DotTheEyes
Movie Fan
View the trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNe13rzidOA
Becoming Jane is not a biographical film. Yes, the main character is named Jane Austen. And, yes, she is an author from the small English village of Steventon, Hampshire.
Otherwise, however, the film isn't interested in portraying her early life as it truly was. Instead, it elaborates on historical gossip of an affair between she and Thomas Langlois Lefroy, an Irish politician and judge. The result is a Georgian era romantic drama bearing more resemblance to Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility than any Jane Austen biography.
This is without a doubt an entertaining, well-made film. It will especially appeal to Janites who love the world of wigs, empire-waist dresses, and corsets, the characters who wear them, and their passionate affairs. It's also imperfect. The pace, for example, could have been faster and certain characters could have been developed further (especially if their ultimate fate is intended as an emotional blow to the viewer).
No blame can be laid at the feet of the ensemble cast, however. Initial controversy over the casting of Anne Hathaway, an American actress, as Jane Austen is put to rest by her charming performance (and believable English accent). And James McAvoy is an energetic, memorable romantic foil for her. The supporting cast, including James Cromwell and Dame Maggie Smith, provide unblemished support.
All in all, I recommend Becoming Jane, but there's an element to it stopping me from truly loving it. I s'pose it's the film's choice to retrofit the plots of Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility onto the life of Jane Austen. What could've been a fascinating exploration of a legendary creative mind is instead just yet another retread (albeit an enjoyable one) of her classic stories.
Becoming Jane is not a biographical film. Yes, the main character is named Jane Austen. And, yes, she is an author from the small English village of Steventon, Hampshire.
Otherwise, however, the film isn't interested in portraying her early life as it truly was. Instead, it elaborates on historical gossip of an affair between she and Thomas Langlois Lefroy, an Irish politician and judge. The result is a Georgian era romantic drama bearing more resemblance to Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility than any Jane Austen biography.
This is without a doubt an entertaining, well-made film. It will especially appeal to Janites who love the world of wigs, empire-waist dresses, and corsets, the characters who wear them, and their passionate affairs. It's also imperfect. The pace, for example, could have been faster and certain characters could have been developed further (especially if their ultimate fate is intended as an emotional blow to the viewer).
No blame can be laid at the feet of the ensemble cast, however. Initial controversy over the casting of Anne Hathaway, an American actress, as Jane Austen is put to rest by her charming performance (and believable English accent). And James McAvoy is an energetic, memorable romantic foil for her. The supporting cast, including James Cromwell and Dame Maggie Smith, provide unblemished support.
All in all, I recommend Becoming Jane, but there's an element to it stopping me from truly loving it. I s'pose it's the film's choice to retrofit the plots of Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility onto the life of Jane Austen. What could've been a fascinating exploration of a legendary creative mind is instead just yet another retread (albeit an enjoyable one) of her classic stories.
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