Mary-Carolyn here, with some general thoughts on Bridget Jones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Diary<\/i>. First, I have a sneaking suspicion that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Uncle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Geoffrey is meant to be Mr. Collins; though, and this is largely because I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure out who Jude, Shaz and Tom are, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think every character has an Austen double, which is alright by me. Updating the story can get a little hairy with the addition of things like the Internet and an increasing emphasis on sex and drinking (Lizzy wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been able to take a mini-break!), but I think Fielding does some pretty interesting and clever things. Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on-screen and voice over comments really give a sense of Austen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sarcastic narrator, though its not as if Bridget needed much help. I think, because Daniel and Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s relationship started over the Internet, it can be seen in the film as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unacceptable\u00e2\u20ac\u009d social channel. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the film\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s position is that the Internet shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be used for communication, but perhaps it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the best way to find a boyfriend or future spouse. This reading is confirmed by Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mom who meets Julian in a similar technological medium, television. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely not<\/i> acceptable to meet your husband through the home shopping network! Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s parents provide a great example of the pitfalls of an unequal marriage, and these are seen much more explicitly here than in any of the other P&P adaptations. I found Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153panty dilemma\u00e2\u20ac\u009d quite funny, and in a strange way, very reminisant of Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dilemma if she ought to show more affection than she felt for Bingley and thus secure his affections. A great Pride and Prejudice<\/i> touch is the name of Bridget\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s publishing company \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Pemberly Press. When Bridget and Daniel go out to dinner, Daniel does the same thing with his eyes Wickhan did when he lied about his past; neither character looks their companion straight in the eyes. Another scene with Daniel, where the two discuss commitment, shows this movie, like Austen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pride and Prejudice and its other adaptations, the focus is not on what you have, but on what you are and what you are capable of (for example, are you capable of committing to one person?). <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll close my thoughts with a great quote from Helen Fielding on the similarities between the plot of her novel and Austen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s novel: \u00e2\u20ac\u009dI thought I would simply steal it. I thought she wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dead.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This comment was preceded by quite a lot of compliments to Austen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing and style, as well as her continuing relevance to our society. Fielding has really done an excellent job creating a novel and screen play that both reflect Austen and interact with her in a new and fresh way, causing viewers to rethink Austen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s themes, and her continuing relevance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mary-Carolyn here, with some general thoughts on Bridget Jones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Diary. First, I have a sneaking suspicion that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Uncle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Geoffrey is meant to be Mr. Collins; though, and this is largely because I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure out who Jude, Shaz and Tom are, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think every character has an Austen double, which is alright by me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elsweb.org\/janeaustenfilm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}