Thursday, August 22, 2024, 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Instructor: Alice Bullitt, M.A., BMFI Board Member
Banking on the popularity of classic literary adaptations that permeated the early 1990s (The Age of Innocence, The Remains of the Day, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, among others), Ang Lee’s gracefully understated adaptation of Jane Austen’s debut novel was released in 1995. That same year, the BBC released the miniseries Pride and Prejudice, thus sparking renewed passion for one of literature’s most beloved commentators on money, manners, and matters of the heart.
The story focuses on the financial struggles, romantic follies, and eventual marriages of sisters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood. Producer Lindsay Doran convinced Emma Thompson to pen the screenplay adaptation of the film. They had already partnered on a prior project, and Doran discerned Thompson to have the perfect sensibility for the task, saying: “Usually romantics are too optimistic and dreamy to see Austen’s cynicism, and satirists are too cynical to believe in romance.” Thompson won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, making her the only person ever to win Oscars for both acting and screenwriting (her acting win was in 1993 for Howard’s End).
Join us to discuss the production history of the film as well as its formal structure and themes as they relate to Ang Lee’s larger body of work.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please email BMFI Programs and Education Coordinator Jill Malcolm with any questions.
$25 for members, $35 for non-members
Schedule