Comments on: Whit Stillman Gearing Up Next Film ‘Love And Friendship,’ An Adaptation Of Jane Austen’s ‘Lady Susan’

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

I heard he has affairs with his leads.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

Dreaming that his cast can pull off a true period piece. An actor should have real talent for that and not always the young IT actors that can appreciate real writing. His casts typically know how to talk his words, but they don't do much else.

By: Pru

Pru — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

All I can say is – Wow! I think Stillman and Austen are a good fit though I would rather see him tackle one of the "canon". Stillman and Austen both are in their element when there is a good person – or a person trying to do right – at the core and the wicked and vain ones orbiting around them, like the Crawfords in Mansfield Park (badly done in '99 and '09). I have to check out the Lady Vernon book.

By: Bob Mapplethorpe

Bob Mapplethorpe — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

I really enjoyed "Damsels in Distress." Greta Gerwig really shines and it has some great dialogue. I'm also looking forward to his Jane Austen film. I think it's a great choice to have Whit Stillman do an Austen work because he has excellent writing in his films. It cannot come out soon enough. I'm just hoping it will be out in a lot of theaters so more people will check out his other works of genius. I'm guessing it will because period pieces and Austen flicks usually get wide releases. At any rate, I am glad I don't have to wait a long time for another Stillman flick!

By: Elinor

Elinor — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

@Tom I agree. I wanted to like Damsels in Distress a lot more than I did. It seemed so incoherent and out of touch.
@ Barbara – As another fan of Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, I would like an adaptation in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice vein. Andrew Davies where are you???
@ Lucia – I wonder if Austen was at all influenced by Dangerous Liaisons when she wrote Lady Susan. Have to find out if it was published in English in the mid 1790s.
@ Ingrid – The title Love and Friendship is going to be VERY confusing to Austenites. Surely Stillman knows that there is a short early work called Love and Friendship?

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

Are you certain that it is not Austen's "Love and Friendship"? As written in another post, there is a very early work by Austen with that title. That, as well as "Lady Susan" can usually be found in collections of her juvenile writing, which were all done when she was in her teens.

By: Lucia

Lucia — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

Lovely if he would adapt Lady Vernon. (loved that book!) The original Lady Susan is delightful but very much like Dangerous Liaisons and that has been filmed at least 4x. I also am of the opinion that Stillman is a director who may want to go for a strong adaptation. I liked Metropolitan and loved Barcelona but thought that Damsels in Distress completely missed the mark.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

There actually is a short work in Austens juvenilia called 'Love and Friendship' which should not be confused with 'Lady Susan'. Also – a few years ago a mother/daughter writing team did a very faithful adaptation of 'Lady Susan', toning down the racy stuff and making it read very much like an Austen work. Called 'Lady Vernon and Her Daughter'. I remember there were Austen elements in Stillmans first film 'Metropolitan'.

By: Tom Knoblauch

Tom Knoblauch — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:27:43 +0000

I'm a huge fan of his 90s work, but I can't say I got much enjoyment from Damsels in Distress. Hopefully this will prove he's still got it.