Praising Emma Thompson

I adore Emma Thompson.  She is one of  those actors that seem like they would make great friends and be ideal guests at any party.

I first noticed her in a miniseries on PBS that I later learned was Fortunes of War.  I hadn’t seen the beginning of that series so I didn’t know what was going on, but I was fascinated, nonetheless.  I liked  her in Remains of the Day, Howard’s End, Much Ado, Wit, and I recently enjoyed her in Last Chance Harvey.   As a writer, I found the movie Stranger Than Fiction also interesting.

Cover of Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)

But what I will always appreciate about Emma Thompson is the script she wrote for Sense and Sensibility (1995).  It is wonderful and funny and (I scarcely have the guts to say this) an improvement upon the original.   Although I  adore Jane Austen, I think Sense and Sensibility needs a little more umph and Emma provided that with her insightful screenplay.

I also think that her vision of Jane Austen helped create part of the recent upsurge in Austen popularity, although 17 years may not be considered recent except to Jane Austen herself.  Today I learned that 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, but I will write more on that later.   That’s a novel that deserves a year of celebration.

Related articles

• The Royal Mail is to issue a set of Jane Austen Commemorative Stamps in February (austenonly.com)
• All I Want for Christmas? ~ Anything Jane Austen Please! ~ Day 5: Jane Austen Bandages (janeausteninvermont.wordpress.com)

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