Hiya Jim,
RE the old BBC adaptation, the pacing doesn't bother me so much - I actually quite enjoyed the Emma adaptation from that era... the others not so much, not as adaptations, I certainly found the S&S and NA ones entertaining, but not for the right reasons (why was Willoughby playing Pied Piper? Synthesiser music and heavy makeup and over-the-top gothic references? Hilarious). It's the fact that there is just no spark, no life to the story. Everything just feels a bit flat.
Fanny expressing herself through writing I could understand - it's the fact that the text they used was directly taken from Jane Austen's own letters and Juvenilia that jarred. Plus the whole accepting Henry one minute and then changing her mind the next.
I agree that Anne is a much more confident in herself than Fanny (as well as being clever and elegant and one heck of a lady) but she is also much older, and had a much more secure childhood than Fanny did. Sure, Anne's father is a moron, but in her early years she had her mother, and in later years had Lady Russell to protect and guide her. All Fanny encountered was abuse and neglect and constant reminders of her inferiority, with only Edmund to act as confidante. For all her unassuming nature, Fanny has a very strong moral compass, and stands firm when it really matters. There should be a way to portray that onscreen in a way that connects with the audience, evoking sympathy and respect for her.
RE the old BBC adaptation, the pacing doesn't bother me so much - I actually quite enjoyed the Emma adaptation from that era... the others not so much, not as adaptations, I certainly found the S&S and NA ones entertaining, but not for the right reasons (why was Willoughby playing Pied Piper? Synthesiser music and heavy makeup and over-the-top gothic references? Hilarious). It's the fact that there is just no spark, no life to the story. Everything just feels a bit flat.
Fanny expressing herself through writing I could understand - it's the fact that the text they used was directly taken from Jane Austen's own letters and Juvenilia that jarred. Plus the whole accepting Henry one minute and then changing her mind the next.
I agree that Anne is a much more confident in herself than Fanny (as well as being clever and elegant and one heck of a lady) but she is also much older, and had a much more secure childhood than Fanny did. Sure, Anne's father is a moron, but in her early years she had her mother, and in later years had Lady Russell to protect and guide her. All Fanny encountered was abuse and neglect and constant reminders of her inferiority, with only Edmund to act as confidante. For all her unassuming nature, Fanny has a very strong moral compass, and stands firm when it really matters. There should be a way to portray that onscreen in a way that connects with the audience, evoking sympathy and respect for her.