Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980)

Two teachers vie for the right to stage a play written by Jane Austen when she was twelve years old.

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

Jane Austen (libretto Sir Charles Grandison), Samuel Richardson (libretto Sir Charles Grandison),

Stars:

Anne Baxter, Robert Powell, Michael Wager

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Baxter	...	Lilliana Zorska
Robert Powell	...	Pierre
Michael Wager	...	George Midash
Tim Choate	...	Jamie
John Guerrasio	...	Gregory
Katrina Hodiak	...	Katya
Kurt Johnson	...	Victor Charlton
Philip Lenkowsky	...	Fritz
Charles McCaughan	...	Billie
Nancy New	...	Jenny
Sean Young	...	Ariadne Charlton
Bernard Barrow	...	Mr. Polson
Lee H. Doyle	...	Mr. Jarvis (as Lee Doyle)
Bella Jarrett	...	Miss Klein
Naomi Riordan	...	Mrs. Polson

Storyline

Two teachers vie for the right to stage a play written by Jane Austen when she was twelve years old.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | taxi driver | husband wife relationship | conspiracy | mental illness | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Merchant Ivory

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1980 (UK)

Also Known As:

Jane Austen a Manhattan

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merchant Ivory Productions, Polytel International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sean Young's film debut.

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Connections

Featured in The Wandering Company (1984)

User Reviews

odd mix of styles and ideas

I must admit, I couldn't make out what this film was trying to be ... but I did like it.

Was it about Jane Austen's bit of juvenilia, Sir Charles Grandison, and theatrical productions of it?

Was it about Ariadne and her struggles with herself and her need to become a star?

Was it about Katya and her other life as a smoky bar dive singer?

Was it about Liliana and Pierre and the feelings they still had for themselves, years after they had been bedfellows?

Was it about theatre technique and the insecurities of those who live by greasepaint alone?

It is a slow, ponderous film, with some memorable sequences amongst the dull interludes; I like to call the good sequences the bits of gold in the sand!

Jane Austen's play, from what we see here, is hopeless, and I am sure those who paid big money at auction for it were kicking themselves afterwards - but as a starting point for a movie, Merchant Ivory have done a good job with their fresh new setting.

Robert Powell, fresh from Jesus of Nazareth, is good as Pierre but isn't quite charismatic enough to carry off his Svengali-like role. Anne Baxter is excellent in her final film role as the determined and devious Liliana, her appearance in the film is one of quiet dignity and of true star quality, and she can be funny too. Baxter's daughter Katrina Hodiak impresses as moody and mixed-up Katya and gets to perform a few lovely songs (one wonders why she didn't do more movies ... I was also struck by her strong resemblance to her father, 40s star John Hodiak). And Sean Young, in one of her earliest roles as Ariadne, is OK if you get past the big hair, but you would never have believed from this that she would become a star in films to come.

'Jane Austen in Manhattan' takes a fresh spin on an old author but does it by making a dark, complicated (and often yawn-inducing) movie.

However ... for those nuggets of gold, and they are there ... I would happily watch it again.