Monday, August 20, 2007

Austen update

So how are we all enjoying second semester?
This is just a short note. For anyone who saw Becoming Jane and was interested in how badly it represented Austen's life, the Aug 13 issue of The New Yorker has a very witty and very good review of the film, which happens to say everything that I said in the post after the DarcySoc excursion, only more elegantly. Worth a look.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Of interest to all the fashionistas out there: (Thanks to Gaby for the tip!)

There will be a Cavalcade of Fashion parade Friday September 14th 2007 at Club Willoughby

THE FULL CIRCLE: 1850 to 1950
A CENTURY OF GLAMOUR
See these wonderful authentic historic costumes as they were originally worn, with genuine accessories and underwear, and hairstyles to match each era. Not just a fashion parade – this unique show is fully narrated and takes you into the lives of the original wearers of each gown, with the social history and conventions of each period interwoven into the commentary.
Laugh, lament and marvel at the lives of the people who helped shape our nation from early colonial days.
Cavalcade is a Ku-ring-gai based society, committed to the collection, preservation and demonstration of Australian fashion from the earliest colonial times to the present day. Cavalcade utilizes its vast collection to raise money for a number of charities in the community.
Where: Club Willoughby
26 Crabbes Avenue, Willoughby
When: September 14th 2007
Time: 7pm for wine and finger food prior
to the start of the parade at 8pm
Dress: (for the audience) Smart casual
Cost: $35 a head
Last year, ADFAS held a Study day in conjunction with Cavalcade and was quickly booked out so this year, we have hired a much bigger venue and are opening the event to ADFAS members, Cavalcade members and their friends.
PLACES ARE LIMITED SO BOOK EARLY!
􀀅
Name:………………………………………..………………………………………………..
Address:……………………………………………………...………………………………
Telephone:…………………………….. Number of tickets at $35 each:………...
Please send this slip and your cheque to: ADFAS c/o M. Williams,
6 Catalpa Crescent
Turramurra NSW 2074

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Darcysoc HIGH TEA!


Darcysoc is pleased to announce that we will be holding our popular end of semester high tea!

Come join us for buffet high tea with as many desserts (think chocolate mousse, tiramisu, chocolate dipped fruits, slices, cakes etc etc.), gourmet sandwiches, other savouries and, of course, tea as you can fit in your tummy! An event of dessert decadence that is not to be missed! We've organised this event at a mystery hotel in the city and it will cost you only half the price of what it would normally cost.

Due to the popularity of this event, places are strictly limited!

When: Sunday 1st July, 2pm-4pm
Where: Mystery Hotel in Sydney CBD
Cost: $15 to be PREPAID. This event is restricted to Darcysoc members. See below for details on prepaying. Check your emails for details about prepaying methods!



Enjoy high tea with Darcysoc!!!


Thursday, April 5, 2007

becoming jane

We had our excursion to see Becoming Jane at the Dendy, and I certainly think it was a success. There were 8 of us (I may have lost count), and enough snacks for twice that :) Before and after the movie there was some enjoyable socialising.
As for the movie itself... as a movie it was a quite good costume drama/romance. Parts of Austen's life had been Hollywoodised, so if you are an Austen fanatic or just happen to know a lot about her life, parts of the movie will leave you irritated. The movie felt as though it was working from the 'Austen as feminist' position, and whatever your own views on this, it does provide ample opportunity for script writers to give Hathaway speeches that are quite 'modern' in sensibility. I presume the movie makers think that the current crop of Austen fans are young, feminist, educated, etc, and will therefore be cast into despair if Austen is seen to be anything else? I'm not sure. All my reading on Austen's life was done for year 12 English, which was quite a long time ago (1996 to be exact) so I'd have to reread it to be sure, but I don't recall that anyone is entirely sure why her one 'prospect' failed to lead to a marriage. So I guess they could say anything they liked - but I can easily think of reasons for Jane not to have eloped with Tom that are not as mawkish as the one given in the film.

On an entirely unrelated note, if anyone here is as interested in period costume as in drama, you might want to stroll through level 2 of the QVB soon. They have a display of shoes there, and among the many funky constructions of current TAFE students, and lots of lovely 1940s - 1970s shoes, are some shoes and boots from the 1800s. OMG narrow shoes! One display card said that women would wear shoes 'like corsets' - i.e. to give shape to their feet. Ouch.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Becoming Jane on Wednesday

Join us for "Becoming Jane" on Wednesday afternoon.


WHERE: Dendy Newtown, King St

WHEN: 4.30pm cinema session. The film runs for 120minutes so we anticipate it will finish just before 7pm.

MEET: either at the front of Dendy Cinema at 4.30pm or in front of the big 'university of sydney' sign next to the City Rd University gate at 4.15pm. We will then walk as a group to Dendy Newtown along City Road. Please don't be late if you chose the latter option (just catch any of the buses that run down City Road if you do happen to be late).

COST: as per usual with Darcysoc film excusions, you pay for your own ticket and we supply you with movie snacks/drinks. Dendy ticket price is $10.50 for a student. Also, three weeks ago, our union gave away heaps of 2-1 movie passes for "becoming jane" (bring it along if you got one).

Hope to see you there!



Thursday, March 29, 2007

hat decorating!

Yesterday was our hat decorating event. It was not that crowded, as only seven of us were there and only five had hats to decorate. We made some amazingly pretty feather, ribbon and flower adornments, and there was so much material left - maybe we can do this again next semester.
Are there any other similar activities that members would like? Either to make pretties like hats or to try period crafts?

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The Darcy Soc event for week three is happening tomorrow, Tuesday 20th March.
We'll be screening Tim Fywell's film adaptation of Dodie Smith's debut novel I Capture the Castle.
It will be held in the Isobel Fidler room, on the top floor of Manning, from 12 to 2pm.

Set in England in the 1930s, the book is very good and the film adaptation is supposed to be quite successful. The film has a solid cast, including Rose Byrne, Marc(us) Blucas, and Romola Garai. It should be lots of fun, and I only wish that I could be there watching it!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

A Darcy Soc Blog

Hello to all of our members. Week Two of uni is drawing to a close, and we've already had two events.
In week one, we held our AGM, accompanied by scones, jam and cream. At that meeting, our new executive for the year was elected. Darcy Soc's 2007 executive is:
President - Nilru Vitharana
Vice-President - Mark Steven
Secretary - Willa Zheng
Treasurer - Sara Bontempo
Financial Officer - Xin Sun
Events Officer - Lisa Cantlon
Website Officer - Rhiannon Donaldson

In week two, some members went to see The Illusionist, as Miss Potter wasn't showing at Broadway anymore. I very much liked the film - there were a few plot issues which I found slightly unsatisfactory (and which I won't go into as I don't want to ruin the film for anyone who hasn't seen it) but the general atmosphere, cinematography, and costume were wonderful.

You may also have noticed that this is not a website. No, but Nilru suggested a blog might be a better idea and I agreed. A website wouldn't give the same opportunity for member comments.
So what will be posted here on the blog? News of upcoming events, information on books and films we think our members might be interested in, and anything else that seems appropriate.
Let us know what you'd like to see.