And they lived happily ever after

I have a book due in this week, so endings have been playing on my mind a lot recently.

A few years ago I received several Amazon reviews that all said they loved the stories but found the endings too rushed…so since then I’ve worked hard on trying to give my endings their proper weight and make then truly satisfying and sigh-worthy.

I’ve been turning to films to give me inspiration and these are the three particular film endings that I love this week (and, yes, you’re right, this selection does change with remarkable regularity to suit my mood). :-) But each of these endings is perfect in its own way, and each leave me with a big smile on my face and an utter sense of well being.

1. When Harry Met Sally
This is one of my all-time favourite movies. And one of my favourite tropes—Friends to Lovers (well, enemies-to-friends and then friends-to-lovers, but let’s not split hairs). Harry’s declaration at the end of the movie when he realises he’s in love with Sally is pitch perfect and wins Sally over utterly (as it should). This scene never gets old.




2. Northanger Abbey
When Henry Tilney arrives at Catherine’s hometown of Fullerton to apologise and make amends for the terrible treatment she received from his father, and she tries to apologise to him for having been so foolish and says, she deserved such discourtesy… He turns to her and says, “No! The discourtesy was all his.” Look, go and watch this short clip (if you’re stretched for time, move to the 2 min mark) and you’ll know what I mean. But…it’s all in the turn of his countenance.

Also, the kiss at the end is the sweetest kiss ever. :-)



3. Notting Hill
As a rule, I’m not a fan of the public declaration…but William Thacker, if he wants to win the girl, has absolutely no choice but to ask the question publicly at the Anna Scott press conference. And he does so in his usual bumbling but charming way, and, seriously, does anyone have a bigger smile than Julia Roberts? I think one of the elements that make this scene work so well is the reaction of all of William’s friends who’ve helped him get to the press conference in time—it’s such joyous ending.



As I said earlier, these are my three favourites today, but I’m always searching for wonderful endings. Do you have a favourite movie or book ending that makes you go gooey every time? I’d love to know.

Movie Boyfriends

Last Saturday, on the spur of the moment, a girlfriend and I ambled into a local cinema and settled in to watch Bridget Jones’s Baby. Of course it starred Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and Colin Firth is one of my all-time favourite heart-throb-y actors. Happy sighs. And yet Mark Darcy—as much as I enjoy the character—is not one of my all-time favourite movie boyfriends.

On Sunday I stretched out on the sofa and watched the Lord of the Rings movie (again). Aragorn is my favourite hero EVER. And yet Viggo Mortensen, the actor who plays him, doesn’t do a whole lot for me in his other movie roles.

Obviously movie (and TV) boyfriends aren’t so much about the real life actors who play them, but how the fictional character that is being depicted in the movie comes across emotionally on the big screen—and no doubt that’s due in large part to the actor’s art in bringing that character to life.

Of course all of this pondering over popcorn had me reaching for the nearest piece of paper and jotting down a list of my five favourite movie boyfriends of all-time—because I love lists. And I wanted a list of heroes I could imagine sailing off with into the sunset to live happily ever after. This is what I came up with:

Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music
He was my very first movie boyfriend—I fell for him at the tender age of ten when I was allowed to stay up late and watch the movie. He hid a good heart beneath all of that bluster…and his honour and loyalty to his country in the face of Nazi Germany held me spellbound. I thought him soooo courageous. And the fact that he danced with Maria and sang with the children had me melting. :) I could definitely imagining sailing into the sunset (uh, maybe I ought to say setting off over the Alps) with him.

James Hammerton from Sliding Doors (played by John Hannah)
This character is such a combination of fun and sweetness. I fell head over heels for him—he’s kind, he makes the heroine laugh, he never pressures her…plus he’s a Monty Python fan! Seriously, what more could a girl ask for? Well, if she also happened to ask for someone who would challenge her to make her dreams come true, who would give her practical support to help make those dreams come true, and to make her believe that she doesn’t have to settle for second best, then James is your man. Happy, happy sighs.

Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey (played by JJ Feild)
Jane Austen wrote great heroes. And while Northanger Abbey isn’t one of my favourite of her books, I love this particular movie version—it’s so good-natured and Henry is so utterly likable (which is why he’s a movie boyfriend rather than Hugh Grant’s Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility or Jeremy Northam’s Mr Knightley from Emma). Henry has a sense of fun and a sense of the ridiculous that immediately attracted me to him. He also has to decide whether he can live up to his principles or whether he’ll allow his snob of a father to browbeat him. Of course, he defies his father, all for the love of Catherine, which makes me swoon every time. Yes, that is one man I could VERY easily live happily ever after with.

Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth’s version please)
You know, I love every version of Mr Darcy that I’ve seen—Laurence Olivier’s, Matthew Macfadyen’s—but Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy gives me shivers (of the very best kind ;-) ). In the beginning he’s so arrogant and superior! And then he’s so vulnerable! And then he amends his behavior and tempers his pride and arrogance. And then he rescues Lydia. A man who changes (and sacrifices his pride) all for love. Oh, man, how could Lizzie not fall in love with him? I did. Completely. :)

 Aragorn from Lord of the Rings (played by Viggo Mortensen)
Aragorn is a hero in every sense of the word. He has a destiny to fulfill…and while he is filled with doubts about his own strength, and has little hope that good can prevail over evil, he still gives the quest his all. He’s a man who will fight for good, who will do everything he can to protect those weaker than him, and oh my can that man wield a sword. He faces his every fear and triumphs. He’s not a man who seeks to become king, but it’s a title he certainly earns. Also, he’s hot—seriously hot. I play with scenarios about Aragorn and me. ;-) Honestly, I could write FanFic about this man.

I have this movie poster on my wall. :-)

 So there you have it, my favourite Movie Boyfriends. Do you share any of my faves…or do you have different Movie Boyfriends of your own?

Jane Austen and the New Year!

by Emily May


What I'm reading: Jane Eyre

Watching: Dexter

Listening to: Fat Freddy's Drop







Welcome to a brand new year everyone!

To start 2011 with a regency flavour, I'd like to share some quotations from the incomparable Jane Austen. Since this is a blog for people who love to read, I'll begin with Mr Tilney's views on reading -- or rather, his damning views on people who don't read!



"The person,
be it gentleman or lady,
who has not pleasure in a good novel,
must be intolerably stupid."





None of us are intolerably stupid, right? If we were to meet Mr Tilney among the pages of Northanger Abbey, he would suitably impressed by our novel reading and pronounce us tolerably intelligent, wouldn't he? So, from one avid reader to another, let me wish you all many hours of joyful reading this year!

Secondly, here is a piece of Jane wisdom (said by Mrs Morland to her daughter Catherine, also in Northanger Abbey):

"You should never fret about trifles."

I'm a big trifle-fretter, but I'm going to do my best to follow this advice. Hopefully 2011 is the year I'll conquer this habit!

Another excellent observation of Jane's (via the eponymous Emma of Emma) is this:




"Silly things do cease to be silly
if they are done by sensible people
in an impudent way."




I love this quote -- it's definitely an invitation to us all to do silly things!




My favourite Jane Austen quote, however, is this one from Sense and Sensibility (as uttered by Edward Ferrars):





"I wish as well as every body else
to be perfectly happy;
but like every body else
it must be in my own way."



Very, very true. We each need to find our own happiness in our own, unique way. If we haven't already found it, may 2011 be the year that we do!



I'd like to finish with some excellent advice from Jane:

"Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint!"

And to illustrate the excellence of that advice, here's Mr Darcy in his wet shirt after doing a little running mad (or rather, swimming mad)...








Happy 2011 everyone -- may it be a fabulous year for us all, full of reading, and no trifle-fretting, and lots of silliness, and finding our own happiness, and running mad -- but not fainting!
If you have any favourite Jane quotes, please feel free to share them!