Actress Mia Wasikowska, pronounced vash-i-KOV-skə, is in negotiations to star in a film version of Jane Eyre directed by American director Cary Fukunaga. Mia Wasikowska is known for her role in Edward Zwick’s film Defiance, and she portrays Alice in Wonderland in the Tim Burton movie to be released in March 2010.

There have been many movies and tv series, done as period drama, of the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The last movie adaptation of Jane Eyre was from 1996, and starred Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt. Jane Eyre the Musical was on Broadway circa 2000, and there is an excellent cast recording. A steamy BBC series from 2006 stars Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens.

While Jane Eyre is by no means a feminist treatise, Jane Eyre is a wonderfully interesting and independent woman character, especially since it was written in 1847, the Victorian period. And, a later book by Charlotte Bronte, “Shirley”, went even further with the idea of strong, women characters.

The news about actress Mia Wasikowska is mentioned in an entertainment article here and Mia’s Wikipedia entry here.

Below are some of my favorite scenes from various versions of Jane Eyre, as posted on YouTube:

A hat/tip to my husband, who spotted this article and realized it matched my blogging here…

(excerpt from the blog) Forest Street Kitchen
Hard Times? The New “Poverty Chic”

…In this issue [of Town and Country magazine], the Editor’s Letter focuses on the effect the recent economic downturn has had on the halcyon days of the, well, the right-up-until-a-year-ago era. She calls 2009 “the year of ‘no mores’- no more lavish spending, no more whimsical investments, no more doing things just for the hell of it.” On the following page, she comes to her senses and recommends that we consider purchasing as a Christmas gift a $325.00 chinoiserie enamel ring box. This would, I imagine, be a stocking stuffer along with a 2 carat diamond ring from Cartier (to put in the box) , a perfect black truffle, a cashmere dog sweater, and a pair of airline tickets to Anguilla.

During my recent magazine addiction (from which I recovered completely in the Conde Nast wing of the Betty Ford Clinic), I saw this “Poverty Chic” idea again and again…

I am genuinely not happy that the mighty have fallen; I am not happy when anyone falls. I might wish, though, that there was less media focus on the getting and spending aspects of hard times, and more on the silver linings. This focus on what can be “bought” skews incorrectly the image of what it means to focus less on the material world, whether by choice or necessity. My books come from the library, my toilet paper is generic, and my cashmere used to be my mother’s, but despite my inability (and unwillingness) to spend $325.00 on a ring box, I have a sound marriage, a circle of friends and family who could only possibly love me for who I am (since I have nothing else to give them), and a great kid who is already learning how to work and plan to get what we can’t easily afford. Our family, and not what we buy, or where we go, is the center of our lives…

A related article here at Georgiana’s Circle mentions: Shabby Chic, Recession Chic, Voluntary Simplicity, and Kimberly’s idea for a “Curtain Club” in the spirit of Scarlett O’Hara: here.

There had been rumors that celebrity actress Ellen Page would be part of a new Jane Eyre project. Though, two reports say she has definitely separated from the project.

The good news is, the project is moving forward! Reports say that this project will focus on the gothic elements in Charlotte Bronte’s book.

(excerpt from) We Are Movie Geeks
SIN NOMBRE Helmer Stepping to JANE EYRE

The director behind SIN NOMBRE, Cary Fukunaga, is in final negotiations with UK’s Ruby Films to helm a new adaptation of JANE EYRE…Fukunaga, whose SIN NOMBRE tore up audiences around the world on this year’s festival circuit, is an up-and-coming director who is quickly making a name for himself…

Ellen Page was attached to star in the adaptation, but she left the project some time ago.

And another story: here.

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Thomas Gainsborough, 1787

Want an easy way to dress as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire?

There are many costumes you can buy that are “Marie Antoinette” of France. Since Marie Antoinette and “The Duchess”, Georgiana Spencer, were contemporaries and friends, an Antoinette costume should convey the same overall impression. And, after the movie “The Duchess” being a pretty good hit, people might even get who you mean to be. (Or, you can always go home-spun and find some dress in your closet that looks poofy and old-fashioned with a little scoop to the neckline.)

Some differences you might notice, or adjust your costume for:

-Marie Antoinette was from France, Georgiana was from England. (You could even hold an English Flag.)

-Marie Antoinette is usually portrayed with white, powdered hair, Georgiana is usually portrayed with goldish or reddish hair.

-Georgiana was famous for wearing extremely tall up-do’s, with peacock feathers in them for even more height. (See the Sir Joshua Reynolds painting at read more)

-Or, alternately, you could wear an oversized picture hat to mimic the Thomas Gainsborough, painting, above left.

Other ideas to refine your Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire costume:

-Wear a locket with a photo of the person you believe Georgiana loved the most: Her mother? Her husband? Charles Grey? Bess? Little Georgiana?

English Costume from the 17th - 19th Centuries

-Wear a charm bracelet, or some other memento that pictures Georgiana’s four children: Three with her husband, those being Georgiana Cavendish, Harriet Cavendish, and William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (called, Hart); and, her one child with Charles Grey, her daughter Eliza Courtney.

-Wear a frilly dress with military aspects. Or, wear a duchess dress in the colors of blue and buff (the Whig Party colors that Georgiana adopted.)

-Incorporate a symbol of her descendant – Princess Diana.

Instant Period Costumes: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothings by Barb Rogers

-Go with a friend who is willing to dress as Lady Elizabeth “Bess” Foster (Though, that could seem a little bit creepy considering the twisted relationship the two women had. Though, who are we to judge what love is? The biography by Amanda Foreman notes that, “She [Bess] died in Rome on March 30, 1824, eighteen years to the day after Georgiana’s death. A locket carrying one of her friend’s reddish-gold curls, and also a hair bracelet of Georgiana’s were next to her bed.” Among those who died at Bess’s side were Georgiana’s son, Hart, and Georgiana’s daughter, Eliza Courtney. In fact, according to Foreman, all of the 8 children of Georgiana and Bess remained on good terms with each other after Bess’s death.)

See the other reasons why I think Georgiana is such an important figure at my previous post: here.

Have a Happy Halloween! And, if any Georgiana Circle readers dress as Georgiana, send me a photo and I will do my best to post it at the blog! E-mail to kimberlywilder06 at yahoo dot com

Kimberly writes: I long to blog more here at Georgiana Circle. Time and other blogging responsibilities get in the way.

I am still exploring Jane Eyre. Which, I feel somewhat guilty about. I enjoyed promoting Georgiana of Devonshire as a real-life, woman political figure. Though, I suppose someone should promote Charlotte Bronte, real-life woman author.

Anyway, for the Jane Austen fans among us, and the Jane Eyre fans, too, I stumbled upon a very interesting comedienne. She does a whole shtick about 19th century literature. Then, she sends the audience away with WWJED bracelets. (What Would Jane Eyre Do?) Now, that is cool. (Though, while I like Jane Eyre, I am not sure I would follow her lead. I think several times, she should have forgotten about the patriarch, handsome as he was, and set up a co-op business with one of the other women from the story.)

(excerpt from) Spoonfed UK
We Need to Talk Bonnets with Grainne Maguire
September 1, 2009

There is a slight air of desperation in the small Camden Head theatre.  Desperation of various Bennet sisters looking for a suitable husband, desperation of the Brontes trying to make a living by their pen while keeping their anonymity and the more immediate desperation of comedian Grainne Maguire who has realised that the ten-person audience won’t be growing and it’s time to start the show.

We Need to Talk Bonnets is a comic monologue in which Maguire converts her obsession with 19th century literature and happy endings into a lens through which to view the real, and often much less happy, world. Tonight I am a sizable percentage of the lit geek audience that has come to Camden to hear Maguire’s performance running for three nights as part of the Camden Fringe.

The tiny crowd certainly fits the English studies profile: be-spectacled young women with serious looking men (or perhaps they’re just looking nervous someone is about to force them into a top hat)…

We are ushered out of the Camden Head with a WWJED bracelet (that’s ‘what would Jane Eyre do,’ of course) and the advice that, despite the fact we can’t choose the plot of the story of our own life, we can decide what genre it’s in.

Grainne Maguire is the definition of a niche comedian and her audience will always be limited to 19th century literature fanatics who attend fringe comedy shows. That said, for that audience, her show will resonate with the hope that our love of literature isn’t in vain and we all have a happy ending ahead – or at least a weighty moral to our story and a place in the national canon…

The person of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire, the life and writings of Jane Austen, and the life and writing of the Bronte sisters, have threads of interest for me–even though Austen’s works are written after Georgiana’s death, and Bronte come even later, in the Victorian era. Both Austen and Charlotte Bronte make allusions and hearken back to Georgiana’s time. (And, the name Georgiana even comes up in their novels.) Also, as Georgiana biographer Amanda Foreman notes, what we know of Georgian is filtered through the Victorian era, through her Victorian relatives who decided which of her letters to keep and which to discard.

So, straying from the usual time period covered by Georgiana’s life, I wanted to share the Victorian video below. And, to just make a note to say…I love the novel Jane Eyre. I have recently become enthralled with the 2006 PBS series of Jane Eyre, and have been watching scenes from that and various other versions on youtube for weeks. I am finally reading the book, as well.

Anyway, after all my excuses for why it is relevant, here is a cool video about Victorian women:

“The Feminist Initiative” A film and panel event at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York, USA. A documentary about the formation of a feminist party in Sweden: Feminist Initiative.

Speaker: Lina Olsson of Feminist Initiative. Moderator: Charlotte Koons of the NYCLU. Panelists: Hedda Marcus, Professor of English, Women’s Studies and Multidisciplinary Studies at Nassau Community College; Kimberly Wilder of Georgiana Circle; Andrea Callan, Executive Director of the NYCLU Suffolk Chapter. Thanks to Charlotte Sky for organizing the event. Videographer of the Huntington event: Kimberly Wilder.

The movie is “The Feminist Initiative” by director Liz Weisberg. It tells the story of a diverse group of women working to establish the world’s first feminist political party in Sweden in the spring of 2005. Currently, the Feminist Initiative party is campaigning for the European Parliament Elections in June 2009. The website for the group is: http://www.feministisktinitiativ.se They also have a Facebook group.

Andrea Callan, Hedda Marcus, Lina Olsson, Kimberly Wilder, Charlotte Koons

The Feminist Initiative film and discussion
last in the series…
Women’s Herstory Across the Globe

The Feminist Initiative
Sunday, April 26 at 2pm
Cinema Arts Centre
www.cinemaartscentre.org
423 Park Avenue Huntington, NY

Guest Speakers:

Hedda Marcus, Professor of English, Women’s Studies and Multidisciplinary Studies at Nassau Community College

Kimberly Wilder, writer at Independent Political Report, blogger of Georgiana Circle: Women Healing History

Andrea Callan, Executive Director of the NYCLU Suffolk County Chapter

Moderator: Charlotte Koons, board member of NYCLU, member CODEPINK

feminism ~ third parties ~coalition building ~ media ~ messaging ~ women
__________________________________________________________________

$9 Members / $12 Public / Includes Reception

Tickets can also be purchased at the box office during theatre hours or
by calling Brown Paper Tickets toll free at 1-800-838-3006. No refunds.

The Feminist Initiative (F!) reveals the passion, pitfalls and promise of a diverse group of women working to establish the world’s first feminist political party in Sweden in the spring of 2005. Even in one of the most gender-equal societies in the world, the advancement of women’s agenda within the patriarchal establishment requires a revolution. Beginning from the innovative and inclusive decision to elect three party leaders rather than one, the film charts every trail-blazing step (and misstep) of the Feminist Initiative (F!) from their energetic start to the climactic moments of their inspiring, celebritysupported rally. Movie was made in Sweden, 2007, 97 min.; Director: Liz Weisberg

There are photos below of an excellent event held at the Cinema Arts Center in Huntington (Long Island, NY).  The movie America’s Victoria: The Victoria Woodhull Story, by director Victoria Weston, was shown. In 1872, before women had the right to vote, Woodhull was the first woman candidate for US President. She ran on the “Equal Rights Party” ticket, with the support of key figures from the woman’s suffrage movement and spiritual movement. “The Woodhull”, as her supporters sometimes called her, is an important third party figure.

There was also a special guest at the event – Victoria Bond. Victoria Bond is an internationally recognized composer/conductor. She has an opera, “Mrs. President”, about Victoria Woodull, scenes of which were played. I have known of the wonderful work of Victoria Bond when she was the conductor of the Roanoke Symphony in Virginia, so it was a treat to get to meet her and hear her speak. Victoria Bond is hosting a series with new music by various composers at Symphony Space in New York City in April. And, she is interested in finding support and the best venue to premiere her work, “Mrs. President.”

Fan Kimberly Wilder (l) with composer/conductor Victoria Bond

Judie Gorenstein of the LOWV with composer/conductor Victoria Bond

Watching composer/conductor Victoria Bond presentation

Part of a series: Women’s Herstory Across the Globe

Film: America’s Victoria
Remembering Victoria Woodhull, first woman to run for US President in 1872
and
Presentation/Reception with Victoria Bond
Composer/Conductor

Thursday, March 26 at 7:30pm
Cinema Arts Centre
Huntington, LI, New York

$9 Members / $12 Public / Includes Reception

Information and tickets:
- 24 hour showtime information: 631 423-3456 or 423-2696
- Call 631-423-7610 to get the Cinema Arts Centre Monthly Program Guide
- Cinema Arts Centre 423 Park Avenue Huntington, NY 11743

Co-presented by Huntington League of Women Voters

The extraordinary ambition of Victoria Woodhull is the subject of America’s Victoria: The Victoria Woodhull Story, as her 1872 campaign for the presidency of the U.S. is documented. Enough people supported her cause to ensure a nomination, and although she was a strong advocate of women’s suffrage, she had other issues on her agenda, including marriage reform and legalization of prostitution. Her opponents mounted an attack on her personal life, and her story is told here with the help of Gloria Steinem and Kate Capshaw. USA, 1998, 54 min.; Director: Victoria Weston

Selection from the 2002 chamber opera, Mrs. President, composed by Victoria Bond, will be played following the film.