Okay, did you read the book then watch the movie? What did you think? There are books and movies that I know I love (Pride and Prejudice) and then there are ones that I forget how much I like them until I am reading/watching them again.  Jane Eyre is one of the latter for me; it is only when I am immersed in the story that I remember how much I love it.  The version of the film I am talking about is the 2006 BBC miniseries.

Gothic Elements

We can’t discuss Jane Eyre without talking about the Gothic elements that are spread throughout the entire story.  It starts with the visit of the ghost of Jane’s uncle in the ‘red room’, frightening her to the point that she tears her hands up beating on the door. I have to admit, that act alone made me despise the aunt–even before she turns Jane over to the horrible school–and I struggled to reconcile with Jane for forgiving her aunt in the end and helping her aunt when no one else would (but then, I am not nearly as forgiving as Jane is).

Other Gothic elements include the crazy wife in the tower who comes out to try and kill everyone else and the weather as a sympathetic reflection of the Jane’s emotions.  When Jane and Mr. Rochester meet it is a misty dreary day where everything is obscured and in turmoil.  As the summer progresses and their relationship develops, the summer turns pleasant, and when Jane leaves and is left on the moors, the weather again becomes dreary.  Do you love the Gothic elements or think they are a trifle over done?

Houseparty

Mr. Rochester, after getting to know Jane and obviously being attracted to her, brings a party of guests to the house most of whom don’t treat Jane very well. Why do you think he did that? I have a couple of theories, let me know what you think.

One theory, he could have brought the house party, especially Blanche Ingram, in an attempt to remind himself of the world he resides in. Also, as a way to show Jane in a bad light, she is not a social creature, she doesn’t understand the manipulations that Mr. Rochester plays upon those around him who seek him out for his money, and because Jane isn’t pretty–whereas most of the women in the house party are like butterflies (beautiful without much substance who flutter about)–he brought them to remind himself of the beautiful women available to him.

My second theory is that Mr. Rochester brought them to the house in an attempt to justify spending more time with Jane. If he had the guests at the house he wouldn’t feel so guilty about spending time with her and enjoying her company.  Also, bringing the vain shallow women who were only after his money into the house showed how very different Jane is in temperament and ideals.  What do you think, is one theory better than the other or do you have your own theory?

Wedding

When I first read this book in my teens, I cried when the wedding was interrupted and it was revealed that Mr. Rochester was already married.  My heart broke for both Jane and Mr. Rochester and I was so mad at Richard Mason for interrupting the wedding after Jane and Mr. Rochester worked so hard to save his life after his crazy sister attacked him.  Do you think he should have kept quiet after helping to trick Rochester into marrying his crazy sister in the first place? Or did he do the right thing because Rochester was married?

Money vs. Family & Character

One recurring theme is money vs. character and money vs. family.  From the beginning of the story Jane is forced to do without both, the only relatives she knows force her to attend a horrible school where she is abused and starved. Mr. Rochester repeatedly mentions how handsome he is because of the money he has. Finally, Jane is left an inheritance by an uncle she never met and instead of keeping all of it for herself she shares it equally with her River cousins.  This is one of my favorite themes of the book, the value of family and how most people don’t appreciate it because they have never had to do without those bonds.

Mr. Rochester

Mr. Rochester is one of the most complex males in literary fiction (at least in my opinion). He is charming and charismatic while at the same time being selfish and arrogant.  One minute I want to beat him for the way to treats those around him and in the next hold him and promise to love him forever.  Obviously he is incredibly cynical because of the greedy people who flutter around him and because of the marriage he was tricked into making by his own family members.  As a result of the manipulation he endured, he sees no problem with manipulating those around him. I think he does try to be the bigger man in the beginning of his relationship with Jane, treating her well and finally offering her marriage because he loves her and he wants to be loved in return.  I think his baser nature gets the better of him when he tries to convince Jane to run away with him and pretend to be his sister, as if that relationship would remain the platonic one he described for very long. However, for all his faults I still love him and sigh in happiness when he finally gets his Jane back. I would love to read the story from his point of view, all we get is Jane’s. How does he feel when his Jane leaves him, what does he do and how does he adjust after losing everything?

My last question, do you think that Mr. Rochester had to be humbled with his house burning to the ground, his wife dying with him unable to save her and him being permanently injured to be able to have a happy and long time relationship with Jane or do you think he could have been happy with Jane with everything except the wife intact? Or do you think it was just punishment for him to have to suffer without Jane, lost in the dark by himself, for the pain he caused to Jane?

I love this story and am very glad I got to enjoy it with a critical eye, too many times I tend to just enjoy any story without analyzing it but half the greatness of this story is in analyzing it’s many layers and elements. When the 2011 version is released we will have to do a comparison to see which we like better.

Hard to believe a month has already passed, it is that great time again, when we discuss the books-to-movie challenge for the month.  This month was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Okay, I have to admit I am unable to choose a favorite between the two versions of the film, the 1995 BBC mini-series or the 2005 feature film version. I love them both for different reasons. The mini-series I love for its close following of the book and wonderful portrayal of the absurdities of all the characters; the film version for its sexual tension between Elizabeth and Darcy and the beautiful cinematography of the entire film. That being said, I love to discuss and compare the two versions, so let’s get started.

So the first thing to pay attention to, when reading and watching is the character Mr. Darcy, which actor/film has the better Darcy?

I have to admit that I am torn between the two Darcys. When ever someone mentions Mr.Darcy I immediately think of Colin Firth.  The first time I saw the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice I was in high school, my mother had seen one section of the mini-series on television and immediately ordered the complete collection on VHS (yes, I realize this is dating me). I got the great idea that I would watch one section of the series each night for a week, at four am the morning of the first night I finished the last episode and was finally able to go to bed.  I have found out that I am almost physically incapable of just watching one section of the series, if it is on TV I have to get my copy out to finish it before I can go to sleep.  For this reason, Colin Firth and the BBC version will always hold a special place in my heart.  That being said, I find Colin Firth’s Darcymuchmore autocratic and lordly than I find Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy.  Matthew’s Darcy, in my opinion portrays the book’s Darcy better.  Distant and standoffish because of shyness and an inability to be comfortable in society Matthew portrays the Darcy of the book better. All right readers, let me know who you vote for, Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen?!

The next question, which couple do you like better, Jane and Mr. Bingley or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?

When I first read the book I immediately loved Elizabeth and Darcy as a couple, their witty comments, their loving each other against their will and their eventual coming together I relished and relived time and again.  Now, having watched and read the story so many times, I am coming to appreciate Jane and Bingley’s relationship more and more. Their quiet admiration for each other, their silent suffering because of other people’s actions and their final joy is the less obvious great love story to be found in Pride and Prejudice.  Which couple do you like better?

Finally, and in my opinion the most important question, favorite scenes from each versions?

This one is a toughie for me, there are so many great scenes in both films, like when Darcy flexes his hand after assisting Elizabeth into the carriage in the film version, or when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth in the mini-series. But after careful deliberation (because obviously this very important question had to be answered) I decided on my favorite scene from each version.

In the mini-series version my favorite scene is when Elizabeth and Darcy run into each other at Pemberly, after Darcy has proposed and been rejected by Elizabeth and she has read the letter he wrote to her explaining his actions.  The extreme awkwardness and embarrassment of both is so pivotal to breaking down the walls they have built between the two of them and leading to their eventual reconciliation.

In the film version my favorite scene is when Elizabeth and Darcy are dancing together, the scene begins with the room full of people with Elizabeth and Darcy speaking in the middle of the dance floor.  As the conversation progresses, all of a sudden it is only the two of them in the room, dancing alone and focused on each other.  It feels as if the world has fallen away and there is only the two of them, an incredible visual reflection of their relationship, how it doesn’t matter what is going on around them (Lydia running away with Whickham and Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s disapproval) they only have eyes for each other. Do you have a favorite scene?

I could go on and on about what I love about both films and the secondary characters (the two Mr. Collins and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine De Bourgh) but I think I will leave it here. Let me know what you think and if there is something I absolutely should have mentioned and failed to comment on.

Where do I even start with this great book and film?! I first read the novel when I was in high school, when my mother handed me her copy and informed me that it was one of the greatest love stories ever written.  The novel was originally published in 1813 as Jane Austen’s second published work, after Sense and Sensibility.  It was an immediate success and is still considered one of the best books to read.  I have to admit that I personally own four copies of the book, one in a nice leather bound collection, two paperbacks and one in ebook form. Since obtaining my ereader, I check the Amazon.com bestseller list almost daily, in the year I have had it Pride and Prejudice has remained in the top 100.

Having read the book numerous times and I am not even going to start trying to count how many times I have seen the film (in any version), I have to agree with my mother’s assessment. Since most of us already familiar with this book and movie (honestly, I am just using this as an excuse to reread the books and watch the films) I thought we might try a different approach.

So the first thing to pay attention to, when reading and watching is Darcy, which actor/film has the better Darcy?

OR                               

The next question, which couple do you like better, Jane and Mr. Bingley or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?

Finally, and most importantly, which film version do you like best, if you have seen both?

So get reading, watching and meet back here on the 23rd to discuss your thoughts.

It’s that time again, so pull up your popcorn and your book and let’s talk about Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Okay, I have to admit that going in to watch the movie I was warned by several people that the book and the movie were very different, and they were correct. I think the best way to discuss this is to look at each one separately because they are so different from each other.

The Book:

I first read the book a couple of years ago and liked it so much I subsequently bought the entire series. Since rereading the first book in the series I have been steadily working my way through the series again because I enjoyed it so much the first time.Percy, son of Poseidon, half-blood and hero.  I like Percy, arrogant and unsure at the same time, his optimism in face of great odds and despite the history of heroes ending up cursed, dead or falling is endearing, as is his struggle to figure out what is going on because he just doesn’t study his Greek Mythology well enough.  His defense of those weaker than him is also endearing, in this book it is Grover before he finds out what Grover really is, in the second book it is a young Cyclops.

Annabeth, daughter of Athena, in the novel she is a blond, smart girl who studies architecture for fun.  I love her bragging about being smart and not being afraid to take down Percy a few notches when he needs it. The gift from her mother makes me giggle by being a cap of invisibility that looks like  a baseball cap.

Clarrisse, daughter of Ares, camp nemesis of Percy and numero uno bully.  I was disappointed when her characterdidn’t appear in the movie.  I was also disappointed to not get to see biker Ares, god of war.

Luke, son of Hermes, betrayer of the camp and, more particularly, Percy in setting him up to take the fall for the theft of Zeus’ main lightening bolt.  I was disappointed in the movie that they didn’t give him the wicked cool scar on his face from the claw of a dragon.

I think my favorite character is Percy with Annabeth as a close second, what do you think?

The official book website.

The Movie:

Percy of the movie, I thought they did a good job casting Percy, although at the age of twelve he should have been smaller and less good looking, but hey, who I am to complain about some good eye candy?! Percy is given a very short period of time to train, adjust to the information about the gods he has been given, and defeat Annabeth at capture the flag before leaving on his quest.  This felt a bit rushed but I really liked the overall look and feel to Camp Half-Blood.

Okay, first major change from the book was Percy finding out he was the son of Poseidon at the beginning of the movie, in the book he doesn’t know who his father is until about the middle of the book and even then Poseidon is a very removed character, both emotionally and physically.  I enjoyed the loving father angle of the movie but the distant father of the novel was truer to the Greek Myths I grew up reading.

Okay, I have to admit I almost squealed like a little girl when Sean Bean appeared as Zeus, I had no idea that was who they cast and I thought he was incredible. Also, Pierce Brosnan made a great Chiron, not quite as muscular as I had imagined Chiron being but a believable Centaur nonetheless.

The quest for the pearls of Persephone, so different from the quest in the book. I was disappointed that they didn’t include the Oracle (who is a mummy) and her advice to go West to find the thief and Percy was given the pearls from his father to return to the sea.  The first major battle against Medusa was correct and Uma Thurman did a great job of playing Medusa. The Hydra’s don’t appear in the books until the second book.

Final thoughts, I liked both separately as the movie was great when not comparing it to the book but as a film supposedly based on the book, it went far from the book especially in the themes of father and father’s love.  Okay, you have heard (in great detail and a lot of words) what I think, what did you think?  If you haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet, I was able to see it at a discount theater or it comes out on DVD on June 29th.

The official movie website.

**On a side note, this was one of the hardest posts for me to write because spell check doesn’t recognize Greek gods and I am horrible speller.