegas.

Bride and Prejudice follows these Bollywood traditions with an added Western flair. Directed by Gurwinder Chada of Bend It Like Beckham fame (another great film, and starring the ever so handsome Irishman Jonathan Rhys-Myers) and written by her husband Paul Mayeda Berges, B&P is a comedic retelling of the Austen classic.

Acclaimed Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai (once named the most beautiful woman in the world) stars as Lalita (the Lizzie Bennett character) and Martin Henderson plays Mr. Darcy. It's a charming adaptation which spans the globe from India to London to California. The India locals are beautiful and I'd love to go visit some day. The costumes are wonderful and the musical numbers are well incorporated. If you are a fan of either Jane Austen or the Bollywood style, you'll love the films. If you just love romantic comedies and/or musicals then you should check it out as well. Available on DVD and running occasionally on cable on the Starz network.



Got a favorite film that you think is underrated dear readers? Let me know. I'll accept guest columns for this ongoing series. Next time I'll review my favorite Melanie Griffith film (who knew that was even possible!)