Love & Friendship is a new movie out in select theaters May 13th, which stars Kate Becksinale, Chloe Sevigny, and Stephen Fry. Based on Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, filmmaker Whit Stillman reimagines the story in which Lady Susan achieves vindication. The film is pretty much Carrie bait, given that she adored Jane Austen’s Lady Susan.
So if you like Austen adaptations, check out both the Love & Friendship film, as well as the novelization which was published earlier this month!
The giveaway includes a prize pack courtesy of Roadside Attractions. Standard disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only and where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and up for a good husband-hunting. We will not be held responsible for any lost reticules. Tips for getting stains out of silk brocade is greatly appreciated.
The giveaway will run until Friday, May 13 and comments will close at noon, EST. A winner will be chosen at random that same day.
One (1) winner receives a Love & Friendship Prize Pack:
· $50 Amazon gift card
· T-Shirt
· Bookmark and copy of the Love & Friendship: In Which Jane Austen’s Lady Susan Vernon Is Entirely Vindicated by Whit Stillman
WINNER UPDATE: Congrats to Jennifer Estep!Â
She recommended Sense & Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. Jennifer donates a lot of prizes every year for the DABWAHA tournament, so it’s pretty cool that she won!
To enter, comment below with some of your favorite retellings of classic literature!
There are literally hundreds of Jane Austen adaptations – something for every taste. For movies/TV – I live BBC’s Emma starring Ramola Garai, The 1995 Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. For books – the Fitzwilliam Darcy trilogy by Pamela Aidan,Rainy Days by Lory Lilian – and my “1932” “Undeceived” (P&P adaptations) and “Find Wonder in All Things” (Persuasion).
I think Bride and Prejudice is one of the best film adaptations of Jane Austen with a contemporary setting, with close seconds to Clueless and Bridget Jones’s Diary. For not so faithful adaptations, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was very entertaining.
I’m also in the Jane Austen camp. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” was very funny to read; I actually did a chapter-by-chapter, side-by-side read through of the original and the Zombie version. (Didn’t see the movie since the reviews were so bad.) But “Clueless” and “Bridget Jones Diary” were also good. I guess it speaks to how great the underlying books are that they can be updated so well and have the original material still shine through so clearly.
10 things I hate about you is a favorite.
Having grown up with both Bollywood and Austen, I have a love-hate relationship with Bride and Prejudice.
This movie sounds promising!
Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You.
My all time favorite retelling of a classic isn’t actually a movie, it’s the It Went With The Wind skit on The Carol Burnett show. It’s so good – not only is it hilarious, it manages to address the many flaws of Gone With The Wind while still being affectionate. Melanie’s death scene (played by Dinah Shore, iirc) is perfect.
10 Things I Hate About You is on HBO or Showtime or some premium channel, and I’ve watched it every time I stumble across it!
Abigail Reynold’s What Would Mr. Darcy Do? will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first JAFF I ever read. Once I recovered from my swoon that someone would be so audacious, I LOVED IT! Next is The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street, which is P&P by the numbers, but from a very believable Darcy’s POV. It is smart and tender and wholly addicting. For updated retellings, I adore Beau North’s Longbourn’s Songbird, set in the south just after WWII. It is wonderfully full of place, and I cannot imagine why it has not received more notice. Thank you for the give-away!
Haven’t read all the comments, but I’m sure these have already been mentioned. I loved Ten Things I Hate About You and Kiss Me Kate, both fabulous reworkings of Taming of the Shrew. I’ve also enjoyed both the BBC and CBS television updates of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock and Elementary). I think I love Cumberbatch’s version of the sleuth himself slightly better, but while both Watsons are fabulous, Lucy Liu’s Jane Watson is so different I can’t help but lean a bit her way. As far as recent retellings, Jane Eyre has always been my favorite Bronte work and Lyndsay Faye’s Jane Steele was an utterly fascinating ode to the original and an amazing read in its own right. I already want to read it again, and don’t even get me started on that ridiculously beautiful cover!
As a rule I’m not a huge fan of retellings, though Christopher Moore’s Fool and Serpent of Venice are pretty cool. I love Pratchett’s Maskerade with it’s subtle references to all things opera-ish from Phantom to the to phat tenors. Also Wyrd Sisters is a very cool evocation of MacBeth. Finally, I love the way Bujold’s Civil Campaign evokes all the authors in her dedication.
I enjoyed Longbourn by Jo Baker. It’s set in Pride and Prejudice world as viewed by Bennet’s house maid, Sarah, who was briefly mentioned in Jane Austen’s classic.
BBC P&P. Always & forever.
Bride and Prejudice and Clueless!
A recent, lovely one is T. Kingfisher’s take on Andersen’s “The Snow Queen”, The Raven and the Reindeer (in which, among other things, the romance is corrected to match the heroine up with a far more interesting character than in the original).
Clueless is my favorite filmed fanwork and None But You/For You Alone by Susan Kaye for books.
another vote for clueless
I absolutely love “Dangerous Liasions” and “Valmont”. I saw them around the same time and was so confused why there were two movies that were essentially the same thing, then found out they were based on a novel. They are an adaptation of “Les Liaisons dangereuses” by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
@a traveller & I must hve been seperated at birth. Ten Things I Hate About You and Bride and Prejudice.
Also and always Beauty and the Beast TV series from the 80’s.
I loved the Lizzie Bennet diaries! My favourite modernization of Austen.
Like a lot of others, “Clueless.”
Clueless
Emma is one of my favorite books, and Clueless was just a brilliant way of re-telling that story in a hilarious way, in its own memorable setting.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!
I love The Hours in film, Out of Africa, the Harry Potter films and the Outlander series (really love that). But my favorite is still Emma Thompsons Sense and Sensibility. Swoon. Alan Rickman and Kate Winslet are just wonderful. Oh, I have to go watch it again.
Oh man, so many good ones above– Clueless, 10 Things, Bride and Prejudice, She’s the Man. I’m also in the janeite minority of loving Patricia Rozema’s Mansfield Park. The 2004 miniseries of North and South. Honorable mention to Georgia King’s physical comedy in Austenland for making me cry from laughing so hard.
“She’s the Man” and “Bride and Prejudice” for sure, as many have already said.
CBS’s “Elementary” is a FANTASTIC interpretation of Sherlock Holmes as a modern day police procedural, with Lucy Liu as Watson and Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock. It is so so good. There is so much mutual respect between them and their loyalty to one another and their friends just makes me so happy.
I was all set to give one answer until I read Cleo’s response. Oh yes! That skit on The Carol Burnett show was a classic. How many decades ago did I see it and it makes me laugh just to think of it? So worth it.
Forbidden Planet is a fantastic retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” with added angst about intellect vs. emotion.
I am reading Jane Steele at the moment which is a (sort of) retelling of Jane Eyre and it is fantastic.
Yes! Orson Welles when he was handsome, brooding Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. That was the first “Historical” movie I remember watching and falling in love with the whole genre. Right down to “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”.
I love Ex Machina as a retelling of Bluebeard.
I guess I just have to join the chorus praising Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You as the best modern re-tellings. I’m also partial to Emma Thompson’s Sense & Sensibility and the 2005 Pride & Prejudice…
10 Things I Hate About You! It’s awesome. Also modern settings that keep the original language is so cool to me too, like Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet with Leo and Claire. Can’t get enough of it.
I have a soft spot for “Clueless.” I’m excited for this adaptation of Lady Susan!
So many great recommendations in this thread! I need to come back and make an annotated list 🙂
Echoing huzzahs for Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Bride & Prejudice, and seconding strongly for Austenland, both the book and film. (It’s getting hot in here.)
Tangentially, if you’re in or near Minneapolis, the MIA still has their Jane Austen period room up in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Emma’s publication. The anteroom is full of bookshelves of Austenia, and you’re encouraged to sit and stay and read a while. IT’S FANTASTIC AND FREE.
Also a fan of “Clueless” and “Bride & Prejudice,” but my recent favorite is “Unleashing Mr. Darcy,” another retelling of P&P. I’ve yet to read the book but I’ve watched the Hallmark Channel movie several times and I’m not one to re-watch movies.
I just read ELIGIBLE by Curtis Sittenfeld which is a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice. I thought she did an great job evoking the themes and stories of P & P and placing them in current times.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I have a weakness for Clueless.
Austen film adaptions are My Jam! Also, I am a poor student who needs all the book buying monies.
I have to say Clueless! Also have a major soft spot for Bridget Jones’ Diary.