The best Jane Austen adaptations

There are the Austen novels you think of first, and then there is “Lady Susan.” It’s not one of her popular offerings, but it provided Whit Stillman with the basis for his most recent film, “Love & Friendship.” He brought back the costars of his movie “The Last Days of Disco,” Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, for this period piece.

Here’s another less-popular Austen work that has gotten only a couple adaptations, and only one on the big screen. While “Mansfield Park” kept the name of Austen’s novel, it does play fast and loose with the source material. The movie also works some Austen’s own real life into the mix for good measure.

Now we get to the meat of the world of Austen adaptations. “Emma” has been turned to a few times, including in this straightforward adaptation which starred a young, up-and-coming actress named Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s not the only notable actor in the cast, which also features Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor, and Alan Cumming.

Hey, it had been a couple decades, and adaptations, remakes, and reinventions are the name of the game in modern filmmaking. Plus, when you can get Anya Taylor-Joy on board to play Emma Woodhouse, you do it. The movie got a couple of Oscar nominations, for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Before the faithful adaptations of “Emma,” there was “Clueless.” We’d venture it’s the most popular of the Austen adaptations, although many people are probably unaware it even is one. Going with another movie over “Clueless” on that front? As if!

We’ve got a new entrant into the Austen mix! For the first time, “Persuasion” has gotten a theatrical adaptation, given that Netflix counts on that front. The romantic drama stars Dakota Johnson, who gets to be in a literary adaptation a little more substantive than the “Fifty Shades” films.

If you aren’t really well versed in Austen, you at least have likely heard of “Pride and Prejudice.” We’re going old school here with the oldest Austen adaptation on record. It’s not merely old school, it also stars two massive stars of classic Hollywood, Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier.

This is perhaps the most acclaimed Austen adaptation. Joe Wright’s film is shot beautifully and was critically adored. It also earned Keira Knightley, all of 20, a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars. If you want a serious Austen adaptation, you might want to make this your first stop.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is the “Clueless” of the “Pride and Prejudice” realm. It’s a loose, comedic adaptation of the original novel. After all, they even gave Colin Firth’s character the last name “Darcy.” The movie was a huge hit and earned two sequels. Renee Zellweger also got an Oscar nomination.

Hey, there’s more than one way to do a comedic riff on “Price & Prejudice.” This time the movie takes place on Fire Island, a popular vacation destination for gay men. The film was written by Joel Kim Booster and stars him as well, a real showcase for the comedian and actor.

“Sense and Sensibility” is about two sisters, so why not have two actual sisters star in your loose adaptation? This movie came out in the narrow window when somebody would have thought, “Hey, why not do a Jane Austen adaptation with Hilary and Haylie Duff?” At the time, that probably generated some excitement.

Actually, now that we think about it, this has to be the most-acclaimed Austen adaptation. The novel may not be quite as popular as “Pride and Prejudice,” but this movie adaptation has so much going for it. Ang Lee directed. Emma Thompson stars and wrote the screenplay. Her costar? Some upstart named Kate Winslet, two years away from starring in “Titanic.” The movie was nominated for Best Picture, and Thompson actually won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress, becoming the only person to win Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting.

This is a high-concept film heavily indebted to Austen. Keri Russell stars as a woman who loves Jane Austen and is obsessed with the 1995 BBC miniseries version of “Pride and Prejudice.” She travels to Austenland, a fictional theme park in England. There, people live out an Austen-style fantasy.

Stillman would make a clear Austen adaptation in “Love and Friendship,” but Austen played a role in his calling-card first film as well. It’s a loose enough adaptation that Stillman received a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. However, it is indebted to Austen, specifically “Mansfield Park.” In fact, Stillman even goes ahead and name drops Austen in “Metropolitan.”

Well, it’s a movie about a book club that is dedicated to reading Jane Austen’s novels. We kind of had to include it, right? Plus, in a way it is an adaptation. Part of the story is that the lives of the members of the book club start to reflect Austen’s novels, naturally.