Here are the actors from Sense and Sensibility movies who I recognized…
S.&S. 2008
David Morrissey (Col. Brandon) - someone on The Water Horse Lucy Boynton (Margaret Dashwood) - Young Beatrix on Miss Potter
S.&S. 1995 Imelda Staunton (Mrs Palmer) - Miss Pole on Cranford, Mrs Micawber on David Copperfield (1999)
Greg Wise (John Willoughby) - Franklin Blake on The Moonstone, Sir Charles Maulver on Cranford Gemma Jones (Mrs. Dashwood) - Mrs. Fairfax on Jane Eyre (1997) Harriet Walter (Fanny Dashwood) - Mrs. Gowan on Little Dorrit James Fleet (John Dashwood) - Frederick Dorrit on Little Dorrit Robert Hardy (Sir John Middleton) - Tite Barnacle on Little Dorrit Elizabeth Spriggs (Mrs. Jennings) - Mrs. Goodenough, one of the gossipy ladies on Wives and Daughters (1999)
S.&S. 1981 Irene Richard (Elinor Dashwood) - Charlotte Lucas on Pride and Prejudice (1980)
S.&S. 1971 Joanna David (Elinor Dashwood) - Lizzy’s Aunt Gardiner on Pride and Prejudice (1995), Mrs. Stanbury on He Knew He Was Right, and a lady on Bleak House (2005)
Last week I asked if anyone had nominations for which characters should be in the possible ‘Which 19th-century Literary Heroine Are You Most Like?’ quiz. Well, no one made any nominations, so I selected some.
In this poll, please choose up to 8 characters you would like to see in the quiz. If there is anyone I did not mention but you want me to include, please comment & tell me who, and I’ll count that as a vote. (So if someone already mentioned who you were thinking of, you should comment too, to give that character another vote.)
As for nominations, remember that the book doesn’t have to have been written in the 1800s, just as long as that’s when the story is set. And it should probably be the main character of the book.
AND speaking of heroines, the fourth round (second-to-last) of the tournament is going on at Elegance of Fashion!
My second oldest sister Bethany is the artist of our family. She’s always had a way with the pencil, paint brush, guitar, and most anything artistic. Since I am doing Sense and Sensibility right now, I wanted to share some pictures she drew more than ten years ago, based on the 1995 film, which she had probably only seen one or two times. The first one she drew was of Elinor, and the second one of Marianne. (To see them bigger, click on them.) This is the one of Marianne. It’s quite possible, considering my age at the time, that that pen mark on it was done by me. I am very sorry if it was.
This is of Elinor.
The originals look even better, of course. The picture at the top of my blog was also done by her, about ten years ago.
‘Who is your favorite Charles Dickens hero?’ has a winner!
Arthur Clennam from Little Dorrit, with 3 votes.
The runners-up are: Allan Woodcourt from Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby, Oliver Twist, Pip from Great Expectations, and Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities, each with 1 vote.
Last week I suggested some possible quizzes and had you vote. These are the results so far: 1. “Which 19th Century Literary Heroine Are You?” (6 votes) 2. “Which Jane Austen Hero Would Be Best Suited For You?” (4 votes) 3. “Which Sense and Sensibility Lady Are You Most Like?” (3 votes) 4. “Which Emma Lady Are You Most Like” and “Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You Most Like?” (2 votes each)
I didn’t vote by the way, so the results are purely the reader’s choices. ;-) Now, about the top choice. I’m not sure I would be able to write it very soon - I might not have sufficient knowledge to do a good job - but I like planning for things, and it’s never too soon to do so, I think. It doesn't have to be only heroines from books that were actually written in the 19th century, just as long as the book is set then, and it’s well-known. Who to include is the big question! I’ll probably want to do 5-8 characters. Nominations, anyone?
Based on the book by Charles Dickens, this movie (or mini-series, if you prefer) is set in 1826 London. It’s about a girl named Amy Dorrit, who was born in the Marshalsea Prison for Debt. Her life is devoted to caring for her father. She finds a position doing needlework for an elderly lady, but is careful not to tell her father - who is too proud even after more than 20 years in debtor’s prison - because he would not allow it. Meanwhile, the son of the lady she works for (Arthur Clennam) comes back from being abroad 15 years. He brings news of his father’s death, and is determined to find out the meaning of his father’s dying words. To tell more of the story might take away some of the many surprises, so I will just go on to say…
What I like about Little Dorrit
Mystery
Secret pasts and dastardly villains!
Suspense
Those parts that keep you on the edge of your seat and your eyes wide open!
Romance
Yes, romance is always nice, and this is not a stereotypical love story, to be sure. It’s the type where you’re not sure what’s going to happen, or at least how.
A very admirable hero and heroine
I love Amy Dorrit. She is so selfless, even though her family is excessively irritating. She is always obedient and respectful, and thinks of others before herself, even when she’s hurting deeply inside.
The story is hardly less about Arthur Clennam, and a worthy hero he is! He’s probably somewhere near the top of my favorite 19th-century gentlemen list (well, I don’t literally have a list, but you know what I mean.) He is also very caring about other people.
A variety of interesting characters
Well, it’s Charles Dickens. You can expect the most outrageous & funny people in his stories.
Quotes What’s a movie without funny and quotable lines?
Story All the above make for a very interesting story, don't you think?
Music I liked a lot of the music in this movie. The tragic/dramatic song was particularly gripping. After watching Bleak House just a few days before, I greatly appreciated the music on Little Dorrit. Much more…meaningful. Unfortunately, there is no soundtrack available. But I found piano sheet music a couple of places on the internet, and that’s better than nothing.All of the above make for a very interesting story, don’t you think?
What I didn’t like about Little Dorrit Objectionable scenes: Fortunately for me, I had a sister who’d already seen this movie, so she fast-forwarded some parts. These are the parts I recommend skipping: Episode 2: Anything to do with the “French guy” (three scenes). He’s a creep. Episode 4: At the end, there is a murder scene. (Didn’t see it myself of course, but I’ve heard it’s quite unpleasant.) If you can’t stand bloody things or the like, you will also want to watch out at the end of Episode 13 and the very beginning of 14.
There are some dresses with very low necklines - never, however, worn by Amy. She is always modest. They are mostly worn by her older sister and a woman named Mrs. Merdle.
There is some swearing in there, although I tried to ignore them, so I can’t report explicitly.
Actors I recognized Matthew Macfadyen (Arthur Clennam) - Mr. Darcy on Pride and Prejudice (2005). I liked him much better as Mr. Clennam. He looks different, too. Tom Courtenay (Mr. Dorrit) - Newman Noggs, a funny old guy on Nicholas Nickleby (2002) Alun Armstrong (Flintwinch) - Detective Bucket on Bleak House (2005), Daniel Peggotty on David Copperfield (1999) James Fleet (Frederick Dorrit, Mr. Dorrit’s brother) - John Dashwood on Sense and Sensibility (1995) Bill Paterson (Mr. Meagles) - Mr. Gibson on Wives and Daughters, Mr. Potter on Miss Potter, and I’ve also seen him on Amazing Grace. Harriet Walter (Mrs. Gowan) - Fanny Dashwood on Sense and Sensibility (1995) Robert Hardy (Tite Barnacle) - Sir John Middleton on Sense and Sensibility (1995) Ron Cook (Mr. Chivery) - Mr. Bozzle on He Knew He Was Right John Alderton (Mr. Casby) - Mr. Outhouse on He Knew He Was Right
Some people might object to the length - it is 7 ½ hours long. But personally, I like long movies. You can only see something for the first time once, and it is all the more to enjoy. You understand why it’s so long when you see the length of the book. I imagine a considerable amount was still left out! For a movie that long, you’d be surprised how little of the time nothing interesting is happening.
Many people rate things when they review them - well, I’m going to give it a grade, A+ being the highest.
I’ll give it an A, and that is the movie without the ‘bad’ scenes. I really enjoyed it--ask anyone in my family or close acquaintance, I really got into the story. I love those stories that you can’t stop thinking about for a while.
Guess what everybody? I finally made my blog button! Hooray! I've always liked them. So, if any of you want to pick it up, it's on my sidebar. For some reason it wouldn't let me put it on the post. Does anyone know why?
Since I am on the S&S subject right now, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the music from the 1995 film. I really like it; it’s probably my favorite soundtrack, and maybe my favorite CD altogether. Patrick Doyle is a wonderful composer. Music is part of what determines a movie's success. The script, the costumes, the settings, and of course the acting all contribue, but I think music is more important than we may realize. Think of the happiest scene in a movie, the saddest, the one that makes you most angry--chances are that the music has a large part of making you feel that way. Take the music away...and it’s not as touching. And the music on this movie really goes with the story and with the time period. Anyways. Definitely a success in my opinion.
Poll closed: On the sidebar I asked the question “Should I write more ‘which character are you’ quizzes like I did for Pride and Prejudice?” 7 people voted ‘Yes!!’ and nobody voted anything else. So, now I know, if I do write another quiz, at least 7 people will take it, right? Now I wonder what the quiz should be. I’ve thought of a few; if you are interested, vote on the poll below for what sounds like you’d most want to take. (You can choose more than one.) The last three I'd have to wait a while to write. There is a also new poll on the sidebar.
A few months ago I was putting my mind to the title Sense and Sensibility. I remembered reading in various places that Elinor had sense and Marianne had sensibility. I had not thought of it deeply until then, but it had never made much sense to me. I thought ‘sense’ and ‘sensibility’ were similar words; I thought sensibility simply meant to be sensible--sensibleness. But that didn’t seem right, so I decided to look it up. We have 3 or 4 dictionaries laying around the house, and here are some of the definitions: “Refined awareness and appreciation in matters of feeling”…“Mental or emotional responsiveness towards something”…“Delicacy of feeling”…“The ability to feel or perceive sensations.” Then I understood. Sensibility means sensitiveness. Probably you readers already knew that. But I wonder how often we don’t really consider or comprehend things such as names of books? Things we hear all the time, but never really think about…
“Which is your second favorite Jane Austen story?” poll on the sidebar closed a while ago. Here are the results: 1. Persuasion (5 votes) 2. Emma (4 votes) 3. Sense and Sensibility (3 votes) 4. Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey (1 vote each) I voted for Emma as my second favorite. I’ve seen a poll for favorite before, and Pride and Prejudice was #1. The “Who is your favorite Jane Austen hero?” poll is also closed. Here are the winners:
Poor Edward Ferrars got no votes. Some people think him dull, but I've always rather liked Edward. Better than some others…but he is not my favorite. In case anyone is wondering, I voted for Mr. Darcy. Although I really like Mr. Knightley, and I know I am not the only one who considers him a close second to Mr. Darcy.
I would do a ‘favorite Jane Austen heroine’ poll next, but since the “Period Drama Heroine Tournament” is going on at Elegance of Fashion, that would seem a bit redundant. Several of the contestants are Jane Austen characters.
So, I am doing Charles Dickens heroes. I am not nearly as acquainted with Dickens as I am with Miss Austen, so if I left anyone out who should be there…maybe you even want to vote for him…please let me know. Oh, and I love to know who votes for what, so I would be happy if you would comment and tell me your choice.
