Tuesday 21 August 2007

A new YouTube video and a new fan-fiction!

Thanks to Kari, here's another beautiful YouTube music video of Becoming Jane, made by Tomomi012. The song is Ronan Keating's In This Life, very lovely for Jane and Tom's love. There are lots of new clips I have not seen before outside the cinema, hence it adds to the excitement of watching the video. Tomomi included Jane and Tom quarelling in Judge Langlois' house in London, Jane denying her love to Tom in the woods (and Tom's subsequent hot kisses over her!), their elopement, their discussion in the tavern, and Tom's despair as Jane left her.



The finale is the final reading, showing the aging Tom Lefroy listening to Jane Austen reading Pride & Prejudice to Jane Lefroy. I'm only a bit concerned with the rather abrupt inclusion of James McAvoy's scene at the end (I'm yours, heart and soul), but otherwise, the video is so lovely!

In addition, I know I'm breaching the 'rules' of fan-fiction for starting a new fan-fic before finishing the old one (BJ Vignettes), but Thomas Edward Preston Lefroy and his father visited me, demanding that I write about them and the old Tom Lefroy. So, here's If I Loved You Less, with Jane Christmas Lefroy and Mary Paul as well there. Special thanks to Rachel for the excellent beta. Please read and review. And I also promise to start working on BJ Vignette this week :-D

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVE the wicked smile at 2:14/15 - one of my favourite "moments". Also loving the love/denial scene in the woods, and especially the tavern discussion. The Keating song a great choice - so evocative, and almost peacefully soothing. It had this lovely undercurrent of emotion.

I have your new fanfic up now -love the Emma reference. Glad that you will be resuming the Vignettes ;)

Anonymous said...

:I A short movie review trawl (apologies if these have already been posted!):

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/ENT06/708160311

"The man's a booby," dad whispers. Jane agrees.

"You know our situation, Jane," her mother hisses.

The girl still wants to marry for love.


I laughed so hard at this. As for the rest of the review, generally charming, not much new, and a few raised eyebrows along the way, notably at: "test spark that-", "McAvoy ...here with a Hugh Grant mop top (Nooooooooo)" & "randy Lefroy".

It rounds off fairly well with:

"Great art, the cliche goes, emerges from great suffering, so even if you don't know Austen's life story, you have an idea what to expect. And if you know her timeless novels and the glorious films made from them, it's great to get a sense of what shaped her, of what made Jane so becoming."



This is quite a lovely, simple review: Making peace with the consequences of our choices: http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-8-7/58465.html



The premise didn't grab me but the section I have quoted won me over:
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A31139

"I keep coming back to one scene, mid-film, when Jane has finally realized that, gods yes, she wants Tom. She's at a ball that she thinks he might be at, too, and she keeps glancing around for him while she twirls unhappily on the dance floor, hoping to see him, needing to see him. And director Julian Jarrold (who made the wonderful Kinky Boots) lets the suspense build and build — will she see him? is he there? — until suddenly, he is there, at her side, dancing around her, and the ache on both their faces is so extraordinary that it made me burst into tears. It's a perfect moment, full of longing and love and the total attainment of that pining, which must, inevitably — if you know Jane's story — be lost. I burst into tears, because, like Jane, like many of us, I've tasted that, and lost that, too.

And that's what makes Becoming Jane so just-right. It recognizes the dream and recognizes how unattainable it often is.

I think Jane herself would approve.
"

I also liked:

"it captures both the aching romanticism and the cold, hard practicalities of Austen's fiction.



http://www.gotriad.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070809/GTCOM01/70808017/1071/GTCOM0224

"...Tom would happily make said improvements."

Hahahahaha! Heartily disagree with their "casual relationship" claims.


I don't recommend this review: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/FEATURES12/708040310/1023/FEATURES12, but I liked this paragraph on the Judge:

Everything about Jane, but especially her irony, offends this grim hanging judge, who hands out death sentences with a thunderous righteousness.


I will spare you the review that states, "Jane's eyes pooled with watery longing..." <- ?!

Anonymous said...

I just saw BJ on VeohTv and it's so amazing! I can't wait for the DVD...It's one of the most romantic movie I have ever seen...
I have one regret: when I'll re-read Jane's novels there will be a shade of sadness.
My congratulations this fansite is gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

I just started reading your new fanfic and left a comment there, but I wanted to let you know how much I'm already enjoying it! And I really enjoyed the reviews Michelle posted above. That passage was heartbreaking -- the Charleston City Paper quote. Wow!

I'm definitely at my office in the U.S. logging on constantly to look at all the awesome stuff y'all post -- just love the site. Thanks for everything!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting the reviews Michelle!
The passage that starts with this:
"I keep coming back to one scene, mid-film, when Jane has finally realized that, gods yes, she wants Tom..."
- could not have conveyed my emotions better - and I had seen this scene before I saw the film! Yes, its THAT good. ; )

Thanks for the fan-fiction too Icha - I am longing for your take on the ending! xo

Icha said...

Michelle dear, gimme a moment to do you justice by pulling your reviews to a proper article. I just need some moments to do my real world tasks :-D and I will do the post. Thanks, darl!

Kari, thanks so much for the YouTube section, and I will post the other great video soon!

Megan, thanks a lot for your review and your lovely words, I truly appreciate it. No one will understand what I'm talking about in the fanfic unless they're reading the posts here ^_^

And Greta, I hope you buy the DVD as well ;-) for it will help the selling of BJ products (no, I don't receive even a cent from them, and I have no probs with that ^_^ ). If the movie comes to your town, would you also see it, now that you've seen it online and will buy the DVD soon? I hope you do, for watching BJ in the larger screen is such an amazing moment... (you can sob together with other folks there!) ^_^

thanks Ladies! Truly appreciate it!

Anonymous said...

Icha,

it's me again!!!

I love your fan fiction so much. I have one request- give some more dialogue or description of the landscape, or clothing, etc. I really feel that is needed, especially in JA fic!

I have an idea but I suppose it's rather silly. Since I'm naught good at Regency era...I was wondering if you could take this on? Scenerio: alternate universe (meaning a little change in reality) where Jane and Tom... either 1) His uncle approves of them OR 2) They run away together and live together (happily or unhappily). ...Anyway I was wondering if you could write that if you had some time. I'm HONEST TO GOODNESS awful at Regency- I try to sound wayy too much like Jane herself, which is awful because I'm an American 21st century girl.! I also end up having the dialogue sound like slang today (again, awful).

Anyway, I go on this site about 300 times a day, and no I am not lying. I do this in secret because I saw the movie with my mother and my best friend, both who said the movie was ''okay.'' I told them I thought it was alright as well, not as good as it could have been. However it was a total LIE! Or somewhat. I guess I didn't adore the movie...however I loved the idea of Tom & Jane together!

Update soon!!!!

Love, Rachel <3

Icha said...

LOL! Rachel <3, you're so funny!

Anyway, thanks for the compliment, I'm honoured. The thing is, I have not enough time to do justice to the Vignette (ch 13 is under beta), and I still have to do the Loved You Less one. Plus, Michelle's request of JA/TL timeline that I have not forgotten and is waiting to be written.

Hence, for the moment I am afraid I cannot accommodate the alternate universe version... which is a fun idea altogether. I might have time later on, who knows? But I don't want to promise now, so pls don't hate me for that :-D

But yes to more descriptions of landscape, clothing &c. I will insert it in the next chapters.

And thank you for the frequent visits! ^_^ your 300 clicks per day DOES make a difference, pal! LOL!