This has been a post-in-planning for a while, and after talking to Courtney about starting her classics/Austen journey, I decided to go ahead and get it posted sooner than later. May’s prompt for the Canterbury Classics Challenge is to watch an Austen adaptation, so if you’re not sure which to pick or what your options are … this post is for you. {I have also succeeded in making myself want to [re]watch all the movies, so it may be A Very Jane Year on the tv as well}.

There are so many adaptations and retellings and nods to the original stories, this post is in no way an exhaustive listing of all your adaptation options. I’ve focused primarily on the actual period drama versions of all the novels – and a handful of tangentially related Austenesque works. There are of course contemporary/modern versions as well {example: Bride and Prejudice and Clueless}, but those don’t hit the same when I’m wanting a Jane Austen movie. I have also included a few that are still on my To Watch list.

Pride and Prejudice: Arguably the most famous and familiar of Jane’s stories. For reasons.

• 1995, with Colin Firth and Elizabeth Ehle: This was my first introduction to Jane Austen, ever. {More on that story in a post to come}. It is a time commitment, but it is so good, and so thorough, there’s a reason it is the favorite of many.
• 2005, with Matthew McFayden and Keira Knightley: First I’d like to point out that I have no idea how this movie is back in theatres for its 20th anniversary already. Second, this is my favorite version. I love how beautiful it is, in spite of being substantially shorter in length {and therefore not as thorough a retelling}. The music, the scenery, the perfect juxtaposition between Darcy and Mr. Collins at the Netherfield Ball.
• 1940, with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson: This is nowhere near “accurate” – they used leftover costumes from Gone with the Wind after all – but it is hilarious good fun.

Sense and Sensibility: If you think people are divided over which Darcy is the best, you’ve never had a discussion about Edward Ferrars, ha.

• 1995, with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet: Popular opinion would disagree, but this is not my favorite version. The casting doesn’t feel right – the actors are all supremely talented, but are not the best fit for their individual characters. Exceptions being Sir John Middleton and Mr. Parker – those are cast absolutely perfect, and Hugh Laurie missed his calling in life by not playing more disinterested Regency gentlemen.
• 2008, with Hattie Morahan and Dan Stevens: This. This is the movie version of my dreams. Technically another BBC miniseries, but I always binge it through. The setting. The aesthetic. The music. The casting. Yes, yes, and more yes. Also: Dan Stevens.

Emma: People love this story, or they hate it. {I love it}. And yes, there is a significant age-gap between Emma and Knightley, but it’s only weird if you make it weird.

• 1996, with Gwyneth Paltrow: This one is fun, and I do like the casting. But it’s not my favorite.
• 2009, with Jonny Lee Miller and Romola Garai: This is my favorite; again – technically a miniseries, but bingeable if you don’t mind a longer movie night. Jonny Lee Miller is the perfect Knightley, and his responses and reactions to Emma have such a natural feeling. Also: the music and aesthetics are so, so good.

Persuasion: My feelings about Persuasion as a novel are decidedly “meh,” however I love Persuasion retellings and don’t mind the movies. {I am very curious how my reread will go later this year}.

• 1995, with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds: Breaking the “new BBC versions as favorites”-trend, I actually feel this one captures Anne’s transformation best. With excellent makeup and costuming, you can watch her bloom as the story plays out.
• 2007, with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones: Yes, it has a beautiful aesthetic and the BBC really knows what they’re doing when it comes to casting. This one just doesn’t hit quite the same for me, and the long-awaited romantic culmination loses something with Anne gasping for breath. It’s an easy watch however.

Mansfield Park + Northanger Abbey: One of these I thoroughly enjoyed, the other I have yet to force myself to finish reading. {Spoiler: Mansfield Park is the struggle}.

• Mansfield Park, 1999, with Frances O’Connor and Jonny Lee Miller: I watched the whole movie years ago, and from what I remember, this was a weird watch. I may try the PBS version I noticed at the Library, see if it’s just me or the story on screen.
• Northanger Abbey, 2007 with JJ Feild and Felicity Jones: This one was cast beautifully, and is such an enjoyable, and quick, watch.

It’s not just Jane’s novels that invite on-screen adaptations! Several of her lesser-known works have made it to the screen, as well as explorations of Jane herself.

• Love and Friendship, 2016 with Kate Beckinsale: I saw this one in theatres with a friend, before having read the original text. It was different in tone and substance, but you can still find the Jane within. A rewatch is definitely in order.
• Miss Austen Regrets, 2007 with Olivia Williams: Jane is such a fascinating person, and this look at her later in life, as she helps her niece find a husband, is so intriguing. Fun fact: Tom Hiddleston plays a role.
• Becoming Jane, 2007 with Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy: We know Jane never married, but she is rumored to have had a great love. Watching this one is bittersweet, since you know from the beginning they won’t have a “happily ever after” of their own.

And then there’s the movies about the Janeites – those of us who love Jane and the world of her novels so much we dream of fully immersing ourselves in the stories.

• Lost in Austen, 2008: This mini series is wild, y’all. There’s the “book travel” aspect, of literally entering the story and swapping places with Elizabeth Bennet. The characters are exaggerated and larger than life, and it works so good. {I may have screamed the first time Mr. Collins appeared on screen}. Some Janeites don’t like how much this tampers with the P&P storyline, but I am okay with tampering when it results in a fun experience.
• Austenland, 2013: This one is based on a book itself, and while not necessarily about an Austen novel, it is definitely about Janeites. It’s hilarious and cheeky and so well-cast.

These are movies and series that I’ve not seen yet but are on the radar. I know other Janeites have watched and loved {or in some cases loathed}, so I’m very intrigued.

• Emma 2020, with Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn: Fun fact: Mr. and I were going to see this one in theatres while dating, but the pandemic hit and all the things stopped. I went ahead and ordered the Blu-ray as soon as it was available, but have weirdly not watched yet. This will be watched soon, for May’s prompt if not before.
• Persuasion 2022, with Dakota Johnson: From what I gather this is not the most faithful version to hit the screen. As mentioned previously, that doesn’t bother me, especially since I am ambivalent about this one in general, so I’m very curious to see what all the buzz is about.
• Sanditon, 2019-2013: In truth, I have neither read nor watched Sanditon, but the blurbs and trailers I’ve caught over the years indicate this production is gorgeous. I’m also a bit jealous that such a little known {and unfinished} work received a multi-season series – I’d love to see the same extended treatment being given to some of the other novels.

Since this is such a big year in the Jane Austen world, there are several upcoming on-screen adaptations coming our way – from the Masterpiece production of Miss Austen to a Netflix take on Pride & Prejudice to the theatrical release Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

What is your favorite Jane Austen adaptation? Are you going to watch any of the new releases?