Miss Austen Regrets #Film #BriFri
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Last week, I visited the film locations for Emma (1996) and I celebrated Cary Grant’s 120th birthday with a review of the mini-series Archie.
I’m participating in Jane Austen January, hosted by Erin at Cracker Crumb Life and Lisa at Boondock Ramblings. They welcome all posts related to Jane Austen but are particularly promoting four movies to watch.
Unlike the previous three movies featured in Jane Austen January, Miss Austen Regrets was completely new to me. What a treat that it turned out to be!
These are possibly some of the wisest words ever spoken on screen, and only the character of Jane Austen could say them:
The only way to get a man like Mr. Darcy is to make him up.
Since Miss Austen Regrets was a made-for-TV movie rather than a big theatrical release, there are not many sources for film locations. Fortunately, IMDB has enough to give us a few places to visit.
Hall Barn, Buckinghamshire. Fanny lives with her father, Sir Edward, in a country house. In Miss Austen Regrets, their house is played by Hall Barn. This photo is from a similar angle as the part of the story when Jane approaches the house in the company of her brother, Edward, and niece, Fanny.
Hall Barn is not open to the public, but it does host the Chiltern Shakespeare Company every year. In June, we can have a picnic on the grounds before watching The Comedy of Errors. Auditions were held last week.
Chenies Manor House, Buckinghamshire. The hedge maze where Fanny and Mr. Plumptre play with a red ribbon is distinctive with its triangle and diamond shapes. You can catch a couple of glimpses of the maze on the video at the Chenies Manor website. In the warmer months, the public can tour the house and grounds from 2pm to 5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Syon House, London. We briefly visited Syon House last week where Emma and Frank Churchill meet in front of a fire surrounded by books. Miss Austen walks through more of the rooms of Syon House before passing down the same book-lined gallery to meet the Prince Regent’s librarian. The lighting is very different from the scene in Emma, but if you look closely, you will see that they are in the same space.
The Charterhouse, London. IMDB mentions the Charterhouse and their blog post on films confirms that it was a filming location for Miss Austen Regrets. Unfortunately, I have no idea which location. I’ve looked at The Charterhouse, before, in my review of Man in an Orange Shirt. It’s a fascinating place, so I definitely want to visit there. Maybe one of the tour guides will know which building was a location for this film.
I hope you enjoyed Jane Austen January. I sure did! Thanks for hosting us, Erin and Lisa.
Here are my three other posts about the film locations:
- Sense and Sensibility (1995)
- Pride and Prejudice (2005)
- Emma (1996)