The Best Live-Action Version of Every Jane Austen Heroine
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Who doesn't love Jane Austen? One of the most important and influential writers in the history of literature, Austen is an institution in the medium. Her books are laced with warmth, wit, biting humor, critiques of 18th- and 19th-century society, and an overall relatable and endlessly enchanting tone that makes them truly timeless. Logically, countless live-action adaptations exist of her six seminal novels, from straightforward takes that do their best to translate her words to either the big or small screens, to bold reinventions that place the action in modern or even genre settings. Indeed, we've seen Austen's work adapted into everything from classic Regency romances to teen comedies and even action-horror misfires.
A key aspect behind the enduring quality of Austen's oeuvre is the indomitable heroines at the center of each story. These characters are courageous, relatable, and engaging, but not every version of them has been equally successful. As the new version of Sense and Sensibility approaches, it's the perfect time to declare who the best live-action version of every Jane Austen heroine is. Everyone will certainly have their opinion, especially regarding who the best Elizabeth Bennet is (there is an objectively correct answer, though), but the fact that we are even having this discussion speaks to the genuine immortality of Austen's creations.
Catherine Morland from 'Northanger Abbey' - Ashley Judd, 'Ruby in Paradise' (1993)
Catherine Morland is probably Austen's least popular heroine. Not in terms of likability, but rather in terms of those who actually know who she is. Northanger Abbey is Austen's most singular work, a satire of Gothic romances that centers on an overly imaginative young woman whose fascination with Gothic literature leads her to start blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. The novel offers a classic coming-of-age story full of witticisms and punchy but well-meaning jabs at the Gothic genre, but sadly, it doesn't have that many adaptations.
As for the live-action versions of Catherine, Felicity Jones might be both the best-known and best-portrayed, but here, we're going with a more unconventional choice: Ashley Judd in the (admittedly) loose adaptation of the story, Ruby in Paradise. The 1993 indie movie is not an adaptation of Northanger Abbey per se; rather, it's a homage to it, addressing many of the same themes but in a different setting and with different concerns. Yet, Judd's Ruby perfectly captures the essence of Catherine: they're both young women navigating self-discovery, deeply observational of the world around them and learning life's hard lessons in ways that aren't always kind.
Fanny Price from 'Mansfield Park' - Frances O'Connor in 'Mansfield Park' (1999)
Ah, Fanny Price, possibly Austen's most... let's say, controversial heroine. She's the overly moralistic protagonist of Mansfield Park, a coming-of-age story chronicling her life from the age of ten into her early adulthood. Out of all the Austen heroines, Fanny is the least engaging: she's the quietest, the most shy, the one who is there to literally chronicle the story rather than actively participating in it. She's like the black sheep of the family, clashing against Austen's other protagonists, who are all wittier, livelier, and more memorable.
All these traits make Fanny the toughest Austen heroine to translate to the big screen, which makes sense why so few have attempted it. That said, Frances O'Connor does a very good job in the 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park. She keeps Fanny's main qualities, but she isn't as passive as she is on the page. Her chemistry with bona fide Austen leading man Johnny Lee Miller (he's played both Mr. Knightley and Edmund Bertram, thank you very much) is pretty solid, and her overall demeanor is quite welcoming without actively turning Fanny into a completely different character. There's not much else to say, but I feel that's how Fanny would like it.
Anne Elliot from 'Persuasion' - Amanda Root, 'Persuasion' (1995)
Poor Anne Elliot. Out of all the Austen heroines, Anne is the one who has never been properly adapted into live-action. So far, there have been three major adaptations of Persuasion: a solid 1995 movie, a confusing but well-meaning TV movie in 2007, and a truly horrifying Netflix version that's more a bastardization than anything. Of those, the best version of Anne Elliot, by default if not necessarily by merit, is Amanda Root in the 1995 movie.
Don't get me wrong, Root is quite good at delivering what the script asks of her, but that's the point: the script is not a particularly great adaptation of the source material. Persuasion is Austen's most mature novel, and Anne is her most level-headed and introspective heroine. These qualities are not particularly easy to translate to the screen, which is why almost all versions of the story portray Anne as a typical wallflower rather than the quiet but deeply sensible young woman with an incredibly rich inner life found in Austen's writing. At least the timeless romance between Anne and Captain Wentworth is quite solid, thanks to Root's gentle chemistry with Ciarán Hinds.
Emma Woodhouse from 'Emma' - Alicia Silverstone, 'Clueless' (1995)
Unlike poor Anne, Emma Woodhouse might be the Austen heroine with the most live-action adaptations that actually do justice to her character. Indeed, everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Anya Taylor-Joy to Romola Garai has done a spectacular job bringing Austen's handsome, clever, and rich heroine to life. However, for my money, the actress who has done the best job at embodying Emma's singular character is Alicia Silverstone in Amy Heckerling's 1995 teen adaptation of the story, Clueless.
Emma is Austen's most complex heroine: she's prideful, spoiled, absurdly confident to the point of obliviousness, selfish, and vain. The fact that all these seemingly negative traits come from a place of genuine (albeit superficial) concern for those around her makes Emma one of literature's most fascinating heroines. Silverstone perfectly understands that, taking every single aspect of Emma's thorny characterization and using them to humanize her Cher Horowitz. The result is a teen heroine who simply couldn't help but become an icon for an entire generation. Cher is the perfect balance between spoiled and warm without ever becoming even slightly unlikable; she's that one absurdly popular girl who you always wanted to befriend and then realized you totally could because she's actually incredibly cool. A better Emma Woodhouse portrayal? As if.
Marianne and Elinor Dashwood from 'Sense and Sensibility' - Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, 'Sense and Sensibility' (1995)
Sense and Sensibility is a curious one. It's very well known, but it doesn't have as many adaptations as you might expect. In fact, there's a case to be made that its current popularity is because of the 1995 film adaptation, directed by Ang Lee and written by and starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood, with Kate Winslet as Marianne. The film is outstanding, a gentle and emotionally resonant portrayal of love, longing, and resilience that elevates its source material in all the best ways possible.
Thompson and Winslet give the type of performances you'd expect from actresses of their caliber. As Elinor, Thompson is all stoic endurance and silent yearning. She captures Elinor's prudence and level-headedness—her, well, sense—with quiet dignity, crafting a heartbreaking portrayal of unrequited love. Meanwhile, Winslet is all emotion and passion as the "sensibility" portion of the story. She's slightly haughtier than her book counterpart, but Winslet never makes her mean; instead, her pushback comes from her daring, romantic spirit, which feels like a logical evolution for the character. There are some issues here—yes, Thompson is noticeably older than Elinor—but they're not enough to stain these two incredible, Oscar-nominated performances.
Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice' - Jennifer Ehle, 'Pride and Prejudice' (1995)
Pride and Prejudice is Austen's most popular work, so it makes sense that it has the most high-profile adaptations. Elizabeth Bennet has fought everything, from Regency classism to zombies and terrible adaptations. She has been played by the likes of Greer Garson, Keira Knightley, Lily James, and, soon, Emma Corrin. Yet, they all stand in the towering shadow of one Jennifer Ehle, who is not only the ultimate Elizabeth Bennet but the ultimate Austen heroine, period.
The 1995 6-episode miniseries is the gold standard for Austen adaptations, a charming, romantic, and irresistible adaptation of Austen's most enduring work, and it's largely—entirely, even—because of Ehle's work. Elizabeth is a proper icon of literature: she's intelligent, witty, insightful, observant, determined, self-assured, headstrong, and playful. Oh, and she's also prejudiced; it's a big part of her character, actually. Yet, there's a charm to her that makes her magnetic, and Ehle embodies all of that so effortlessly that it seems outright natural. The actress is completely one with Elizabeth, playing both the character's warmth and her sharper edges. Then there's her incandescent chemistry with Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, often imitated but never replicated. There really is nothing else to say: Ehle is simply the best.
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