Lost in Austin 2008

      Amanda Price is dissatisfied with her life in modern London.  Her favorite escape is getting lost in the pages of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  One night, Amanda is startled to come face to face with the novel's protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet.  A small door in Amanda's apartment mysteriously links their worlds.  Eventually, she becomes trapped on the other side while Elizabeth remains in the modern world.  Now, as the events of her favorite book unfold in all the wrong ways, Amanda tries desperately to set things straight.  But inevitably she makes things worse!! 

     Will this fractured version of a classic tale lead Amanda to her own happily-ever-after?  I found a large amount of enjoyment in this film.  Darcy is at least a foot taller than Elizabeth but don't let this distract you.  Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are very good in their roles.  They both act like and look like they are the real deal.  Mrs. Bennet is particular is far less silly and more certainly streetwise.  She knows what she wants for her daughters and nothing will stand in her way.  5* (I really liked this series)

180 min, TV series, 4 episodes, with Jemima Rooper, Elliot Cowan, Hugh Bonneville, Florence Hath, Alex Kingston, Moven Christie, Perdita Weeks, Tom Mison, Ruby Bentall, Christina Cole, Tome Riley, Guy Henry, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Percival.

Note:  UK Imdb 7.4* out of 10* with 10,245 reviews, Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5*, netflix.com 4 1/2* out of 5* with 525,560 reviews, 7.

Special Note:  The house used to represent Longbourn, the Bennets' home was an empty and derelict building called Bramham Biggin.  It is located on the Bramham Park Estate in West Yorkshire England.  The building had not been in use for a long time so the film crew were allowed to make many alterations to the property.  There was the addition of a porch over the front entrance and the planting of a new garden.  At the ball, the Bennet sisters tell a story of how they have a wager to get Mr. Darcy to say three words to them.  They fail when he responds with "You lose." This exchange is supposed to have actually happened in history and the famous response was uttered by United States President Calvin Coolidge.  The story has also been attached to the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee.  Lady Ambrosia, the Bennets' pig was scripted to make an appearance on screen but an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease prevented the shooting of this scene.

Mistakes:  When Mrs. Bennet and the girls' carriage has broken down, just as Wickam arrives, you can see an airplane or helicopter in the distant sky over Mrs. Bennet's head.