From Page To Screen: The Secrets Of Austen’s Novels’ Appeal To T.v And Film Producers. Analytical Perspectives

The last two decades have seen a proliferation of Jane Austen's adaptations; many BBC television miniseries and many film productions, particularly in the mid 1990's, from page to screen, Jane Austen's six novels have known lately an unprecedented success; they appealed to many TV and film producers. The question that comes to the mind of any observer of this phenomenon, ought to be, what is the secret of this enduring fascination and eternally fresh appeal, in other words, what are the qualities that make of Austen's novels an appealing material for the large and small screens, what made them so readily adaptable to films Troost and Greenfield (2001) argue that the boom of Jane Austen's adaptations started with the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" by Andrew Davis in September 1995, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and that this boom crossed the Atlantic with the adaptation of "Sense Sensibility" by Emma Thompson. They further argue that the year 1996 was the big one for Austen's fans in the united states; Pride and Prejudice came to the art and entertainment network in January, the same month Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility enjoyed much wider distribution in the U.S.A, in July of the same year Gwyneth Paltrow appeared as the heroin of Mira Max's Emma directed by Douglass MacGrath. "Pride and Prejudice" didn't only inspire Americans, it also inspired Boolywood 's production of Bride and Prejudice 2004 staring Miss India Aishwaya Rai and the American Martin Henderson directed by Gurinder Chadha. We will thus try to shed light on how critics explain this fresh and enduring appeal of Austen's novels to T.V and cinema producers.