The Best Films & TV Based On Jane Austen

Possibly the most beloved TV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice is this television miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. Firth is almost always mentioned as the best Mr. Darcy, and a bit trivia: the series inspired author Helen Fielding to write the popular Bridget Jones novels and their screen adaptations in which Colin Firth plays the character named Mark Darcy. The series was an immediate hit and took its place among the greatest ever television dramas. DVD, and Blu-ray, edition of Pride and Prejudice makes a perfect weekend for the fans of Georgian period with 327 minutes of television, and including special features such as The Making of Pride and Prejudice.

Love and Friendship is a film based on Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. The film centres on a beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon whose reputation is damaged by various rumours of exploits so she goes to the estate of her in-laws to wait out the gossip. But while she's there, she attracts several suitors. The film stars Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, and Stephen Fry. Love and Friendship is most certainly one of the less serious adaptation and if you want to enjoy this Machiavellian comedy, check out DVD and Blu-ray editions for extra content, including The Making of Love & Friendship documentary.

Pride and Prejudice is the most adapted Jane Austen novel and every decade has at least one version. In 2005, there was this Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the roles of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna, Anna Karenina). As we all know by now, the film depicts five sisters from an English family of landed gentry as they deal with issues of marriage, morality, and misconceptions. Even though we know the story, this newer adaptation brought a classic novel to a whole new and younger audience and it's a great achievement for a romantic drama. Rent Pride and Prejudice on DVD or Blu-ray and find out about alternate US ending of the film.

Have you ever wondered what happened after the Pride and Prejudice ending, was there happily ever after? Death Comes to Pemberley is a three-part television drama based on the best-selling P.D. James novel of the same name and it takes us to six years after Pride and Prejudice ends. This television series is not directly adapted from Austen's work, but it's considered a sequel where we revisit Austen's best loved characters. The story focuses on what happens after a discovery of a dead man in Pemberley woods. It seems it's the beginning of a nightmare which threatens to engulf the estate and all the Darcys hold dear. Among others, the series stars Matthew Rhys, Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Goode.

Our next entry to the best films & TV based on Jane Austen is Becoming Jane, biographical romantic drama directed by Julian Jarrold. Anne Hathaway stars as Jane Austen, a true romantic while her parents want her to marry for money. The film depicts the early life of the English author and her lasting love for Thomas Langlois Lefroy. When the 20-year-old Jane meets the dashing young Irishman Tom (James McAvoy), her curiosity is ignited and falls in love head over heels. There are clear parallels between her life as shown in this film and her novels, it makes Becoming Jane a nice film for a movie night. If you get it on DVD or Blu-ray, you additionally get access to special features such as featurettes Hair, Make-up and Costume Design and Regency Dance.

We're continuing our list of the best films & TV based on Jane Austen with Emma, a four-part BBC television drama serial adaptation. The novel and film are about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance, topics quite often visited in Austen's work. Emma Woodhouse (Romola Garaic) is young, clever and rich, and also think her skills as a matchmaker are unparalleled. When she meets the pretty naive and socially inferior Harriet (Toni Collette), Emma is ready to practise her skills again. Mr Knightley (Jonny Lee Miller), her loyal friend and neighbour, warns her of the harm she could cause but she ignores him. Rent this miniseries on DVD and find out how it all ends.

The Jane Austen Book Club is adapted from the novel of the same name by Karen Joy Fowler. It centres around a book club formed specifically to discuss the six novels written by Jane Austen. they discover that, in matters of love, all they need to ask is: What would Jane do? The film features an all-star cast that includes Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Hugh Dancy, and Amy Brenneman. For a true lover of Georgian period and Jane Austen, there are plenty of features on the DVD edition you can indulge in, including Behind-The-Scenes of the Jane Austen Book Club and The Life of Jane Austen - Featurette.

Next up is Sense and Sensibility on the best films & TV based on Jane Austen. Penniless sisters Dashwood face an uncertain future, one's impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip while other's sensitivity lead her to conceal her own romantic ambitions. Television drama adaptation stars Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, Dominic Cooper in the role of John Willoughby and David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon. You can watch all 174 minutes of it if you rent it on DVD now, and enjoy in extra content special features provide you with. Sense and Sensibility garnered positive reviews from television critics.

Television adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Persuasion deserves a spot on our list of films & TV based on Jane Austen, with its classic retelling of the story. Persuasion was one of three novels adapted for ITV's Jane Austen season, a series of dramas. Anne, played by Sally Hawkins, rejected a marriage proposal a young naval officer Wentworth (Rupert Penry-Jones). Now, eight years later at 27, she's still unmarried when she encounters him again, she can only watch as every eligible young woman in the district falls at his feet. Worth a look whether you've read the book or not, especially on DVD or Blu-ray to get the most of the Georgian atmosphere.

If the premise of Clueless always seemed familiar, then it's because it's loosely based on Jane Austen's novel Emma but set in modern time. The most popular and glamorous girl at Beverly Hills High, 15-year-old Cher, prides herself in her matchmaking skills just like Austen's Emma. And when a new girl comes to school, she is set to give her a makeover and make her a popular girl. Since its release, Clueless has gathered a cult following and with all its quirks, this is a contemporary classic. The film stars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd and Brittany Murphy. Check it out on DVD and make a perfect movie night out of it.