The film is set during the Napoleonic Wars, in Austria or Italy.  The language of the film is German, even though the director, Eric Rohmer is French and all the other films of his that I've seen are in French.

The Marquise is widowed; she has two young children and lives at home with her parents, the Colonel and his wife.  During a battle she is attacked by a group of drunken Russian soldiers, and she is rescued by the Byronic Hero, the Count, a Russian officer.  She is distraught and given a strong sleeping draught by her servant.

A month or so later the Marquise begins to suspect she is pregnant.  This seems impossible, since she vowed never to remarry and she has taken no lover.  A doctor and a midwife are consulted, and they both perform a sort of rudimentary eighteenth-century ultrasound and confirm that she is indeed with child.  Her parents are a wee bit straight-laced; they throw the Marquise out of the house.  She retires to her country estate, a sort of Tyrolean Pemberley.

Meanwhile, the Count has declared his undying love for the Marquise. Eventually the film has a very happy ending .. I don't think I've given too much away.

If you're familiar with the paintings of Jacques-Louis David the characters will look uncannily familiar.  The Marquise is Mme. Recamier to a tee.  I've not quite identified the Byronic Hero, but I recall there is a picture by David of one of the Jacobin leaders but I can't recall his name.  Rohmer always seems to be meticulous about costume.  There is one film of his, Chloe in the afternoon, in which the protagonist tells his wife that he doesn't like shirts; he always wears a turtle-neck with his business suit (this is Paris in the 1970s.)  Later, you see him wearing a plaid, button-front shirt and it seems to be the most important thing that happens in the entire film.

I just saw The Marquise of O.. , directed by Eric Rohmer, last night.  I loved it, but then Eric Rohmer is currently my favourite director and I know he is not everyone's cup of tea.  Like all his films it has a slow, dream-like quality and is heavy on conversation not action.

The film is set in the Napoleonic Wars and should appeal to anyone who loves those gorgeous neoclassical dresses and furniture.  My sense is that the film was relatively low budget, but they devoted a lot of effort to getting the clothing and interior decorations right.  Anyone else seen it??

Wait, I'm confused.  Are you saying that the new PERSUASION DVD is a DVD+CD of an etext version?  Or DVD+hard-copy book?

Mags and Keeba, I'm sorry, I've created confusion by my mis-typing.  I wrote "it is a CD+book package."  What I meant was, "it is a DVD+book package." That is, the book is just a book, printed on paper not a CD.

Wrap it up with a pretty bow and give it to the cute librarian.   SNORT!!!   Grin

Be serious, Deb.  No way could I give a book without a proper title page and t.p.verso to a librarian. Even less, to a librarian whom I esteem...

Robin

Hi Deb!!

Now be honest, Robin, do you feel the need to wear a disguise when forced to patronize the public library?

I love public libraries!  I often hang out at my local public library at lunchtime (you know, change of scene from the academic library where I work.)  I'm usually pretty tight-fisted but I gave them money for their recent centennial rebuilding campaign.  In the next town over, there's an even nicer public library where I often hang out on Saturdays.  The librarian who works Saturdays is really cute (plus, she's a Janeite.)

Now, back to this Persuasion DVD.  Mags, you are correct.  It is a CD+book package, and the Amazon "product detail" wrongly identifies the book as a DVD.  That's OK, everyone make mistakes.  But what a strange book!  The text is clearly a facsimile of an old edition of Persuasion.  Looks like it is from about 1900.  But it has no title page.  It has a paper cover, with nothing on it but title and author.  Then a half-title page, again with just title and author.  Then, straight into the text.  No title page, no date, no imprint, no title-page verso.  What am I supposed to do with this book??

Robin

Thanks for the advice... I'm going to order the 2004 issue and see what comes with it.  I'll no longer have to walk a quarter of a mile to the public library for my (occasional) Persuasion fix.

Robin

I'm just about to order Persuasion for my library, but I can't figure out which version to buy.  Amazon lists two versions;
1.  Issued in 2000 - Aspect Ratio 1:66:1 - 1 disc.
2.  Issued in 2004 - Aspect Ratio 1:85:1 - 2 discs.

I'm inclined to buy the 2004, especially since it is slightly less money, but I thought I'd ask you guys first.  And what is on disc two??

Ordering videos is not usually my job but my friend Michelle is out on maternity leave so I'm doing her things in addition to mine.   I just ordered another film this morning, Renoir's Grand Illusion, and there were about five versions to choose from; very confusing.

Robin

Was it perhaps the subject matter and content (romantic, with evidently some physical contact)?

I'm just reading Mansfield Park too; I just started Vol. III.  I think your suggestion is correct, it was mainly the subject matter and content of the particular play chosen that made Fanny and Edmund object to Lovers' Vows.  Specifically, of course, because it was a vehicle for Maria and Henry to make love right in front of Mr. Rushworth, the man to whom Maria was engaged.  I think the second reason the play (any play) was objectionable was that the production was veering toward the professional or serious in scope; they were building a stage, spending money and time on curtains, costumes etc., and thinking of inviting strangers as players and audience.  That is a far cry from the ad hoc family theatricals the Austens and others enjoyed.

As for people who objected to novels and plays in general, that would probably be the increasingly powerful evangelical tendency at the time.  Remember that the puritans in the seventeenth century banned theatre and dancing and many other things that are fun.  The evangelicals were moving back in that fundamentalist protestant direction.  I don't think it is anything to do with the Jacobin/anti-Jacobin movements; as far as I know, theatre and the arts flourished in revolutionary France, and the Jacobins were bourgeois and anti-clerical and didn't have an opinion on matters of personal morality.

Robin

These Robert Ball illustrations are great, and it's a very nice edition.. actually, this 1945 edition is not scarce, and I believe you can buy a copy for less than $10.  Just go to ABEbooks or Alibris, search for Pride and Prejudice, limit your search to pub date 1945 in the advanced search.

I'm just rereading MP, and for some reason I cannot get Sylvestre LaTouzel and whoever was Edmund in that production out of my mind's eye.  And that little guy who looks like a chipmunk, and plays Henry.

Robin

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers/

Robin

I finally got to the Public Library (it was book sale day so I bought a lot of LPs to add to my huge collection of library book sale LPs that I never ever listen to, but will digitise one day.)

I took out Mr. D Takes a Wife.  You didn't tell me this book is 460 pages long!  According to the blurb, Austen Purists hate it but "Readers" love it so I'm already confused.

Robin

Oh, sure you couldn't, fanboy.

Aw, well, you know how protective you get when it's an actor/actress whose *cough* oeuvre you greatly admire...

Camomile Lawn is a British TV miniseries from the early 90s just released on DVD in the US.  I don't think it was ever on television in America, but I could be wrong about that.  Anyway, among the cast is Jennifer Ehle so that's why I'm watching it.

I've watched the first three episodes and Netflix will deliver the next three pretty soon.  I was about to give up after Episode One, (script a bit clunky, production values rather theatrical)  but it improved with 2 and 3.  It's an extended family saga (really an Aga Saga) about a confusing passelful of cousins and aunts and uncles on the home front in the second world war.  Since it's hard to figure out which are siblings and which are just cousins, you're not always sure whether what you are watching (over and over again) is incest or just plain standard issue s*x.  I think Jennifer Ehle must have been the most junior member of the cast, so she gets to be nekkid quite a lot of the time, poor lamb.  I couldn't quite figure out what I feel about that -

The thing about Ehle's part is that she plays a rather crass, spoiled brat.  She comes out with statements like: "Oh, I don't think the Nazis are all bad.  Those skiers we met in Kitzbuhel were rather fun." (etc.)  In all the other roles I've seen her she plays a totally admirable and wise (if vulnerable) person you just fall in love with.

Anyone else seen it yet?

Robin

I find Mr. D Takes a Wife is in my local public library so I'll take it out and read it.  Then we'll see..

Robin

kind of kidding but serious

As always 
Here's my problem.  Life is short, and there are so many good books to read.  Would Mr. D Takes a Wife be one of them?  I could give it a try I suppose..

Robin

Why didn't they act on my advice (see last comment.)  Now they're gonna have to update that date again... why can't they just launch the damn site?  I need something to do at work.  I've pretty much exhausted the "dress/undress Lizzy and Darcy" possibilities.

Robin