In this 250th anniversary year of author Jane Austen's birth, there has been renewed focus on the many cinema adaptations of her much-loved books. This 1999 take on her 1814 novel, written for the screen and directed by Patricia Rozema, a key figure in the Toronto New Wave of Canadian cinema, is notable for several reasons. Superb cast and striking direction aside, it brings Austen's own character, letters and writing into the action, invigorating the character of Fanny (a vivid Frances O'Connor), the poor relative who is sent as a child to live with her landed uncle and aunt and learn the ways of 'polite' society. Engaging prismatically with the blurring of boundaries between Austen's life and her writing, Rozema explores issues of class, power, property, enslavement and empire alongside questions of sexuality and gender. This all makes for a welcome departure from the primarily etiquette-led and familial/relational angling of most versions, while not of course ignoring those dynamics by which many of the more resonant themes are investigated.

Well-received, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times declared it "an uncommonly intelligent film, smart and amusing too, and anyone who thinks it is not faithful to Austen doesn't know the author but only her plots," while Andrew Johnston for Time Out New York wrote, "Rozema captures the writer's combination of prickly wit and hopeless romanticism as few filmmakers have."

We are delighted that Rozema will be joining us to introduce the film, and discuss it after the screening with Gareth Evans.

Cast:
Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Harold Pinter