“Sense & Sensibility:” Norland Park and Barton Cottage

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on JANUARY 10, 2010

When I was 13, I picked up my first Jane Austen novel–Pride & Prejudice. After that, I was hooked. I bought the Penguin collection of all of her books (the set with orange paperbacks in a box) and didn’t stop until I read them all. These days I’m a fan of the film versions that have been made of Austen’s books, too.

Emma Thompson won an Oscar in 1995 for her screenplay of Sense & Sensibility, and with good reason–it brought the story alive for us in a way no other version had. When the movie opens, we meet the Dashwood sisters–Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne (a young, pre-Titanic Kate Winslet)–who have grown up at Norland Park, where they have known nothing but wealth, security, and privilege.

Norland Park:

Saltram House, the largest country house in Devon (U.K.), was used as the location of Norland Park. It was built in 1743 but expanded on over the generations. It has belonged to theNational Trust since 1957 and is open to tourists. (Photo and information found here.)

We don’t see much of the exterior in the movie–we just get glimpses of it like the one above.

In The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay & Diaries: Bringing Jane Austen’s Novel to Film, Thompson wrote that after filming a sequence that involved a flock of sheep, Ang Lee swore that he would never again use the animals on a movie set. Ten years later, he went on to directBrokeback Mountain (2005), in which the main characters were sheep herders (IMDb).

Marianne (Winslet) is an accomplished pianist who plays dramatically, with feeling, as suits her personality:

An awkward dinner with their stepbrother and his horrible wife Fanny, who is truly insufferable (Jane Austen could write insufferable characters better than anyone!):

Fanny shows her brother Edward (Hugh Grant) around the library and explains her plans to change just about everything about the grand old house when she is mistress of it:

The movie changed Emma Thompson’s life in more ways than one. She met Greg Wise on the set (he played Willoughby, the man who broke Marianne’s heart) and married him in 2003. They have a daughter named Gaia together.

This treehouse on the grounds of Norland Park is one of my favorite “houses” in the movie. I love it! Elinor’s little sister Margaret likes to hide out here:

Elinor and Edward (Hugh Grant) stroll the grounds around Norland Park (and we get another glimpse of the exterior of Saltram House):

When Elinor and Marianne’s father dies, British law dictates that everything go to his male heir. Their older half-brother takes over Norland Park and the Dashwoods–including their mother and younger sister–are evicted. They are given shelter by a generous cousin in Devonshire, and they move into a humble cottage on his property.

Barton Cottage in Devonshire:

Moving to the cottage is not easy. The Dashwood women must suddenly adapt to life without a house full of servants doing everything for them. It’s not all bad, though. As Fanny (Harriet Walter) says in the movie:

“Ooh, a cottage! How charming. A little cottage is always very snug.”

Efford House is the name of the actual cottage used for film. You can rent it for your next holiday! For information and photos of how it looks today, visit the Flete Estate website.

Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) is so struck by Marianne (Winslet) that he sends her a pianoforte to practice on.

If you haven’t seen the BBC “Sense & Sensibility” miniseries that came out in 2008, I highly recommend it. They can fit so much more of the story into a miniseries than a two-hour movie can. The casting is great, and the cottage used for the miniseries is pretty wonderful, too.

Emma Thompson spent years writing the screenplay for the movie, and it went through countless revisions. The first draft came to 350 hand-written pages.

For the movie, she reportedly wanted sisters Natasha and Joely Richardson to play Elinor and Marianne, but director Ang Lee insisted that Thompson play Elinor instead. Since she was too old to play a 19-year-old girl, the character’s age was changed to 27. At the time, Thompson was 36, so it was still a stretch (as many movie critics pointed out).

Colonel Brandon reads poetry to Marianne on the front lawn as she recuperates from an illness that nearly killed her:

Do you recognize Gemma Jones, who plays Mrs. Dashwood (their mother)? In 2001 she played Bridget’s mother in Bridget Jones’s Diary.

(Speaking of which–did you hear that they’re making a third Bridget Jones movie? Let’s hope it’s better than the second. The third movie will be based on Helen Fielding’s newspaper column, since there is no third novel in the series.)

Do you have a favorite Jane Austen movie? I watch the 1995 version of Persuasionwith Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds when I’m up for a good cry. I pull out Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam when I want a good laugh.

But Pride & Prejudice has to be my favorite. The 1996 miniseries with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is a classic and the favorite of most Austen fans, but I have to admit that the 2006 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden is the one I watch over and over again. How about you?

Visit my TV/Movie Houses page for links to all the others I’ve featured, from Jane Eyre to Howards End.

You might also like:

Kate Winslet’s English Cottage in “The Holiday”

Howards End: An Ivy-Covered Cottage in the Country

For Sale: The London Townhouse from Howards End

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“Notting Hill:” Hugh Grant’s House with the Blue Door

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

Welcome to Movie Monday, when I feature the sets from our favorite films. I hadn’t seen Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in years–not since it came out in 1999–but who could forget the narrow, three-story house behind the blue door? I couldn’t! So I thought it would be fun to go back and take another look.

Did you know that the famous blue door was the entrance to the real-life home of Notting Hill’swriter and producer Richard Curtis? The interiors were filmed on a soundstage, however, because Curtis’s place was much larger and nicer inside than William Thacker’s was supposed to be. (UPDATE: The real home is now for sale. You can see the photos here.)

Richard Curtis also wrote romantic comedies like Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and a Funeral, among others.

Curtis said, “The worst moment of my life was when I watched Notting Hill and thought: ‘Oh, God, it’s exactly the same as Four Weddings and a Funeral.’ I’d been working on it for four years and it never occurred to me…”

The exteriors were filmed mostly on location in Notting Hill and Portobello Road.

William’s Flat

When you step inside the blue door, this is what you see (that’s a life-size cardboard cutout of a geisha on the left):

The production designer was Stuart Craig, who is also known for his work on the Harry Potter films. He did an excellent job of making this place look real and lived in.

Looking from the kitchen down to the front door:

Hugh Grant plays William Thacker, the owner of a travel bookshop who unexpectedly meets Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), a famous movie star, when she visits his store one day.

After spilling orange juice all over her, he offers her the use of his bathroom to clean up. He frantically tries to pick up some of the mess while she changes:

Anna (Julia Roberts) goes upstairs to change:

Curtis explained the inspiration for the story:

“I would sometimes wonder what it would be like if I just turned up at my friends’ house, where I used to have dinner once a week, with the most famous person at that time, be it Madonna or whomever. It all sprang from there. How would my friends react? Who would try and be cool? How would you get through dinner? What would they say to you afterwards?”

This shot of William’s quirky flatmate Spike just makes me laugh:

William and Anna on the rooftop terrace:

Remember the Chagall painting? (On the wall, below.) Later in the movie, Anna gives William the original. The producers had a reproduction made for use in the film, but they had to get permission from the painting’s owners, as well as clearance from the British Design and Artists Copyright Society. They also had to agree to destroy it afterwards because of concerns that the fake might be too convincing.

According to Wikipedia, the real canvas could be worth between $500,000 and $1 million. So, yeah, that was quite a gift she gave him!

Julia stays in William’s bedroom at the top of the stairs, on the third floor, while she’s hiding out from the paparazzi:

Bringing William breakfast in bed:

The paparazzi descends on William’s flat, and Spike (Rhys Ifans) poses for them in his underwear:

William’s “Travel Book Co.”

Anna walks into the store for the first time:

His office in the store:

Watching Anna leave the store:

Max & Bella’s House on Portobello Road

William takes Anna to his sister’s birthday party, hosted by his friends Max and Bella.

Love their cozy dining room:

As soon as William and Anna are gone, William’s friends shriek. They can’t believe they just had dinner with a famous film star.

Leaving Max and Bella’s house:

I have to admit, I always get teary at the final scene in the movie, when William and Anna are sitting on the park bench together, and the camera pans around to show that she’s pregnant:

Here’s how the blue door looked when the movie was made:

It was auctioned off after the movie for charity. Here’s how it looks now, with the new black door (photo via Girls Guide to London, where you can find more information about the area):

Notting Hill became the highest grossing British film that had been released up to that point. Before the movie, the area’s real estate was fairly affordable. Thanks to the movie’s success, housing prices shot up. Richard Curtis himself, the owner of the blue door, took advantage of the film’s publicity to sell his home afterwards for a hefty profit.

UPDATE: The house is for sale–you can see the photos here.

Visit my TV/Movie Houses page for links to the rest I’ve featured. Most popular this week: The Holiday and The Notebook.

You might also like:

“Notting Hill” House for Sale (Blue Door Not Included)

Julia Roberts’ House from “Sleeping with the Enemy” For Sale

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