The Jane Austen Project - Ranking ALL the Austen Movie Adaptations

Ok, just the ones I've seen

I am embarking on this mad project to rank all the Jane Austen movies.  Why?  Because I saw someone else had started to and I disagreed with them completely.  I was so put out by their rankings and reasons that I thought about it for days and decided to do my own.  So here we are.

I haven't watched all of the adaptations ever made, some of them are a bit harder to dig up and not all of them are worth the many hours of investment required.  This will be a discussion and ranking of the ones I've seen and I'll update this list if and when I see more Jane Austen movie adaptations.

Seriously though, why do we watch all these adaptations anyway?

I don't know about you, but when I watch adaptations of Jane Austen's books because I love the stories.  I want to be transported to a time with polite and proper manners, and conversation.  I want to revel in the beautiful gowns, scenery, and landscapes.  I watch Jane Austen movies because I want to glimpse life in another time, see the daily life, the manor houses and imagine Regency balls.  I want to imagine a time when gentlemen and ladies were held to a rigid code and be nostalgic for the idea of it while not having to give up my modern civil liberties.  There is something in the way that Jane Austen draws up her characters with rich inner lives and complex motivations that I love to watch play out every time on the screen.  For a few hours, I want to live in a world where real obstacles are overcome and good characters always get a happy ending despite all the odds being against them.

Public Service Announcement
Before I forget, you can in fact find all of Jane Austen's stories in the public domain.  That means, that you can find FREE digital copies of them on Kindle etc.  Also, because they are in the public domain you can find FREE audiobooks at https://librivox.org/.  Everyone should be able to access a copy that wants one.  Ok, now back to the rankings.

As much as I love Jane Austen, not all her stories were created equal.  Her characters are certainly not all created equal, some possess more wit and vivacity than others.  She has a way of portraying families and social dynamics, both good and bad that is utterly captivating.  And as much as we all seem to love these stories, the endless variations of film adaptations have produced the same varied quality.

This will be a slightly shorter explanation of what I like and don't like about all the adaptations. I will discuss all the movies at more length on pages for each book.  I'll have a page for Pride and Prejudice adaptations, Sense and Sensibility, etc. (links also to be found at the bottom of this page).

Here is my ranking of all the Jane Austen movie adaptations that I have seen.  Feel free to disagree with me and tell me so in the comments, if you feel so inclined.

1. Pride and Prejudice 1995 BBC mini-series 

Starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle

         What can I say?  This mini-series is number one of all the Jane Austen movies because it is perfect.  (These are my opinions obviously, you may disagree and even feel at liberty of commenting thus).  I love Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth.  I think she does the most amazing job of bringing the character to life.  I love the way they portray Lizzy in this series.  She's smart, she's witty, she's caring.  She's independent but not forceful.  She's realistic and hopeful.

         Colin Firth is excellent as Mr. Darcy.  He does such a lovely job of growing emotionally throughout the film with his facial expressions, starting from a scowl and ending with a more vulnerable admiration across the room when Elizabeth saves his sister from distress.  I do think that one gratuitous fan-pleasing scene with Colin Firth diving in the pond is silly.  But every other scene is rational and lovely.

         The length of the movie allows them to linger on subtle emotional scenes to achieve the correct tone as well as tell the story at a pace that unfolds naturally.  I love it.  The clothes, the scenery, the music, the pacing, it's all perfect.

         Why is this my all-time favorite of all the Jane Austen movie adaptations?  Well, I simply love the story, the characters, the nuanced performances of all the actors and I can't find any fault with this version.  So, I like it best.  I often put in just the last disc and watch the end of this movie whenever I need a pick-me-up.  I rewatch the whole version once a year during the summer with my mom and a healthy amount of tea and cookies.  By healthy I mean indulgent and luxurious.

2. Sense and Sensibility 1995 - starring Emma Thompson

          This movie is so perfect.  From the piratical and geographical leanings of Margaret to the small details of life at home with four women this movie is perfection itself.  It has an emotional subtlety that is conveyed with both grandeur and simplicity.  The scene where Elinor sits in the stairwell and drinks the tea she has brewed for Marianne while everyone has dramatically (and with tears,) closed a different door in her face is perfect.  The loneliness and bravery required to keep everything together for the family's sake when everyone else is so emotional is so obvious in this script.  Watching Emma Thompson portray the struggles of a sensitive but brave heart that cannot give in to any of her own sorrow is a beautiful thing.  Such nuance, such loveliness.

          It's cast beautifully.  Everything about this movie is lovely really.  Your heart breaks (and I cry) for Marianne while she quotes sorrowful poetry in the rain and for Colonel Brandon who loves her completely but has given up hope she'd ever think of him.  It's just perfect.

          Since I've expressed my views on how perfect this movie is why is it in second place?  I prefer the storyline and some of the characters in Pride and Prejudice.  The ladies do steal the show in Sense and Sensibility, I don't love the men as much as in Pride and Prejudice.  However, Emma Thompson's script is simply perfection, so it's number 2 for me.

3. Northanger Abbey 2007  - starring J.J. Field

            Oh my goodness I love this version.  I love the chemistry between J.J. Field and Felicity Jones.  I think Miss Thorpe is perfectly cast and believable.  Actually, everyone is perfect in it.  You believe that Catherine is young and a bit fanciful but she is thankfully not portrayed in an irritating way as they do in some other versions.

          Oh, and the falling in love montage, over apple picking, apple roasting, and the race to see his home in the rain on horseback.  Sigh.  The way he gently lifts her off the horse and reverently touches her face to remove the mud, it, well, it defies words.  It's perfection.  I love this movie entirely.

          This movie is third because, again, I prefer the story of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.  It gave a close run for second place because it's lovely, but the scripting of Sense and Sensibility done by Emma Thompson is exquisite.  Northanger Abbey is only third, one place down, by the slightest margin.  Even though this is not my all-time favorite Austen, I admit that I find Mr. Tilney completely dreamy in this version.  But who can compare with the incomparable J.J. Field?

4. Persuasion 1995

        This movie is fourth because it's a lovely version of Persuasion, my favorite version actually.  This story is about the very sensitive Anne, who is misunderstood by all her family, and even her friends.  So, the tone is a little more melancholy.  I do love the story but it's not quite as happy as other Austen's until you reach the very end.  In some ways, I relate most closely to Anne's character and story, so it can be difficult for me to watch her struggle some days.

         This version does a beautiful job of giving you the feeling of Anne's quiet and somewhat melancholy life at home.  The longing she has for a chance to live life on her own terms and the nostalgia for a time when she was more herself and happy with Captain Wentworth.

         I really like the chemistry between Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds in this movie as well.  It is a lovely, nuanced adaptation of such a sensitive work with such sensitive characters who have very rich inner lives. 

5. Emma 1996 - starring Kate Beckinsale

        The reason this is number six for me is because "Emma" is not my favorite story, but this is my favorite adaptation of Emma.  In this version, you can see the feelings that Mr. Knightley is developing for her.  I like to see him just a tiny bit jealous when you're watching and he doesn't know it.  The chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightley is lovely in this version.

          This Emma is also more likable as a person, less mean, just young, and naive in some ways.  The splendor of Mr. Knightley's wealth is fantastically displayed with the strawberry picking and a manservant to attend to each guest.  I love that detail.  Seeing how many servants must attend a strawberry-picking party and a picnic.

          I love that the story includes chicken thieves because it makes it just slightly more entertaining.  I love that it opens and ends with them.  I love that this is how they convince her father she should in fact marry Mr. Knightley.  It's adorable.  I love the chicken thieves. (since Emma is not my favorite Austen, that's enough to nudge it into first place of the Emma's for me).

6. Pride and Prejudice 1940 with Laurence Olivier 

This movie is a black and white version of Pride and Prejudice set more in the Antebellum American South than it is in Regency Era England.  But if you can get past the Antebellum gowns (which are great in their own way), and the black and white film, and the random dramatic 1940's obligatory staring out of windows, it's a great movie.  No, it's not strictly traditional or faithful to the book.  But it's a cute take adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and I prefer the charming but unfaithful additions in this film to the poorly written and awkwardly modern Lizzy of the new 2005 Pride and Prejudice.  For more on this version, see my Pride and Prejudice rankings page.

7. Pride and Prejudice 2005 with Keira Knightley

          Yes, it's good, no it's not as good as the 1995 BBC mini-series.  That's my opinion.  For a lengthier discussion see my opinions of all the movies.  But in short, there are several things I don't like about this version.

1. Lizzy is made to feel too forward and improper, she tells Jane to go visit an Aunt with no invitation given.  And they give her the lines about how much money would be needed to bribe Wickham.  It feels wrong.
2. This movie didn't take the time to give people thoughtful lines, they just have the characters lecture each other about how life works so that the movie can explain to the audience why certain things are happening.  That's a failure in my opinion.
3. I don't like the way they portray Mr. Collins in this version.
4. Lizzy wears terrible gowns to balls.  Yes, this may sound like a silly reason to not like the film best, but really.  Everyone else wears nice, white, pretty, fashionable gowns and she shows up in a sad-looking green thing that she could do gardening in.  Stop reinforcing the idea that smart independent women can't care about how they look, Hollywood!  Women can be pretty AND smart! 

          Ok, rant over, this is actually a good movie despite my opinions of its foibles.  Its soundtrack is gorgeous.  It is filmed beautifully.  It's really very good.

8. Love and Friendship 2016 with Kate Beckinsale

          I don't want to say too much about this movie, because it's awesome and you should watch it before I ruin it for you.  This is a movie adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan.  It's not exactly filled with the proper ladies fighting against an unjust society to win their happily ever afters.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a Jane Austen movie, but it's not like the others you may have come to know and love.  

          Lady Susan is a schemer and I have to admit that I cackled out loud at least three times while watching this movie.  I love watching a schemer use nothing but wits and charm to get her way.  And Kate Beckinsale, is perfection.  I would highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it yet.  I'll say no more.   

9. Emma 2009 mini-series with Romola Garai

          I have rather mixed feelings about this movie.  I feel like it starts out amazingly and I slowly have my opinion of it shift through the film until we reach the end and I'm not sure I especially like it anymore.  The opening is lovely and gives more context to the cast of supporting characters who are so important to our plot.  Emma is understandable, relatable, loveable, naive, well-meaning, and young without being a total brat or too proud.

          As the movie progresses Emma almost seems to become less sympathetic, as she also seems to become more modern.  She slouches more and she says things that are improper.  While Emma devolves in propriety and behaves badly, her protege, Harriet, has improved under her instruction.  Harriet feels more ladylike than Emma, sitting straighter, behaving well, being polite.

          It is a cute version of the story, however.  Mr. Knightley is charming and I enjoy his performance throughout.  And there is no nosebleed during the proposal, so it edges out the 2020 Emma, despite its own foibles and despite the many positive things going for the 2020 Emma.

10. Emma 2020

         This was a very close call and almost came in higher for a few reasons.  It's funny.  They lean into the comedy of this story and it's refreshing.  The clothes are gorgeous and I adore Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse.  I will probably watch this version more often than the mini-series, partly because it is shorter, and partly for the clothes.  Oh, I like that Miss Smith has a bit more character in this version.  There are also lots of beautiful shots in this movie.

         The reason I don't 100% love this movie is that although I do like that they lean into the comedy of the story they take a few scenes a little too far.  I don't know why they decided to give Emma a bloody nose when Mr. Knightley proposes to her.  It's distracting and awkward and not especially funny to me.  They make Mr. Elton a little too cringe for me to enjoy watching.  I know that Mr. Knightley wasn't quite old enough but that didn't bother me.  I quite liked this portrayal of Mr. Knightley.

        There is a LOT to love about this adaptation.  And truly it's a close call, but for me, the awkward went one step too far.

11.  Sense and Sensibility 2008

          This is not my favorite.  This version doesn't quite have the nuance or tone of Emma Thompson's script.  But it has something.  The rug beating scene, where Elinor is venting some frustration and meets Edward Ferrars, is very excellent indeed.

          There is a duel and also a hint of the seduction that Willoughby has committed.  So, that's kind of fun.  I do like this Elinor.  It's a perfectly decent adaptation.  But it just doesn't have the same magic for me as the script by Emma Thompson.

12. Persuasion 2007

This is only slightly under the 2008 Sense and Sensibility because they make Frederick cruel at the dinner table which is not true to him, they skimp on the note reading and have five minutes of running.  Its charming parts are very charming.  Anne is as sensitive and emotional as we know her to be from the book.  The scenes that they add whole cloth, with Captain Harville telling Frederick he is expected to marry Louisa and later the buying of Kellynch Hall as a wedding present are all lovely. 

13. Persuasion 2022 Netflix

This movie had the potential to be truly beautiful or truly funny.  And it was disappointing because rather than choosing one it tried to do both and failed at both.  Set during the Regency Era it tries to undercut the romance of the story by making fun of the morals of the time.  

It was neither fully a Regency romance, nor a comedy.  It opened with a sweeping romantic scene set to piano of Anne and Frederick on a cliff in the English countryside. It's gorgeous and romantic and then it cuts to her telling us "she's single and thriving".  She is still more likeable than the 1971 Persuasion and has more feelings, a lot more, considering she drinks them away through most of this movie.  

Captain Frederick Wentworth is lovely in this version.  We see a lot more genuine emotion from him, which I appreciate.  He's also much more likeable than the 1971 Persausion version.  He's very real and hurt by Anne's dismissal of him.  

It really is a beautiful movie, it is stunningly filmed.  Half of the music is stunning as well.  If it didn't keep undercutting itself with random out of place modern things it would have been a much better version.  In fact, it would have rated a great deal higher on this list if it had just cut out some of the most glaringly modern things.  If she hadn't gone on about Frederick as her ex, or the characters hadn't gone on about self-care and being an "empath", or they hadn't included a scene where she almost peed on screen. 

It seems to have drawn on the 2007 Persuasion as well as the modern tone of Bridgerton.  There was a lot to love and a lot to be frustrated by.  I went back and forth on where to place this in the list for a long time.  

14. Emma 1972 mini-series

         This was a tough call but it falls further down the scale because as much as I adore the father in this movie, I can't stand Emma.  My favorite character in all of Emma is the poor father, he stole the movie for me.  Well, that and there is no awkward nose-bleed at the most ill-timed moment (the nose-bleed proposal scene of the Emma 2020 version is really terrible and almost cost it a higher ranking).  I don't love this portrayal of Emma, but Mr. Knightley is indeed a gentleman and I adore her father in this version.  

15. Persuasion 1971 mini-series

       I didn't like this adaptation.  It doesn't have the same magic as the 1995 version with Amanda Hines.  I think they portray Anne as confident and resigned where she is really meant to be much less confident, possibly hopeful and then despairing, and more or less profoundly emotional in Captain Wentworth's presence.  She's almost cold in this version.  I can't quite put a finger on what I do not appreciate about Captain Wentworth in this version, but there was something.  Did he feel duplicitous to me?  I am not sure, but I didn't like him.

          In this movie, I find the gowns are distracting because they don't seem to have paid any attention to the styles and fabrics that would have been worn.  Why is Anne wearing a giant bold plaid patterned fabric?  I know it's not the biggest deal, but I found it distracting enough to pull me out of the story.    I did like that Anne quotes some poetry about autumn on their walk but not enough to like the rest of this adaptation.

16. Pride and Prejudice 1980 mini-series

         I've seen it, it's Pride and Prejudice.  It's not an unfaithful adaptation of the story, but it's just not good.  There were a few things that didn't work for me.

          The biggest thing for me is that I didn't like Lizzy in this version.  She feels like an arrogant smart-ass.  Lizzy and Darcy have no chemistry from what I can see.

          Caroline Bingley is insufferable in this version, excessively mean.  Wickham lies to everybody extra obviously.  Lizzy is warned by everyone not to like Wickham and she takes no notice.  This makes her less sympathetic and even more arrogant feeling.  It makes more sense when you stick to the book and everyone has the general feeling that Wickham's great and then everyone finds out he's not at roughly the same time.

          I do like their version of Mr. Collins.  He's still a bumbling fool, but he's a believable person, you can imagine him existing (unlike the Mr. Collins in 2005 who is a cartoon).  This Collins is still a fool but you can see why Charlotte would marry him whereas in some other versions you really cannot, even knowing she's afraid for her future.

          This movie falls into 11th place (below an inferior Captain Wentworth and plaid dresses in the 1971 Persuasion and the awkward proposal nose-bleed of Emma 2020) because of one other big problem.  After Darcy's infamous failed proposal to Elizabeth, this movie has dramatic internal dialogues.  They are awful.  If you have to dramatically explain what's happening to the audience you haven't done a good job of setting up the scenes in the movie.  There is no excuse for this in this case as they had plenty of time to set up the scenes.  This particular mini-series is many hours long.  I can't stand it.

17. Sense and Sensibility 1981

          I've seen this one, it's fine but I didn't like it.   It was my first introduction to Sense and Sensibility and I just didn't take to it.  I didn't want to watch it again.  I don't find this Elinor compelling.  It wasn't until I found the Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility that I really fell for the story.  And it's such a great story.

18. Mansfield Park 1983 mini-series

       I still don't love this story (even if Fanny is faithful and good and long-suffering and some sort of Cinderella figure, I don't like the story, sorry Jane Austen).  It's not because I think Fanny is boring, or too good all the time, it's because the story is painful to live through every time I see it.  All the characters in it are pretty much awful and abusive to Fanny.  And I don't like watching it.

       There are things I like in this version.  Lady Bertram is pretty great in her quiet yet high pitched voice and her lounging ways.  This is a long but well-done version.  I just don't like the story.  I don't like the characters.  We mostly watch Fanny get abused the whole time and at the end, while I'm glad she's happy, I personally do not think that her cousin deserves her either.

19. Mansfield Park 2007

This version of Mansfield Park is not the most accurate, nor the most fanciful.  This Sir Thomas says unnecessarily mean things.  It's just not that good.  It's not terrible but it's kind of meh.  I like that this Fanny and Edmund seem to have decent chemistry.  I like this Edmund.  This Aunt Norris is suitably horrible.  I sort of like that Lady Bertram plays an advocate role for Fanny in the end.  But I really don't like this Sir Thomas.  And the whole thing is filmed in one location.  So it leads to some interesting choices.  

It is at least a coherent story that's not offensive for failing to address important social issues nor is it creepy or downright irritating and painful to watch.  So, it's above everything further down the list.

20. Mansfield Park 1999

       This movie is just different.  It's not really Mansfield Park.  The modernity and pacing in the filming of this adaptation do hold my interest and I prefer a shorter version of this story because it's not my favorite.  But they do leave out a lot that makes the plot a little harder to follow.  I like the way they portray Fanny as emotional and interesting, up until the end where they suddenly make her be uncertain and waver on Henry Crawford.  Making her a writer is a fun twist, but totally conflating her with Jane Austen herself is an odd choice.

       It does make her a more interesting character to be sure.  But I would have liked to see her be this interesting newly dimensional Fanny without being turned into Jane Austen herself.  I like to see her having wildly conflicting emotions in the corridors, where she feels very trapped and very aware of herself.

       The rest of this version is a bit too much for me.  I still hate most of the characters in this story (sorry Jane Austen).  There is an emphasis on slavery in this movie.  They make that the point of tension between Tom and Mr. Bertram, and we find art done by Tom that makes him a tortured, empathic, artist soul.  But we never address the issue with any other characters.  We don't do anything with it.  We go back to having tea and nobody says anything again.  If you're going to add slavery you have to make it more of a thing, not an "oh, we live off of blood money.  By the by, let's put on an extravagant play."  They didn't do enough with the theme.  It's almost disrespectful to introduce slavery but not do anything more with it.  I found it offensive anyway.

       The way it ends is also really an odd choice, to pull you out of the story to tell you how it happens all awkwardly, but not really tell you how it happens.  It was strange.  I did not enjoy this version.  I found it's lack of thoughtful treatment of slavery offensive, but it didn't give me nightmares, so it's just above the 80's Northanger Abbey.

21. Northanger Abbey 1987

             I watched this for the first time one summer afternoon with my mother and we were not prepared for it.  At the time neither of us knew anything about the story, hadn't read the book, or seen another adaptation.  We had expected something feeling like Pride and Prejudice.  We got this.  It was so odd.

             I didn't like the portrayal of Mr. Tilney, he was creepy, or Catherine who I also felt was weird and creepy.  I would not rewatch this version except for one single scene.
The one scene I particularly like in this adaptation is the bathing scene.  Everyone is in the baths with their bonnets on and full-length bathing costumes on while they parade slowly through the bath waters chatting with friends socially with floating trays of bath salts in front of them.  It was delightfully weird and awkward.  I loved it.

             But, as much as I loved that scene, I was equally horrified by the "Gothic" dreams that Catherine has in this one.  The scene with an old lady sewing her fingers together still haunts me to this day.  So I'm not a fan of this particular adaptation.

       

22. Emma 1996 with Gwyneth Paltrow

          I really don't like this adaptation of Emma.  It's a lovely movie in some ways, yes, but the portrayal of Emma is, to my mind, the worst.  In this movie, Emma is all the worst qualities of being young without anything attractive about her at all.  She isn't naive so much as she is mean.  She makes cutting remarks about everyone.  She's self-absorbed, in the worst way.  She's whiny, she pouts, she's generally irritating.  She's the protagonist and I can't stand her.

For a more balanced view of this movie, or more complete discussions of each adaptation, you can visit my individual pages for each book, links found below.

       

23. Pride and Prejudice: a latter-day comedy 2003 

Hands down this is the worst adaptation of a Jane Austen novel I've ever seen.  In fact, it was so bad it was almost hilarious.  I spent equal amounts of time cackling at it (not with it) and being utterly confused.  To say it had plot holes would be a massive understatement.  It was so bad my friend couldn't even finish watching it.  For further discussion on this disaster, you can find my full review on the Pride and Prejudice page, here.  And yes, if you're wondering, it is a rather Mormon interpretation.

The Not Quite Austen's 

Then of course there are the not quite Jane Austen's and retellings I've seen.  If I want to watch an adaptation I want to revel in the clothes and beautiful manor houses in England, the beauty of the time on display visually in a movie.  I do not want to watch a movie set in modern times and in high school, Clueless.  Unless it's doing something more, telling a different story, I don't want my adaptations to be set in modern times.  I couldn't quite place these on the other list.  But here is my ranking of the Not Quite Austen's and retellings.

1. Lost in Austen 2008

My favorite "not quite Austen".  An avid fan of Pride and Prejudice ends up inside the Pride and Prejudice story and has to figure out how to not ruin it or her own happy ending.  It's cute, it's interesting.  It explores the original characters as they deal with life in very new situations.  It is not faithful to the book, obviously.  I find it delightful.

2. Austenland 2013

Simply fun.  An obsessive Pride and Prejudice fan goes on an expensive holiday to a Jane Austen immersive experience.  There is romance and silliness.  The characters are over the top fans, actors, and airheads.  It's charming.  It's totally silly.  It doesn't take itself too seriously.  It's a feel-good movie.  And Kerri Russell and J.J. Field are utterly charming.

3. Jane Austen Book Club 2007

This one follows a book club that is reading all Jane Austen all the time.  Its charm is in the way it portrays real-life experiences and also explores how reading can liberate you, inspire you, and simply make you feel.  It's a literary discussion you get to enjoy without any work.

It's all the Jane Austen stories rolled into one.  And the characters live different pieces of all the different stories as they live their lives in the real world.  It has its rough moments, its tears, but it's also a celebration of endurance, humanity, friendship, and literature.  It's a better film than Austenland, but it's also slightly more about modern life than typical Austen stories, so it's third for me

4. Becoming Jane 2007

This is a lovely movie about Jane Austen's younger life before she is a known author.  It's romantic, moving and beautifully filmed.  This movie makes me cry.

5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2016

Well, it's Pride and Prejudice.  And it's not.  And it's good actually.  Surprisingly.

It is a well-done movie with funny moments and beautiful cinematography.  It has zombies so it's also gruesome and strange.  But it has a certain appeal.

I won't lie, I wanted to hate it.  But I did not hate it.  Much to my shock (and possibly my regret?  I mean I'm glad I didn't feel my time was a waste but do I feel as though I've betrayed my own taste in liking the movie if that makes any sense).  I really don't like zombie movies.

It is a proper retelling of Pride and Prejudice with some obvious alterations.  I love that it's still set in the Regency era.  I don't love zombies, so I was never going to love this movie.  However, I found it surprisingly well done and I do, in fact, mean to watch it again someday.  Though perhaps as a Halloween movie.

6. Miss Austen Regrets 2007

   

This is a movie about Jane Austen's life.  As one might suspect from the title this is not a light-hearted movie.  The story examines Jane Austen's life as she reaches her later years and dwells on both her choices and her regrets in life.   

Olivia Williams is a fantastic Jane Austen, but the portrayal of Jane in this movie is a little sharp and difficult.  Since we are seeing Jane mostly through Fanny's story, we jump around a fair amount and it can be a bit difficult to follow.

It's a beautifully filmed movie and it is entirely believable.  I love that we see beautifully put together scenes of daily life, with Cassandra and Mrs. Austen and Jane at home in their cottage.  The sets, the scenes, the landscapes, they're all just beautiful.  I love seeing the adorable scenes where Fanny is falling for Mr. Plumbtree, chasing each other about in the garden with a crimson ribbon.  It was beautiful, romantic, lavish, and tender. 

I'm just not sure that I love this movie.  I don't love this particular interpretation of Jane Austen's personality.  I like to imagine that Jane Austen was a combination of some of her heroines, the wit and ability of Lizzy, the self-assured confidence of Emma.  It was difficult to watch a deeply regretful, self-pitying, spiky Jane.  

It was definitely a good movie, but I had a hard time watching it. It is difficult for me to watch people suffer, especially those I have a fondness for, regardless of whether I've ever met them in person.  I mean, the movie is titled Miss Austen Regrets.  What did I expect?

It's a beautiful film but it's so sad.  It's hard to believe that I ranked it below Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I'm not sure I believe it myself.  But the leaps in the story, and the fact that this isn't how I'd like to imagine Jane Austen make this not as fun for me.  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was definitely fun.  I can't believe it either.  

7. Pride and Prejudice, Cut 2019

This was a cute little feel good movie that is worth a watch if you want something light and fluffy and familiar.  Our Lizzy is an American actress named Kate who is hired to be in a British film production of Pride and Prejudice with a seemingly snobby classically trained British co-star.  The cute thing is that while they rehearse P&P lines they are also living a Pride and Prejudice experience behind the scenes.  The parallel Pride and Prejudice storylines are rather cute.  It's more fun to watch than Miss Austen Regrets.  But it's not in the same class of film.  

8. Clueless 1995

I just never really liked this movie.  Yes, it's a retelling of Emma.  Yes, it's actually a decent retelling of Emma.  However, it's also a high school drama.  Emma wasn't my favorite of the Austen novels to start with, the high school drama was too much for me.  I don't like it, but I can see why some people truly do.  Cher/Emma is both self-centered and completely likable (unlike some of her more haughty counterparts in other versions like the Gwyneth Paltrow version).  You understand why she falls for the scolding tones of her "almost brother" as well.  Paul Rudd is a perfect cast for this role.

Bridget Jones's Diary - really fun, lovely movie, technically an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, has a Darcy, but is really not Austen.

Detailed Discussions of all the Austen Adaptations

For my discussion/ranking of all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Persuasion Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Emma Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Sense and Sensibility Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Mansfield Park Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Northanger Abbey Adaptations, you can go here.

For my discussion of the Lady Susan Adaptation (Love and Friendship), you can go here. 
For my discussion/ranking of all the "Not-Quite-Austen's" you can go here.

I have a whole page dedicated to Jane Austen where you can find my rankings of different movie adaptations and essays etc.

All Things Jane Austen

The Not Quite Austen's - Jane Austen Inspired Film Adaptations Ranked

This is the list of the not quite Jane Austen's and retellings I've seen.  Or rather, this is my ranked list of them.  I will add to this as I see more.  Why do I call these the "not quite Austen's"?  They are either movies that were inspired by Austen but are very original works, or in some cases retellings set in modern times, or movies simply about Jane Austen and her works.

If I want to watch an adaptation I want to revel in the clothes and beautiful manor houses in England, the beauty of the time on display visually in a movie.  I do not want to watch a movie set in modern times and in high school (I'm looking at you Clueless).  Unless it's doing something more, telling a different story, I don't want my adaptations to be set in modern times.  I don't mind the "not quite Austen's" that are set in modern times if they are telling a slightly different story, like Austenland, or The Jane Austen Book Club.

These movies have their own list because I couldn't quite place these in the other list.  But here is my ranking of the Not Quite Austen's and retellings.

1. Lost in Austen 2008

My favorite "not quite Austen".  In this story, Amanda, an avid fan of Pride and Prejudice ends up inside the Pride and Prejudice story and has to figure out how to not ruin it or her own happy ending.  It's cute, it's interesting.  It explores the original characters as they deal with life in very new situations.  All of them involving a very modern Amanda who does not fit in no matter how hard she tries.

It is not faithful to the book, obviously.  I find it delightful.  I like that we learn things about Caroline Bingley and George Wickham that feel appropriate and are still fun and new.  I like that we learn Mr. Bennet's first name.  I like the way she has to come to grips with living in a story and how desperately she tries to keep the story together as it falls apart ever faster.

I like that we briefly see some Pride and Prejudice characters in modern London, but not so much so that it overtakes the story.

I do love Pride and Prejudice enough to really worry about the characters as the story goes painfully sideways.  I had moments of real concern and that's what makes this such a lovely story.  This story, like Austen's work, has real circumstances and obstacles that pose true challenges for the characters.  Like Austen's work those characters who deserve it also end up with happy endings, even if they are nontraditional.

2. Austenland 2013

Simply fun.  An obsessive Pride and Prejudice fan goes on an expensive holiday to a Jane Austen immersive experience.  She arrives at a magnificent mansion is immediately told she is the least important guest and has the "basic copper package" while everyone else has the platinum elite packages.  She is dubbed Miss Erstwhile and things don't seem to be going as planned.

It's charming.  There is both romance and silliness.  The characters are over the top fans, hired actors to "romance" the guests, and airheads.  Yes, it's totally silly, but I think it's just fun.  It doesn't take itself too seriously.  The movie contains terrible sewing projects, beautifully terrible music and plays, and romance.  It is sort of a Pride and Prejudice retelling.  It's a feel-good movie.  And Kerri Russell and J.J. Field are utterly charming.

This is actually based on a book called Austenland by Shannon Hale.  It's a satisfying tribute to Jane Austen and subtly skewers the ridiculous while telling a lovely story.  It's not quite like the movie.  It's better, and I would highly recommend it.

3. Jane Austen Book Club 2007

Also based on a book, this story follows a group of women who form a book club to support each other through the problems of modern life.  Together they face death, divorce, relationships, and love with the help of their friendship and the "Jane Austen Book Club".  It is a charming story about friends and book lovers that both shows real-life experiences and explores the ways that reading can liberate you, inspire you, and help teach you to grow as a person.  A good book can help you through a crisis and bring you back to the world as a more thoughtful individual.  Part of this movie's charm is in the real friendships it displays and how they help each other through this book club that, as Grig says is "the all Jane Austen all the time" book club. 

It is a story that is mostly about the women and their friendships and relationships.  However, I do love the way that the men have a part to play in this story.  It's mostly from the women's point of view but we see the men getting influenced and drawn into this book club as the story progresses.  I love the way different parts of their lives mirror different parts of Jane Austen's books.  This allows us to have a teachable moment at the end where one of the men realizes that all the Austen men get a chance to explain themselves.  He is encouraged to try to repair his relationship with a well-written letter.

What makes this story fun is that it's all the Jane Austen stories rolled into one.  It has its rough moments, its tears, but it's also a celebration of endurance, humanity, friendship, and literature.  It's a better film than Austenland, but it's also slightly more about modern life than actual Austen stories, so it's third for me.

4. Becoming Jane 2007

This is a lovely movie about Jane Austen's younger life before she is a known author.  It's romantic, moving and beautifully filmed.  This movie makes me cry.  It more or less broke my heart for Jane.  This is a movie that weaves fact and fiction into a realistic and heartbreaking portrayal of Jane Austen's romance with Tom Lefroy.  Tom Lefroy is completely charming in this movie.   The movie is a moving portrayal of the facts that we know, with a story in between them that is fictional, yes, but could have been real.  It really was well done, but it was hard to watch.  I'm a softy, I like my movies to end well.

If you're interested in more on this story, a good place to start is with this article from the Jane Austen Society of North America, "Becoming Jane: Sorting Fact from Fiction".

5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2016

Well, it's Pride and Prejudice.  And it's not.  And it's good actually.  Surprising as that may be.

It is a well-done movie with funny moments and beautiful cinematography.  It has zombies so it's also gruesome and strange.  But it has a certain appeal.

I won't lie, I wanted to hate it.  But I did not hate it.  Much to my shock (and possibly my regret?  I mean I'm glad I didn't feel my time was a waste but do I feel as though I've betrayed my own taste in liking the movie - if that makes any sense).  I really don't like zombie movies.  Yet, I liked this movie.  It was good.

It is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with some obvious alterations.  I love that it's still set in the Regency era.  I don't love zombies, so I was never going to love this movie with my whole heart.  However, I found it surprisingly well-done and I do, in fact, mean to watch it again some day.  Though perhaps as a Halloween movie.

6. Miss Austen Regrets 2007

This is a movie about Jane Austen's life.  As one might suspect from the title this is not a light-hearted movie.  The story examines Jane Austen's life as she reaches her later years.  Through the eyes of Jane's niece Fanny, we see Jane Austen's choices and regrets in life.  

Fanny, Jane Austen's niece grounds much of the story

Olivia Williams is a fantastic Jane Austen, but the portrayal of Jane in this movie is a little sharp and difficult.  Since we are seeing Jane mostly through Fanny's story, we jump around a fair amount and it can be a bit difficult to follow who all the players are and what the story is for a few moments.  Much is obscure if one is not already familiar with Jane's life.  For instance, we know that Jane's sister Cassandra persuades her not to marry Harris Bigg and we know that she had her own reasons for it.  You have to know about Cassandra's life to know what's going on because this movie never tells you.  So, knowing, as I do that Cassandra's fiance died abroad leaving her heart-broken, the scene where "Cass" tells Jane she had her own reasons for not wanting Jane to marry makes sense.  If you don't know the history, you're left to wonder if Cass was jealous, or worried about her own future.  It leaves you asking lots of questions.   

Olivia Williams is such a lovely multi-faceted Jane in this film

It's a beautifully filmed movie and it is entirely believable.  I love that we see beautifully put together scenes of daily life, with Cassandra and Mrs. Austen doing chores along with the servants while Jane reads to them.  I love that we see a real difference in the cost of different character's clothes, without it being taken to an excessive degree.  The sets, the scenes, the landscapes, they're all just beautiful.  I love seeing the adorable scenes where Fanny is falling for Mr. Plumbtree.  Chasing each other about in the garden with a crimson ribbon was beautiful, romantic, lavish, and tender. 

I'm just not sure that I love this movie.  I don't love this particular interpretation of Jane Austen's personality.  I like to imagine that Jane Austen was a combination of some of her heroines, the wit and ability of Lizzy, the self-assured confidence of Emma.  It's all speculation, of course, so it's hard to draw firm lines.  And it may very well be that Jane had many regrets, but it was difficult to watch a deeply regretful, self-pitying, spiky Jane.  I don't mind seeing Jane proud of her work and at odds with conventional society.  I don't mind her being portrayed as a shameless flirt or a cynic.  I do not, however, like to see her being cruel to people not sharp enough to keep up with her wit.

It was definitely a good movie, but I had a hard time watching it. It was difficult for me to have an unvarnished look at hard choices and realities of the time without any comedy or pleasant twists to soften them.  Thinking about Jane reviewing her life and trying to pretend she's happy while being lonely is just difficult.  Anyone who loves Austen novels feels a little bit like they know and love the real Jane Austen behind them all.  And we none of us like to think of our beloved friends suffering (even if we only imagine them to be our friends).

I mean, the movie is titled Miss Austen Regrets.  It's good, but it's definitely heavier.  And it's fairly realistic which in this case is both intriguing and a bitter pill to swallow.  What I don't understand is how the movie is based on what we know of Jane's life through letters and yet Cassandra plays such a minor role.  We never read anything from Cassandra written to Jane.  Considering that some of Jane's major regrets (at least in this film's telling) are tangled up with Cassandra's fate as well.  

It's a beautiful film but it's so sad.  It's hard to believe that I ranked it below Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I'm not sure I believe it myself.  But the leaps in the story, and the fact that this isn't how I'd like to imagine Jane Austen make this not as fun for me.  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was definitely fun.  I can't believe it either.  But I'll end with some more pretty photos from this beautiful film.

7. Pride and Prejudice, Cut 2019

It seems to also have a second title, called "Becoming Ms. Bennet: Pride & Prejudice".  Everywhere it is listed online under this title except for IMDb which has it listed as "Pride and Prejudice, Cut."  Go figure.  Well, whatever you call it, this was a cute little movie where an American internet star named Kate is cast as Lizzy in a British film production of Pride and Prejudice.  It's about acting, getting dialogues right, learning parts, navigating the film production drama and all the while they act lines from Pride and Prejudice, the characters are all experiencing the Pride and Prejudice story off screen as well.  

The parallel Pride and Prejudice storylines were very cute and done in a naturalistic and believable way.  Our Darcy is an accomplished and classically trained British actor who at first looks down on our Lizzy who is just an internet personality.  He comes to admire her and her work ethic as we watch Wickham being a self-obsessed actor who meddles with too many people, including the woman holding the purse-strings on this venture.  And of course, our Jane and Bingley and our Darcy and Elizabeth both end up together as couples in the end, as they should.

It's definitely more fun than Miss Austen Regrets, but it's not as well filmed.  Miss Austen Regrets is a far superior production of a sad story.  This is a cute little feel good movie, which I enjoyed more, but is definitely not on the same level.  The costumes are mostly modern since the majority of this little movie is done pre filming of their little movie and they rehearse in modern clothes.  The few Regency clothes we do see are really barely passable at all.  Nothing is glaringly wrong with it, it's just not as high a production value.  It's a little fluff piece, but it's worth a watch if you want something light and fluffy with a happy familiar ending.

8. Clueless 1995

          Technically this is an adaptation of Emma, though I personally consider it a "not quite Austen".  It's a modern retelling so it's set in Beverly Hills High School.  It does poke fun at the "in-crowd" which I appreciate.  But I didn't love this movie when I first saw it and I feel like I'm far too old to love it now. 

          Personally, I don't think it aged well.  The writers did an excellent job of setting the dialogue so firmly in the slang of 90's teens that it feels really cringe to me at this point.  Admittedly, I have not once ever been cool, so what do I know?

          I do actually think it's a better and more consistent story than the Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow from 1996.  However, I consider this movie a "not quite Austen" because it's set in modern L.A. in high school.  It's my list, and I didn't like it, so I've made it last.  I know that this may not align with popular opinion.

          Clueless does have its charming moments.  I like the father even though he has a rather minor role.  He is a busy lawyer, not a hypochondriac in this version, but nobody is perfect.  He is still a really cute father in this movie.  I appreciate that while he spoils Cher he sits her down to tell her that he doesn't want her dating some boy who can't see her merits.  It's a timelessly great message.  I also appreciate watching him smile as he sees his step-son falling for Cher.  Saying nothing about his protective behavior and then seeing that knowing smile, it's pretty cute.

          Perhaps my favorite scene is when Dionne is learning how to drive and accidentally gets on the highway in LA.  I laughed hysterically as they all screamed, convinced they were going to die.  I'm quite sure that this has nothing to do with my personal feelings about driving in LA.  How dare you even suggest it?  Ok, it does, but it's still a great scene.

          Another thing I appreciate about this film is what it does with the character of Frank Churchill.  In this movie, his name is Christian and he's gay.  I appreciate this so much more.  He has complex realities to deal with, he's not intentionally trying to lead Cher on.  Once he realizes that she's a little too into him, he backs off.  I appreciate that.  I never enjoy watching characters be total jerks, even when they have good reasons for it.  I have never been a fan of how Frank Churchill used Emma to hide his engagement to Jane Fairfax (who he is awful to throughout the story until the very end).  He doesn't deserve any of the women in my opinion.  In this version, Christian just becomes Cher's really good friend, and I prefer it this way.

          Maybe I'm just an old soul.  I don't think I've ever really enjoyed stories set in high school, with all the antics and drama that come with them.  Even though this film is making fun of the high school dynamics, it's still not my favorite thing to watch.  Yes, the drama does make a bit more sense when it's with high-schoolers.  Emma would have been 21 according to the book, but in some ways, her more juvenile antics make more sense as a 16-year-old character.  But watching a very drama-filled high school rendition of Emma sort of made me cringe.  Emma is not my favorite story to begin with, and setting it in high school was too much for me.  Perhaps I'm just too old.  Or maybe I've always been too old.

If there are other Jane Austen adjacent movies that are really good, I'd love to hear about them.  Is there anything that I simply must watch?

Other Austen Adaptation Rankings

To see my ranking of Every Jane Austen Adaptation, go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Persuasion Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Emma Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Sense and Sensibility Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Mansfield Park Adaptations, you can go here.

For my discussion of the Lady Susan Adaptation (Love and Friendship), you can go here. 
For my discussion/ranking of all the Northanger Abbey Adaptations, you can go here.

I have a whole page dedicated to Jane Austen where you can find my rankings of different movie adaptations and essays etc.

All Things Jane Austen