Skip to main content

A Charming Family Tableau

A couple of writers understand how funny Jane Austen could be. One is Amy Heckerling, who based "Clueless" on "Emma." Another is Whit Stillman.

Stillman's "Love and Friendship" comes from an early work by Jane Austen, "Lady Susan." (Stillman took that work and paired it with the title from another Austen work--"Love and Friendship." I like this title very much because it so confidently lays out Austen's themes. Love. And friendship. Yep. That's what we're looking at here!)

Lady Susan is like Emma Woodhouse, but more exaggerated in her hypocrisy. She plots and plans. When she has an affair with a friend's husband, she blames the friend for any resulting drama. "If she were going to be jealous, she shouldn't have married such a charming man!" Lady Susan wants power from a nearby family, so she congratulates herself on having spent a few minutes with the small children of that family. "I've already learned some of their names." Susan's gift for manipulation is especially evident when she talks about money. "The fees at my daughter's school are so outrageous, one would never even think of paying them. So, in a way, sending my daughter there is an economy." And, about her enslaved helper: "Since there's an element of friendship here, I'm sure she would be horrified if I ever suggested the possibility of payment."

Kate Beckinsale teamed up with Whit Stillman in the nineties, for "The Last Days of Disco." "Love and Friendship" happened just a few years ago, and it's surprising to me that Beckinsale didn't win some major awards for this one. She is determined, bright, and deadpan: When she encounters a roomful of people clearly appalled by her presence, she doesn't hesitate to say, "What a charming family tableau!" As you watch Lady Susan, you're always wondering to what extent she herself is aware of her own wickedness--and trying to "read" this particular barometer is a big part of the fun the movie offers.

Sometimes, people complain about characters who aren't adequately likable. I think it's fine, in fiction, to write about unredeemable schemers--as long as you have a sense of humor. As long as there is a sense of delight in what you are doing. Jane Austen had this humor and delight, and Whit Stillman does, as well. I'm grateful to Film Forum for pointing me back toward Stillman, and toward this strange, sprightly movie from "my early thirties." Watch! Watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MaSK3POHI0
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic.  She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...
1 comment
Read more

My Favorite Pop Song

  One thing I admire about Prince is his weirdly pretentious verses: Dream, if you can, a courtyard-- An ocean of violets in bloom. Also: Touch, if you will, my stomach. Feel how it trembles inside. No one else writes like this. Did people try to shoot down these choices? Did a producer say, "We'd like to rethink this one... Touch, if you will, my stomach...."  I can't help but wonder. But it's the chorus that makes this a classic. It's direct and universal--and it ends with that bizarre flourish, the allusion to "the crying doves." (Prince's song was number one in America for quite a while; it defeated Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark.") How can you just leave me standing-- Alone in a world that's so cold? Maybe I'm just too demanding. Maybe I'm just like my father--too bold. Maybe you're just like my mother; She's never satisfied. Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cr...
Post a Comment
Read more