Why is it relevant?
Adultry / Other woman / Narcissism / Comedy / Historical
Exploration of Adultry and Divorce
***
There are few who have been able to capture the awkward
tension between the sexes better than Jane Austen. With astute observation and sharp wit, Ms
Austin documented the social mores of her time, with humour and an undercurrent
of frustration over the standing of women in society. And yet, despite the Regency/Victorian
emphasis on social manners and propriety, despite all that has changed with the
rules of courtship and sexuality and a woman's right to earn her own income, so
much in regards to how men and women behave with each other continues to be
much the same in our time as it was in her time.
***
Love and Friendship
This movie loosely based upon a novella by Jane Austin called
"Lady Susan". However loose it
may be, it still manages to capture the spirit and wit of Austin, even if the
treatment is a tad more risqué than one might expect from her. It deals with a subject that would have been
very shocking for its time and in Love and Friendship we have the opportunity
to freely explore her world with a little more depth than Ms. Austen, a proper
lady in Regency England, would have been able to do. Unlike the novella, the film is told mostly
from the viewpoint of Lady Susan and as such gives her far more depth and
allows her to be more compelling and even, strangely, empathetic than her
novelized counterpart.
The story follows one Lady Susan Vernon, who at one time had
been of good social standing but now somewhat transient due to the death of her
husband, the diminishment of her wealth and the scandal that always seems to
follow her. Still fairly young and
beautiful, she has suitors galore, yet none are suitable enough to secure her
to her previous social standing. The only
man she truly desires, Lord Mainwaring, is unhappily married and strict social
mores prevent him from terminating his marriage and abandoning his wife. Lady Susan’s not-so-veiled pursuit of a
relationship with him and the termination of the engagement of Mainwaring’s
daughter to the man whom Lady Vernon desires to pair with her own daughter
causes great scandal and finishes off what little good reputation she has
left. Her best friend, Alicia Johnson,
has been forbidden by her husband to associate with Lady Susan on threat of
being shipped back to America whence she came, forcing them to continually meet
in secret. And, to top off her troubles, she has a daughter of marriageable age
who absolutely detests the choice of suitor that her mother has laid out for
her. This sort of trouble might get the
best of us down. Not Lady Susan, who
uses her beauty to seduce and beguile, her sharp tongue to slice those that
dare cross her, her passive aggressive sugar to politely compel others to her
will. She has the command to persuade
and manipulate at a master level and not one person within her sphere is capable
of withstanding the force of nature that is her.
“Facts are such horrid things!” – Alicia Johnson, Lady Susan, Jane Austen.
There is so much to make Lady Susan unlikeable. She is the textbook toxic mother, lover,
friend. Yet, she still manages to be utterly charming. Kate Beckinsale, in a role of a lifetime,
manages to seduce not only her friends and suitors, but also the viewer. Everyone has a Lady Susan in their lives, the
one person who truly is horrible to and for us and yet we just can't resist the
polish of charm and dazzle that masochistically keeps us coming back for more.
“My dear Alicia, of what a mistake were you guilty in marrying a man of his age! Just old enough to be formal, ungovernable, and to have the gout; to old to be agreeable, too young to die.” – Lady Susan Vernon, Lady Susan, Jane Austen
Everyone struggles against the machinations of Lady Susan,
yet each scheme they attempt to weave ends in failure as the socially skillful Lady
Susan thwarts their efforts with the ease of brushing away an annoying fly. Wild accusations, schemes, engagements
undertaken and then broken, passive aggressive conversation over dinners and
teas, divorce and unexpected parenthood plague Lady Susan and most especially,
all those within her influence. Even
when it seems as if her webs of plans are about to irrecoverably fall apart,
she wildly recovers. She is highly
adaptable and weathers changes to her life with great success. Her society is
as complex a dance as the reels and cotillion’s so loved in her time and she is
the master of it all.
“There is something agreeable in feelings so easily worked on; not that I envy him their possession, nor would, for the world, have such myself; but they are very convenient when one wishes to influence the passions of another.” – Lady Susan Vernon, Lady Susan, Jane Austen
***
The notion of the schemer or homewrecker is a common
complaint amongst those who divorce and it certainly is covered enough in
movies, music and literature. Love and
Friendship, steps away from the estranged spouse point of view however, and
provides a little insight to a less reflected side of the story. Beyond the typical “other woman”, Lady Susan
is the classic narcissist. She is always
the victim, despite all the havoc she wreaks. We are provided with some insight
into the internal workings that are taking place in her head. Much of her motivations on the surface boil
down to her position in the world, a landless, incomeless women who’s only hope
is to marry either herself or her daughter off.
It certainly in no way excuses her behaviour and seems she enjoys the
sport enough for it to be the only reason for the games she plays, but it does
provide some layer of sympathy to a character that would otherwise be very
shallow.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from her story is that she is a
force of nature onto herself. There is
no stopping her, and while that is not a sign to just give up and walk away
from a long-term marriage, there is no point in wasting years in resentment or
hate towards a person who just does what they do. Each of the characters spends so much time in
discussion, shocked indignation, horror and gossip and attempted avoidance yet
nothing prevents her in the end of accomplishing everything that she sets out
to achieve. If you have experienced a separation
due to the likes of a Lady Susan whether it be a outside person or even your
spouse, you can soak in a sea of hate and resentment, but in the end, it will
change nothing that happened, nor will it change the person who so damaged your
life. They themselves will see nothing
wrong with who they are, what they have done, and will never be persuaded that
they have hurt you. Quite likely, they
will find ways to demonstrate to you that you brought their actions upon
yourself or that in fact, you have been the one to damage them or their
happiness. It is better and far
healthier to move forward with your life and seek new happiness than it is to
continue to rage against a lost cause.
“To be sure, when we consider that I did take some pains to prevent my brother-in-laws marrying her, this want of cordiality is not very surprising, and yet it shows an illiberal and vindictive spirit to resent a project which influenced me six years ago, and which never succeeded at last.”, Lady Susan Vernon,Lady Susan, Jane Austen.
The movie is adapted by Walt Stillman, and brings him back
together with Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, with whom he last teamed up,
brilliantly, in The Last Days of Disco. Next
to Beckinsale, another commendable performance in this movie is that of Tom
Bennett as Sir James Martin, who pretty much runs away with this movie at
points. He plays the sweet, naïve, yet
utterly doltish character with abandon, and frankly caused some of the biggest
laughs in the theatre when I attended. This
movie captures much of the biting social wit and observation that Jane Austen
is renowned for, and is successfully played for laughs.
***
Lady Susan
The novella, is far different from the other books written by
Jane Austin. An epistolary work, the
sequential letters between the all the parties affected and by Lady Susan
herself, lay out the story in a more piecework manner than the movie. The book
does not flesh out the characters as deeply as the film and he story itself is a
mere scaffolding of what you see in the movie.
This is a fairly dry book, compared to other Austin novels, and I am
relived that the movie was able to draw out far more humor and emotion. It is a quick read, and, while not of usual
Austin caliber, there are still magic moments from time to time and it is worth
a glance through, especially if you miss the old days of handwritten letters.
This book is old enough that it is easily available for free
as an ebook through Project Gutenberg or through your ereading provider of your
choice. And if you haven’t read anything
by Jane Austen before I would highly recommend trying out Pride &
Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility or even Emma.
Who Would Enjoy This Movie/Book?
Austen Fans.
Historical fiction and film fans. Anyone in need of a smart laugh. An excellent date film if you want to
impress. This is bit on the high end
vocabulary-wise and even the subject matter can be a bit difficult to make out,
so it may be not be interesting for young children. Both book and film are perfect for lazy
weekend afternoons spent with a cup of tea.
Healing Factor:
Five out of Five Tiny Green Balls.
Love and Friendship, 2016.
Directed by Walt Stillman. Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny, Xavier Samuel
For more info on the movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3068194/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
