"No Fond Return of Love"

Dulcie Mainwairing..........................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,............................... Emma Thompson

"....a rather tall woman in her early thirties, with a pleasant face and fair hair. [...] She wore a tweed suit and brogued shoes wich looked too heavy for her thin legs."

 

Alwyn Forbes................................................................. Anthony Hokpins or Alan Rickman

 

Maurice.................................................................................................................Rupert Graves

 

Viola Dace.......................................................Glenn Close, Minnie Driver or Diane Keaton

Laurel.............................................................................................................Callista Flockheart

Emma Thompson is the most voted actress for Dulcie and any other excellent woman. The second place goes to Helena Bonham Carter, followed by Diana Rigg and Brenda Blethyn. Anthony Hopkins was suggested as Alwyn, but "with a hair piece". Somebody else underlined that he is "FAR too old" to play a credible Alwyn (and a bit too much Hannibal the Cannibal, maybe), while Rickman was judged "elegant and chiselled". Two votes went to Charles Dance, but nobody voted for Hugh Grant, so we can forget him in an Alwyn role. No, to be honest we have an interesting comment about him: "Hugh Grant should be limited to doing voice-overs for Disney cartoons," writes a Pymian ."He no longer acts; he just is."

The choice of Glenn Close gets its critics too: she "might have a tad too much dignity to be Viola. V. should be slightly ridiculous but endearing "her gaunt face softened by love". Another Pymian notices that to play Viola "lots of dark hair and a mildly hysterical attitude is what required" . So we have two more names for Viola: Diane Keaton and Minnie Driver.

"Excellent Women"

Mildred Lathbury................................Emma Thompson or Helena Bonham Carter

"She was fair-haired and pretty [...] while I, mousy and rather plain..." (Mildred, describing herself as a contrast to Helena Napier)

 

Allegra Gray...............................................Joanna Lumley or Kristin Scott Thomas (K.S.T. was suggested for Mildred too, but not "gussied up")

Helena Napier.......................................................................................Gwyneth Paltrow

Rocky Napier.........................................................................................Hugh Grant

"Less Than Angels"

Catherine Oliphant.....................................................Emma Thompson or Helen Mirren (with a "bad perm")

 

Deirdre Swan...............................................................................................................................Kate Winslet

 

Tom Mallow.............................................................................Rupert Everett (also suggested as Everard Bone)

                                                                                 

 

"An academic question"

I've received a rather complete cast for this novel, with a lot of comments, so I'm putting everything online.

"Caroline (Caro): she hasn't the strength of the true excellent women, being so dependent and a little lost, but she is most engaging as played by GWYNETH PALTROW. Her flatness, as it were, allows the characters around her to shine. Caroline's exasperatingly competent rival, Iris Hornblower, is ELISABETH HURLEY. Caro's droll, ambitious husband, Alan, is...any number of young English actors who could play a part without exhibiting intensity. I would have liked William Hurt, but he is much older than Pym's young Alan. Alan's academic rival, Crispin, annoying yet comic, is JOHN CLEESE. Coco Jeffries, Caro's hugely effeminate, brilliant witty best friend, is GARY OLDMAN. Kitty Jeffries, Coco's elegant mother, is ELIZABETH TAYLOR (well, this is for fun, right?). Dolly is Kitty's sister, of which no graver (nor comic!) contrast could be found. And that real gem of a Pym person, Dolly, keeper of hedgehogs, is JOAN PLOWRIGHT." ourdna

"A glass of blessings"

Wilmet Forsyth.................................................................................................................................Celine Dion

Crampton Hodnet is one of the least known BP novels. So I was particularly happy when Carrie Kennington-Wade suggested Joan Plowright, aka Mrs. Lawrence Olivier, for the role of Miss Doggett. "Wouldn't she be perfect?" asks Carrie. Yes, she would. But what about Miss Clovis?

Wait a minute. Somebody *did* play Barbara Pym! In 1991, the British actress Patricia Routldege played Miss Pym herself in the BBC special Miss Pym' Day Out. Here she is: