A Review of Sanditon by Jane Austen as Revised by Andrew Davies on PBS’s Masterpiece
Jane Austen died in 1817 before she could finish her novel The Brothers, later called Sanditon. In January and February, 2020, PBS’s Masterpiece aired Andrew Davies’ 2018 adaptation of Sanditon. This production features superb acting by Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood, Theo James as Sidney Parker, Crystal Clarke as Georgiana Lambe, Charlotte Spencer as Esther Denham, Jack Fox as Edward Denham, Lily Sacofsky as Clara Brereton, Leo Suter as Young Stringer, Kris Marshall as Tom Parker, and the versatile veteran Anne Reid as the wily and cranky Lady Denham. Davies begins his adaptation of Sanditon with a situation similar to that in Pride and Prejudice: the heroine Charlotte and the hero Sidney misunderstand and offend one another. They gradually learn to appreciate each other. However, Davies’ script violates many important themes of Austen’s novels and incorporates some scenes that focus on male athleticism, which never appear in any other work of the famous English novelist and which disrupt the feminist perspective. In various interviews broadcast after each episode, Davies brags that he can easily duplicate…