From the Inspiration file – Jane Austen’s Emma

You may have guessed that I (Chantal) am the one who makes most of these inspiration file posts! I’m a lover of all things Regency, hence I love Jane Austen. I’ve read most of the books and I love a good Jane Austen movie/tv adaption.

I finished the last part of the most recent Masterpiece Theater version of Emma last night and thought it was great. Much better than the last adaptation I saw starring Gwyneth Paltrow *cough*horrible actress*cough*…ugh, let’s not talk about it. Anyway, Romola Garai played Emma in this one and Jonny Lee Miller played Mister Knightley and they were both fantastic.

Is there anything better than a period piece in high def? I THINK NOT. I wish I could re-watch Vanity Fair in HD.

Here is a bit of eye-candy.

From the Inspiration file – Bright Star

We went to see the film Bright Star last night, a film by Jane Campion (The Piano) about the love affair between the poet Keats and his neighbour Fanny Brawne. It’s a real slow burner and is beautifully shot. It’s also terribly tragic and makes me think that, as much as I love the aesthetic of the Regency period, I wouldn’t want to live through it. There is a beautifully photographed butterfly scene that I unfortunately could not find photos or stills of.

Regency-era films/books/costumes, etc. are always a tremendous source of inspiration for me (upcoming posts on Vanity Fair and Regency House Party coming up!). I love the fashion, the architecture and basically everything about it. And the hair! Men had such great hair during that era.

Allow me to bombard you with stills and production shots from Bright Star, all as beautiful as the next. Some are taken from the official movie website, others are promotional photos taken from around the web and some are stills I captured myself from the trailers.