First Impressions: Why All the Austen Haters Are Wrong

Ep 61: Movie Review: Sense and Sensibility 2008

[Episode recorded 5/15/21] Welcome, gentle listeners, to our review of the 2008 miniseries Sense & Sensibility, written by Andrew Davies and starring Hattie Moran as Elinor and Charity Wakefield as Marianne. While it's not easy to make a new version of S&S with the specter of the 1996 Ang Lee movie in the background, this game adaptation has some enjoyable points, especially with regard to the Willoughby/Marianne pairing. And Maggie is back to share her witty repartee and sing us a song! Note, as usual, this episode has some commentary that is not suitable for little ears. 

Movie IMDB Link here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847150/

The intro includes a clip of Peggy Lee's performance of Why Don't You Do Right? From this YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uTcw_A80Bo

Ep 60: Diversity and Inclusion in Austen Fandom with Bianca Hernandez-Knight

In this episode we welcome special guest Bianca Hernandez-Knight to talk about current affairs in the Jane Austen fandom, including the push that dedicated Janeites are making to foster inclusion in our online community. Join us to hear about the barriers that BIPOC and other marginalized Janeites continue to encounter in Austen fan spaces, and why representation in Austen adapations is so important to growing a diverse Janeite community. Finally, learn about her upcoming Virtual Jane Con event on May 1-2, 2021!

 

You can find Bianca online at Bookhoarding on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and check out her new patreon!

Ep 59: Adapting Persuasion with Sarah Rose Kearns

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome special guest Sarah Rose Kearns, actor, playwright, and consummate Janeite! We chat with Sarah Rose about her new adaptation of Persuasion, which will be staged (hopefully) in New York this fall. We also discuss her one-act play Manydown, which will be included as part of UNC Chapel Hill's Jane Austen Summer Program. Join us to learn how Sarah Rose interprets key aspects of Persuasion, and discover the fascinating challenges of making Austen come alive onstage. [Note: since recording this podcast, JASNA announced that their 2021 Annual General Meeting will indeed be held in person!]

Ep 58: Reclaiming Jane Guest Episode

In this episode we're thrilled to have guests Lauren and Emily of the Reclaiming Jane podcast! Reclaiming Jane was started as a podcast for fans on the margins, and creates a welcoming space for those whose identities are not reflected in Austen's original text, and may not be well represented in the current world of Austen fandom. Join us to learn what it means to read Austen through a modern lens, and how breaking down Austen's works and examining them thoroughly can help reclaim Austen for the readers on the margins. [Episode recorded 2/13/21]

Ep 57: Movie Review: Austenland

Gentle listeners, we present a review of Austenland (2013), a movie that skewers Austen-addict Jane (Keri Russell) as she goes on a Regency roleplaying retreat and meets a real life Mr. Darcy (JJ Feild). Directed by Jerusha Hess, this movie might be considered the "Napoleon Dynamite" of Austen-related media, winning you over with its broad yet quirky humor. It's getting hot in here... let's take off all our clothes and hope Brett Mckenzie doesn't have to deliver a newborn foal at an inopportune moment. [Episode recorded 1/2/21 so there is no discussion of recent US current events]

 

Full credits for the movie can be found at its IMDB entry.

Ep 56: Movie Review: Bridget Jones's Diary

[Note: File updated 12/20 with a small fix to the movie clip used in the intro - it was cut off in the first version of this episode!]. Time for the perfect Christmas movie review! We're taking on the beloved classic Bridget Jones's Diary, one of Kristin's favorite movies of all time. This "lean" adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with a very sexy Wickham, a very perfect Darcy, and a man we all call Mr... Mister...MISTER... FITZHERBERT! Because that is his name.

Songs featured in the podcast include Chaka Khan's I'm Every Woman  and Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross's duet Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart). At one point in the podcast Kristin misidentifies Marvin Gaye as Al Green - we apologize for the mix-up.

Ep 55: Movie Review: Bride and Prejudice

(Note: This episode was recorded on November 1st 2020, so there is no discussion of the US presidential election or its outcome.) Join us, gentle listeners, for our movie review of the effervescent Bollywood P&P adaptation Bride and Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha. This movie ports Austen's classic tale to modern-day India for an east-meets-west story of cultural misunderstandings, sharp social commentary, and ultimately, true love. Fantastic performances and Bollywood musical numbers make this movie a real treat, and Austen's story becomes a clever template to tease out issues of pride and prejudice among Indians, Americans, Brits, and expats.

Ep 54: Wuthering Heights

IT'S HERE. Thanks to all our amazing listeners who contributed to our fundraiser! We hit our goal, and as promised, we're bringing you a review of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, the 1992 movie starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (note, we tried to get those two dots over the "e" in Bronte, then decided we have our lives to live). Join us as we give this difficult text a second look, reframe our understanding of the story, and try to find a rainbow out on those stormy moors. And stay tuned after the Wheatsheaf mailbag portion of the show for some vanity bonus content!

Ep 53: Movie Review: Pride & Prejudice 1940 with Garson/Olivier

Another movie review! Maggie and Kristin tackle the delightful 1940 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Sir Laurence Olivier. We adored this absolute gem of a movie for its light tone, its fantastic performances, and its imaginative departures from the original story. We also reference information from a book we previously reviewed, The Making of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser, which contains a ton of valuable background information and insight into how this movie was made. For more information on this book, check out episode 35 of our podcast!

Ep 52: The Jane Austen Society: Author Interview with Natalie Jenner

Please join us for an interview with debut author Natalie Jenner, whose delightful book THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY was released in May 2020 from St. Martin's Press (NA) and Orion (UK). The book follows a group of unlikely Janeites in postwar England who come together to save Chawton cottage, and wind up saving themselves instead (through reading Jane, of course!). We discuss Natalie's personal relationship with Austen, her connection to Chawton, and what inspired her to create her story and characters. We also delve into some fascinating insights about Austen's work that are woven into the book. As a meditation on what Austen can mean to us through difficult times, The Jane Austen Society is the perfect book for First Impressions listeners, especially those ready to experiment with reading Austen-related fiction. SPOILER NOTE: Although we attempt to avoid major spoilers in this podcast, we do discuss the book's characters and relationships in depth. If you like to be completely unaware of these details when you begin a new book, we recommend only listening to the first 15 minutes or so of this podcast!