Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale)
LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
By Marlene Ardoin
“Love and Friendship” reveals a decidedly unromantic side of Jane Austen as she reveals the ferocious ego of “Lady Susan,” whose only virtue is her penchant for neglect.
We find that Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale) has just been widowed and has a daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark), tucked away in a boarding school somewhere.
I say that Lady Susan’s virtue is neglect, because her neglect is probably what saved the temperament of her daughter. Austen does have such women in her novels, but rarely as the main character. “Lady Susan” was written when Austen was 18 (around 1794) and was not published until after her death.
Lady Susan also has a special genius for manipulation. She is very attractive for a woman with a marriageable daughter, and she knows it. Her best line in the film is “too old to manage, and too young to die.” She is referring to men, but she could also be referring to herself.
I understand how such a woman during that time period could be created. She is a beggar, who seeks to be supported by others. During that era, men were the providers, property holders and the decision makers.
Lady Susan, on the other hand, is too intelligent to be managed. She prefers to set goals. Neither men, nor other women, can defend themselves against her intellect and cunning stratagems.
I also noted a slight resemblance of one of the suiters to Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy, but that is where the resemblance ends. Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin is not a Mr. Darcy. Pride and gullibility are not the same qualities.
The ending to his film will leave you with your mouth wide open in “I didn’t see that coming” expression. Lady Susan maneuvers affairs with two younger men, Lord Manwaring, and Reginald De Courcy, yet somehow, her daughter does end up married to a suitable mate, and so does she.
6/7/2016 # Love and Friendship