Every Jane Austen Adaptation Ranked from Worst to Best

welcome to ms mojo and today we're counting down our picks for all the jane austen adaptations ranked from worst to best what do you think miss price i'm sorry to disappoint mr crawford but i do not have a ready opinion i suspect you're almost entirely composed of ready opinions not shared for this list we'll be looking at some of our favorite on-screen versions of jane austen's novels and also the adaptations that made us cringe the hardest there are some great genre retellings and modern updates out there but we'll only be including traditional adaptations here what's your favorite jane austen adaptation let us know in the comments number 15 persuasion 2022 it's been a while since we've had a decent version of persuasion and this one looked promising the casting was great and the screenwriters were established and well regarded so how did this movie get things so badly wrong he's a 10. i never trusted 10. jane austen's most sensible mature and capable heroine became a chaotic wisecracking mess she puts away a lot of wine which isn't bad in and of itself but she doesn't think before she speaks sometimes i have this dream that a giant octopus is sucking my face the dynamics of anne and wentworth's relationship were off and some of the dialogue was beyond a joke the incessant breaking of the fourth wall attempted to spoonfeed to the audience what the actors were perfectly capable of conveying on their own it might have all been very funny if it wasn't so painful poorly done indeed number 14. mansfield park 2007. mansfield park isn't jane austen's best love novel but maybe it would gain a few more fans if someone made a half decent adaptation already here a radiant tussle-haired billy piper is cast as wallflower fanny price you must die well indeed you must it's your birthday then may i not have my own way no my dear you may not piper does her best to convey the shy yet determined heroine but the script does her no favors for some inexplicable reason some of the books most interesting episodes are left out instead of a ball we get a half-hearted picnic my dear fanny with your cousin's gone you're quite the center of attention i think i prefer being overlapped instead of being sent home to her relatives at portsmouth a major turning point of the novel fanny is left alone at mansfield park throw in a lackluster henry crawford and an especially dreary edmund and this adaptation has very little to recommend it no edmund i really must go to bed yes sorry well then number 13. persuasion 2007. rupert henry jones may make a very dashing captain wentworth but there's not much else to write home about in this 2007 tv adaptation the normally brilliant sally hawkins is an awkward overly intense and who trips over her own feet and literally runs after wentworth through the streets of bath i chose and good heavens is anything that matter and thank you charleson quite quite well do we even need to mention that kiss we don't want a heavy-handed metaphor for delayed gratification we want romance quite certain [Music] i am i am determined i will and nothing you may be sure will ever swayed me up once persuasion is arguably jane austen's most romantic novel but this gloomy adaptation failed to deliver on that front also what's up with this version of mary it is most unpleasant having such connections captain wentworth but i assure you i have never been in that house about twice in my life number 12. sanderton screenwriter andrew davies is a tried and tested adapter of austin but turning her unfinished novel into a tv series presented a challenge i expressed myself badly and i feel misunderstood me there are only 11 chapters of sandoton we're introduced to the eponymous seaside town and the main players but that's all swiftly dealt with in one episode of the adaptation after that well it's not exactly austin there's a bit of nudity a sex scene in the middle of a marble floor and seriously where are all the chaperones my thoughts exactly i uh i was hoping that we might find a moment when we could be alone together however rose williams makes a lovely austin heroine and theo james is suitably smoldering as sydney parker we're also introduced to jane austen's first black character the heiress miss lamb you changed your hair you asked me how i wish to be seen this is the hair my mother gave me number 11 emma 2020 has there ever been a bad adaptation of emma it seems to translate well to the screen even in its modern incarnations i mean you shouldn't make matches or foretell things whatever you say always comes to pass amy heckerling's clueless is beloved by janeites and the web series emma approved also did a pretty decent job although kind of unnecessary at this point 2020's emma was still fun i dare say there is merit in them in the least finnish perhaps the most so mr nightly tells me and he finds fault in everything i do anya taylor joy and johnny flynn had good chemistry as the central couple the music was quirky and the candy colored palette was a treat for the eyes but the stylization occasionally felt like a gimmick or an attempt to try and do something different with a story that's already been told perfectly well plenty of times before the nosebleed during the proposal was especially jarring but admittedly funny emma no am i oh no i i cannot number 10. emma 1996 another emma adaptation this one suffered by comparison coming out in the same year as the gwyneth paltrow movie back in 1996 tv wasn't in the same league as film when it came to budgets and production values but they have two parlors two very good parlors indeed it's a solid adaptation though and andrew davies script is nothing to complain about however kate beckinsale's emma lacked a bit of charm which emma needs to fully do the character justice i'm heartily ashamed of myself and i'm determined to mend my ways oh miss woodhouse i am sure no one would ever blame you well if you forgive me then i'm not entirely cast down then there's mark strong who makes a very imperious mr nightly a character who scolds and lectures possibly needs a gentler touch to make him a more appealing love interest emma i must tell you what you will not ask though i may wish it unsaid the next well then don't speak it take a little time don't commit yourself number nine emma 2009 jane austen fans will all have their favorite version of emma and this is bound to hold the top spot for many sandy welch who also gave us brilliant adaptations of north and south and jane eyre is the screenwriter behind this four-part series i expected a woman of taste and judgment but never once so young i'm pretty ah now that is a subject you will find me happy to talk about for hours the longer runtime allows this version to better explore jane fairfax and frank churchill's storyline it even gives some attention to isabella and john knightley who were done dirty in the 2020 version but there is a wolf about we need a man to protect the chickens all in all it's a lovely warm hug of a series emma and mr nightly may feel a bit more modern than in other versions but they're so sweet together michael gambon shows off his star quality as mr woodhouse and the costumes are gorgeous you must be off you want to be driving number eight mansfield park 1999. for fans of the book it may be difficult to judge this award-winning movie fairly fanny price is jane austen's least popular heroine and nobody wants to give her the time of day but we can't all be elizabeth bennett's can we please gentlemen fanny price is almost as fearful of notice and praise as other women are of neglect however aside from the fact that they completely changed the personality of the protagonist basing her instead on jane austen herself everything else is pretty good johnny lee miller makes edmund a bit more interesting and the novel's subtle critique of the slave trade is eked out into an affecting side plot correct me if i am a narrow sir thomas but i've read sir that if you were to bring one of the slaves back to england there would be some argument as to whether or not they should be freed here the family at mansfield park made their money in the west indies and the movie powerfully demonstrates the horrors that the older son tom would have witnessed while out there my son is mad don't you wrong get out number 7. northanger abbey written in jane austen's early 20s northanger abbey is a satirical coming-of-age novel with a wide-eyed teenage heroine andrew davies 2007 tv movie captures that youthfulness creating a fast-paced adaptation that's a lot of fun dungeons and sliding panels skeletons strange unearthy cries in the night that pierce your very soul and vampires don't say vampires i could bear anything but not vampires through the inclusion of dream sequences that juxtaposed catherine's excitable imagination with the real world the adaptation sexes things up while staying faithful to the novel but it's the cast that really brings the story to life you can't even imagine but i wouldn't tell you for the world well perhaps one incident to white your appetite oscar nominees felicity jones and carrie mulligan are both at the beginning of their careers here but the star quality is already evident it's always hard not to fall in love with mr tilney but jj feels makes it almost impossible i must give you one smirk and then we can be rational [Music] number six love and friendship kate beckinsale didn't entirely win us over in emma but she more than makes up for it in love and friendship based on lady susan another early work the movie follows jane austen's charming but conniving anti-heroine who is determined to make a match for her timid teenage daughter you must be most proud of frederica i would not say proud i'm glad i was able to attend to her education my daughter has shown herself to be cunning and manipulative i couldn't be more pleased the author did not hold back when creating the titular character who is completely heartless but also loads of fun beckinsale clearly relished the role and makes the most out of every funny line but something had to be done condescension was necessary though i abhor it director whit stillman also gets kudos for creating a fast funny comedy drama out of this lesser-known epistolary novel plus the costumes are again to die for yes i was astonished and i still am an impressive establishment you have here sir my congratulations immaculate number five emma 1996. this emma may have its flaws i.e you and mcgregor's terrible wig but as emma adaptations go it's hard to beat it maybe it is our imperfections which make us so perfect for one another the film looks gorgeous it won an oscar for the score and was also praised for its screenplay gwyneth paltrow and jeremy northam were the first couple to really humanize emma and mr nightly on screen their final proposal scene under the oak tree is properly romantic nah i did not call you mr knightley i may call you my mr nightly [Music] there's a strong supporting cast including sophie thompson as miss bates and a good balance of comedy and romance it's not one of the most talked about austin adaptations but we think it deserves more love i hope you know that i only wanted your happiness now that you have found it it makes my own complete number 4. persuasion 1995. persuasion is arguably the most romantic of jane austen's stories and so far the 1995 film probably comes closest to doing it justice i can listen no longer in silence i must speak to you by such means as i within my reach your peers my soul i am half agony of hope originally shown on bbc2 the tv movie is slower paced than later adaptations but captures the characters and the feel of the novel much better actress amanda root portrays a warm intelligent version of anne elliott her performance is subtle but the script and direction trust her to convey her emotions to the audience without making her look like a desperate mad woman no one's so capable as that you will stay aren't you kieran hines is allowed to play the angry resentful side of captain wentworth as well as the passionate romantic hero there's a lot of nuance here but also loads of chemistry the ending is lovely too i tried to forget you i thought i had number three pride and prejudice 2005. as with emma there's bound to be a difference of opinion when it comes to the pride and prejudice adaptations so what do you recommend to encourage affection dancing even if one's partner is barely tolerable there's a lot of love for the 2005 version but it also has its naysayers while joe wright's movie may not quite capture the novel's liveliness and humor it's still a gorgeous piece of cinema keira knightley is captivating as elizabeth bennett while matthew mcfadyen's gentler take on darcy sheds a new light on the character what have you discovered very little i have such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly i hope to afford you more clarity in the future the cast seems younger than in earlier versions and the world feels a little grittier and more immediate it's a far cry from the hoop skirts and drawing room banter in the 1940 hollywood movie but it's also much closer to the book you have bewitched me body and soul and i love and love i love you number two sense and sensibility emma thompson's work on this adaptation earned her an academy award for writing and a nomination for her performance and it was well deserved her sense and sensibility is basically a masterpiece did he tell you that he loved you yes no never absolutely it was every day implied but never declared unlike pride and prejudice where the dialogue is all already there on the page sense and sensibility is a much trickier novel to adapt in the book edward farrers has barely any lines margaret is only mentioned briefly thompson's screenplay captures them faithfully and brings them to vibrant life on screen she's uh heading an expedition to china shortly i am to go to a servant but only on the understanding that i will be very badly treated what will your duties be sword fighting obviously administering ram and swapping the dynamic between eleanor and marianne is perfect and the imperfect men are all shown to their best advantage andrew davies 2008 miniseries is also pretty great but the movie definitely has that extra something special that my heart is and always will be yours before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one pride and prejudice 1995. when counting down the best jane austen adaptations there's really only one contender for the top spot in vain i have struggled it will not do my feelings will not be repressed you must allow me to tell you how ardently i admire and love you andrew davies's 1995 miniseries made period drama relevant again and created a whole new generation of austin enthusiasts in six perfectly crafted episodes this version captures everything that makes the book so beloved the characters the wit and the fun and of course that classic love to hate romance that became the blueprint for the modern romantic comedy would you do me the honor of dancing the next of me miss bennett why i had not [Music] i thank you yes [Music] why could i not think of an excuse hateful man from the back and forth dialogue to the meaningful looks there's no denying the chemistry between lizzy and darcy davies became famous for sexing up jane austen thanks to colin firth in that wet shirt but the series is still a very faithful interpretation and remains our number one favorite as a child i was given good principles but was left to follow them in pride and conceit such i might still have been good for you [Music] dearest loveliest elizabeth do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from msmojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos [Music] you

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Keywords: Film, Movies, Rom Com, Romance, adaptations, best, best jane austen adaptations, best movies, emma, jane austen, jane austen adaptations ranked, jane austen adaptations ranked from worst to best, jane austen movies, list, love & friendship, mansfield park, mojo, msmojo, northanger abbey, persuasion, pride and prejudice, ranked, sanditon, sense and sensibility, top 10, watch mojo, watchmojo, worst, worst jane austen adaptations

Id: LZ1DKaE8zas

Length: 19min 16sec (1156 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 05 2022