Lost in Austen is a British Pride and Prejudice-inspired TV series that aired in 2008. A runaway success in the UK and overseas, it is available internationally on DVD and will be made into a movie in 2011, although details about the Lost in Austen movie are disconcertingly scarce. Excitingly, however, it looks set to have Sam Mendes at the helm.
The Story of Lost in Austen
The show follows Amanda Price, an Austen-obsessed 20-something living in present-day London. She is lonely and undervalued – both at work and by her mother and boyfriend. Through her dog-eared Penguin paperback of Pride and Prejudice, she escapes into ‘the manners, and the language, and the courtesy’ of Jane Austen’s world. Amanda’s drunken, cheating and belching boyfriend proposes to her from the sofa and then falls asleep, while her mother encourages her daughter to take anyone she can get. ‘You have standards, pet,’ she says. ‘Let’s see if they help you on with your coat when your 70.’ ‘It is a truth, generally acknowledged,’ says Amanda Price, ‘that we are all longing to escape.’
The night that Miss Price listens to her boyfriend’s horribly unromantic proposal, she hears an intruder in her bathroom and goes to investigate. The source of the commotion is Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet, Amanda’s personal heroine. It transpires that Lizzy entered 21st century Hammersmith through a curious door at the top of the servants’ staircase at Longbourn. Lizzy and Amanda eventually switch places, with Amanda entering the Bennet residence just at the beginning of the Pride and Prejudice story.
Amanda’s presence at Longbourn – and Elizabeth’s disappearance – threaten to spoil the story of Amanda’s favorite book. Her revealing 21st century clothes and exotic demeanor draw the eye of Mr. Bingley towards her and (shock, horror!) away from Jane. Pride and Prejudice is further threatened when Mr. Collins and Jane become engaged to be married, leaving Caroline Lucas with no option but to head to Africa as a missionary. ‘Do you hear that?’ asks Amanda towards the end of the series. ‘That’s Jane Austen spinning in her grave like a cat in a tumble dryer.’ There are a great many twists and turns, some comic and some surprisingly touching, before Pride and Prejudice is put (to a degree!) back on track.
Amanda in Pride and Prejudice
Lost in Austen starts a little heavy on the fromage but quickly finds its stride. Screenwriter Guy Andrews has written some great dialog which, despite the massive plot deviations from the original Pride and Prejudice, usually blends in well and provides lots of laughs. The grace of early 19th Century language next to Amanda’s contemporary slang is an endless source of humor. Amanda only wants the story to finish according to Jane Austen’s intentions, so purists should be willing to forgive the irreverence of the show’s premise. ‘This is so off-piste it’s insane’ she says at one point, almost as if she’s apologizing for the program!
To add further complexity, Amanda’s obsession is not only with the book but also the BBC’s 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation. After she first meets Mr. Darcy she tells Jane, quite cryptically: ‘Well, he’s not Colin Firth, but then, Colin Firth’s not really Colin Firth. They had to change the shape of his head with make-up.’ Later, she asks her Mr. Darcy climb into a fountain at Pemberley, in order to recreate the famous BBC Pride and Prejudice lake scene with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. You can check out the picture below to decide how Elliot Cowan measures up!
The Cast
In Lost in Austen, the actors all ‘fill their britches pretty well’ as Amanda Price would put it. Alex Kingston’s Mrs Bennet has a meaner, yet subtler and manipulative edge than I’ve seen before, and has toned down the shrillness. Hugh Bonneville’s Mr. Bennet is world-weary and witty, with just a little more spring in his step than he is commonly given in Pride and Prejudice adaptations. Gemma Arterton turned a lot of heads as Elizabeth Bennet, going on to play Agent Fields in the Bond movie Quantum of Solace (and set also to star in Wuthering Heights next year) but she doesn’t have much to do in Lost in Austen. Elliot Cowan is a very good Darcy and – lest I forget – Amanda Price herself is excellent.
Not all the characters are quite as the author intended, however. Guy Henry’s Mr. Collins is a long way from Pride and Prejudice’s comical pastor. His chief characteristic is his appalling perviness – something never even hinted at in Pride and Prejudice. Again, he is also around twice the age of Austen’s Mr. Collins. His brothers are quite hilarious, however, and they’re not even mentioned in the book. Mr. Probity Collins, Dr. Elysium Collins, and Mr. ‘Tinkler’ Cymbal Collins are all introduced to the Bennets as potential husbands. Cymbal is introduced brilliantly by Mr. Bennet as ‘enlivening a dull Tuesday evening with his amusing trousers.’
Mr. Wickham’s character has been completely reworked, but in a legitimate and very interesting way. To avoid spoilers I can’t say too much, but when Lizzy assures Jane in Pride and Prejudice that there is only enough goodness between Darcy and Wickham to make one good man, she may have been mistaken…The other character that stands out a little is Mary – she is just too adorable in Lost in Austen to be the same girl in Pride and Prejudice. She’s also so adorable that you’ll probably forgive her for it!
Throughout the four episodes the writing remains witty, the direction is up-tempo and the actors do a fine job with an ambitious project. Lost in Austen is a wonderfully quirky play on the novel Pride and Prejudice and the mania that currently surrounds Jane Austen. It should also make a great movie in 2011; let’s hope we’ll have some details soon – of course, we’ll post any news as soon as it comes in!
DVD Special Features
The Lost in Austen DVD isn’t packed with special features, but it does come with an excellent 45-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, covering the making of the TV min-series. Interviews with the director, key people from the crew and leading cast members are included. We’re given insights into the lighting and direction, props and costumes, hair and make-up, locations and just about everything else of interest. There’s no audio commentary for any of the episodes, but the series runs for 179 minutes so, with the documentary, there is still plenty to enjoy. A must for all Austen-loving non-purists out there.
Have just watched the first episode of Lost in Austen and LOVE it! Have to agree with Ms. Price though – Mr. Darcy doesn’t float my boat either…definitely not Colin Firth, even if Colin Firth isn’t really Colin Firth…or whatever.
I loved this series all 4 episodes of it…. I had watched it online. I’m thinking of buying the dvd though but does it have all four episodes or just the first 3?
Hi Yuki-sama. Thanks for commenting! You will be glad to know that the dvd has all four episodes.
I adore Lost in Austen. I’ve never laughed so hard. It’s just really, really clever.
You know it’s good when they manage to make Wickham the most gorgeous creature on the planet. Haw.
Just watched the all the episodes online. Mr Darcy is gorgeous and I just can’t forget the scene when Amanda made him emerged from the fountain just like Colin Firth’s P&P. He’s hoootttt!!!