Adapting Austen for Hollywood
Altering the 19th Century to Satisfy Today's Audiences
It seems that in the last ten years, every Austen novel has been adapted for the screen at least twice; but it’s no doubt that the Hollywood versions always draw more attention and more controversy. Whether it be adding non-existent scenes to Sense & Sensibility, concealing the age difference between Emma and Mr. Knightley or the inappropriate intimacy between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Hollywood merely intends to satisfy the modern viewers. But audiences do draw the line when Regency manners are disregarded too openly.
Edward’s Fondness of Children Unveiled: Closer to the Ideal Man of Today
In Sense & Sensibility the novel, Austen doesn’t give Elinor’s love interest, Edward, the opportunity to evolve into a complex character, and her youngest sister Margaret barely has a single line in the whole book. It’s almost a mystery to the reader why Elinor cares for Edward so much. Emma Thompson’s screenplay interferes here, expanding his reserved character to a one that gets along easier with little Margaret, who has transformed into an adventurous child, rather than adults. At the price of redesigning an Austen hero, the screenplay aims to fulfill the modern woman’s romantic ideals: a man likely to be a good father figure, a quality not mentioned in any of Austen’s novels.
Falling in Love with a Thirteen Year-Old Emma? Not in Hollywood
Love may be blind, but in the 21st century it’s hard to appreciate a 29 year-old man falling in love with a 13 year-old. It’s true that Emma is a grown woman when Mr. Knightley confesses his love to her, but Hollywood doesn’t risk the hero looking like an old pervert. Although in the beginning, there’s some mention of Mr. Knightley’s brother-like status, his looks definitely don’t put him in the elder brother category. When he declares his love for Emma at the end, he doesn’t reminisce the time he first fell in love with her, in contrast to the scene in Austen where the couple remember Emma’s adolescence. A few minor adjustments can save a hero’s dignity in modern eyes.
Kissing Is Compulsory
Even though Austen adaptations are always careful to keep the distance between its heroes in accordance with Regency manners, in a market where kissing has become a must and racy scenes have become the norm, it’s hard not to break the rules every now and then. The best example of this is the recent Pride & Prejudice including Keira Knightley, where the last scene had to be excluded from European versions for not testing well with British viewers. Although more conservative than the usual Hollywood style by taking place after the couple gets married, the controversial scene still includes an Elizabeth touching Mr. Darcy’s leg and a passionate kiss between the newly weds. Thankfully for Austen, at least some of today’s audience knows well where they want the line drawn between adaptation and “Hollywoodization”.
