25 years since a single spy named Bridget Jones began giving her views on life in a column that has become a popular novel and series of films. While Bridget’s seemingly absurd appearances, judging by the younger generation of female fans, this fourth-century celebration has a sense of nostalgia, nostalgia. Hugh Grant, who played against the devil hero of the films, thinks he’ll get a shout out: “Look how old they are now! Check out Hugh’s condition! ”And is not entirely wrong. Colin Firth has a thick thatch of gray hair and Renée Zellweger’s eyes appear to have disappeared. The only person who doesn’t seem to have changed much is Bridget creator Helen Fielding.
Fielding grew up in Morley in Yorkshire (“I’m not a working class”), where an early blooper – a tiny Helen dropping a pack of cakes – was recorded by her father on Super 8. She studied at Oxford and was in the cohort that included Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. The surprise revealed at its northern flavor tells you all about Oxbridge’s monoculture at the time. She was, Curtis says, “amazing and magical. . . apparently they did not read books. ”She also looked very funny playing Marlene Dietrich in a theater production.
The key to Bridget, she explains, lies in her 1978 diary, where the famous daily calories count (“Viennetta .. Steak ..) and sincere self-confidence emerge. at first. Andrew Marr seems to feature in everything these days, but at least here it is relevant, since it was the editor who gave permission for the original column in the Independent. Fielding didn’t want to write like herself, so Bridget became her mask; also hitting the column were best friends Jude and Shazza, based on Tracey MacLeod and Sharon Maguire, while gay friend Tom (that feels like ninety) was a mix of Richard Coles and Daniel Wood . To everyone’s surprise, millions of women were instantly connected to Bridget’s humorous struggles and shortcomings.
“Texan? Playing Bridget? It was like stretching, ”said Grant, the funniest interviewee. He notes that Zellweger’s efforts on the accent were originally princess Margaret of contemporary London. Watching the film again after 15 years, Fielding was started with his portrayal of the workplace of the nineties, all the obstacles and racy chatter. “You couldn’t make that film now,” she admits. MP Jess Phillips, despite being a fan, says: “[Bridget]largely sexually harassed. . . Today you would be straight to the tribunal. ” The widespread recognition of Bridget’s attempt for male caused a lot of angst in female circles, and Germaine Greer reads out an excerpt from the novel by a scholarly hauteur. But then she is asked if she ever feels like Bridget, and the unexpected response.
★★★★ ☆
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