Love Stories in Green

Desperately needing to see green grass and green leaves in the middle of winter in Utah can make one want to move to warmer southern climes.

If that can’t be done, watching a movie that was filmed on location where greenness abounds can be a salutary substitute.

With greenness in mind (mostly), I started with the movie, “Persuasion,” based on Jane Austen’s novel of the same name. I persuaded the Knight to watch it with me. Fortunately, I had actually just finished re-reading the story again, so the plot and characters were fresh in my mind. The Knight, unfamiliar with the story, kept interrupting with plot and character questions as the movie progressed. At the end, the Knight agreed that the movie was an “OK” story and was not terribly insipid (even though there was a shocking dearth of gun fire and car chases).

Several days after that, my eyes again had an insatiable thirst for green. This time, I chose the movie “Emma,” again based on a Jane Austen novel. Unfortunately, I had not recently reread the book (since it is not my “favorite” Jane Austen novel), so I was a bit rusty on the details. Gallantly agreeing to watch the movie with me, the Knight once again asked constant questions. Even though he really didn’t want to watch this movie, I think he secretly liked it because “Pepper Potts” from “Iron Man” was the star.

A week passed and we were still in the midst of the bleak Utah midwinter, with no green grass anywhere to be found. Did I dare push my luck with another Jane Austen movie? I obviously caught the Knight at a weak moment. This time it was “Sense and Sensibility.” Such a lot of green! By the end, I was well aware that watching three Jane Austen movies in close succession had certainly been going “the second and third miles” on his part! (Lots of green but no “little green men.”)

Now, you won’t believe this, but it is true. I actually had the temerity to suggest that we watch “Pride and Prejudice” next. At this, the Knight balked. “I don’t want to watch that,” he said. He was adamant. (Whoever heard of going a fourth mile?)

Well, you probably already guessed it. He had a change of heart: “Pride and Prejudice,” it was! That’s why I married him: He’s a gallant, fourth-mile-Knight. He even professed to enjoy the movies.