“Celebrating the Complete Jane Austen” on PBS
Alert Janeite Ben M. let us know that during the break in “The Complete Jane Austen,” as part of their fundraising efforts, PBS is showing a program called “Celebrating the Complete Jane Austen.” It appears to be showing at different times on different PBS stations, so as the saying goes, check your local listings–and it seems to be broadcast more than once in many places. Laurel Ann has posted a review at AustenProse.
Host Lisa Daniels gives the introduction to the program teasing us with the prospect of learning the inside story of the making of The Complete Jane Austen with interviews of the executive producer Rebecca Eaton, screenwriter Andrew Davies, and Austen scholar Dr. Marcia Folsom. She continues with exclaiming that Jane Austen is the ‘it’ girl of the twenty-first century. Ok. You’ve got my attention.
Fifteen minutes into an hour program, you cut to a local pledge drive and then jump back and forth between the two like a tennis match for the rest of the hour without much new information revealed.
This is now The Complete Jane Austen Torture.
Well, we’ve done our duty by letting our Gentle Readers know about it! 
Alert Janeite Maria also has a suggestion for combating the Complete Jane Austen Break Blues: play P&P–literally!
March 8th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Laurel Ann’s review of it is much better than the comment I was too hasty to make about it. “The Complete Jane Austen Toture” is very apt.
March 8th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I have that game! It is fun, but hardcore Janeites need harder questions.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I had a good rant about it on my blog (it totally goes the “men only read Austen to learn how to land a chick” route).
But I want that game!
March 9th, 2008 at 1:38 am
The game is more fun, btw, (esp. after you’ve either played it straight a few times or had a few beers) if you mix up the couples.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:20 am
I have endured double-torture this evening; the idiotic “Complete Jane Austen” followed by an absolutely horrendous presentation of P&P ‘05 on the Oxygen network. It was seven minutes of film followed by five minutes of commercials for two-and-a-half hours–they broke for commercials at the very deneument of the movie, just after Lizzie’s line “your hands are cold.” Excellent place for twelve 30 second commercials for Glade Flame-free candles, Swiffer, IchiBan Kahn and Crayola Wonder Mess-free coloring pens, don’t you think?!!!! Good God!
As for “Complete Jane” … no matter how hard I try, I cannot get out of my mind the hideous spectre of Andrew Davies flapping his hands in the air opining about sex! Oh my dear lord in heaven, I am sure to have nightmares for a week.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:24 am
I have the game and we changed the rules to make it a little tougher — we required that players answer the question directly instead of giving them the multiple choices. We also required very specific answers rather than something general.
Have I said recently that I think Andrew Davies is an overrated, sex-obsessed hack? I like S&S08 a lot, but I hit the FF button and pass by the first few minutes every time I watch it.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Wouldn’t you know — I’ve missed all the new JA “Masterpieces” on previous Sunday nights, but caught the Complete Jane last night. It was, for the most part, a Complete Waste of Time.
Except, as a great fan of Sex & the City, I was hooked into watching Masterpiece to see how they compared JA to S&tC. Best they came up with was underlying sex themes (thanks A.Davies!) and that obsession with fanciful hats = obsession with stilleto heels. I can do much better than that.
I see common underlying themes in both to be searching for true love while avoiding cads, and honoring the deep friendships between girlfriends/sisters who sustain each other during the ups & downs of life.
Yes, Jane Austen would have been shocked at the open sexuality of the S&tC girls, but I think she would have recognized the good qualities of Lizzy/Jane/Charlotte/Elinor/Marianne,etc. in Carrie/Charlotte/Samantha/Miranda. And “Mr. Big” is obviously a Mr. Darcy — considered a real prize, but a man with a lot to learn.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:16 am
>I cannot get out of my mind the hideous spectre of Andrew Davies flapping his hands in the air opining about sex! Oh my dear lord in heaven, I am sure to have nightmares for a week.
LOL!!! AD flapping his hands about
Janeites are of course aware that JA’s way of sketching characters was such that one finds similarities with almost everyone around.
So it’s not surprising that there might exist similarities between JA’s and sex and city characters.
In fact if one were to pick almost any character from any film, at random, one would be able to find these similarities.
How many times has one thought’ Oh dear - that’s like me.’ or That’s like so and so.’
The underlying themes of JA novels IMO are ‘growing up’ and maturing not just physically but mentally as well - and recognizing ones faults.