Austen's Women- Theatre Tours International

Last night I had the pleasure of going to a production of Austen's Women, a breathtaking performance from one actress playing multiple female Austen characters. She narrated in between the character performances, providing comments and some analysis. It was the voice of Austen herself who we sometimes would love to hear but is missing from adaptations.

Characters were chosen from the six main novels and also from The Three Sisters (her juvenilia work), The Watsons and Sanditon (Jane's unfinished novel). I particularly adored her accurate and astounding performances of both Miss Bates and Mrs Norris. Her repertoire also included Lizzy Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Harriet Smith and many more. It really was a treat.

The production was directed by Guy Masterson and managed by Rebecca Vaughan but the ultimate praise had to be given to Bex Vaughan, the performer who recited Austen lines and switched characters so fantastically for 70 minutes with no interval.

I realise that most of you who read our blog are not in the UK but hopefully if popularity and awareness increases, there is a hope that the production may be distributed wider.

If you do however have the opportunity, I would recommend any Austen lovers to go to see it.

You can find out more at the theatre tours international website and there are a list of tourdates available.

Pic: theatre tours international

Review of Emma

Hi All,

I have been away this week, hence my late review of Emma which was aired in the UK last sunday evening. It was the first of four 1 hour episodes which will be shown weekly to fit in nicely with the very cold autumnal nights we, here in the UK, are now facing! There is nothing better than to snuggle up on the sofa with a hot drink and watch a Jane Austen adaptation.
I was actually down in Devon, staying in a cabin, so the ambience was just fitting!


I knew from the start that I liked Romola Garai as an actress so I had high expectations. She did not disappoint in my opinion. She plays the strong, independent character that we all know and love with such confidence. She has this interesting way of using her eyes to convey extra expression; I remember thinking a similar thing about James McAvoy in Becoming Jane.

Michael Gambon as Mr Woodhouse was exactly the calibre we would expect from him and he depicted Emma's father so effortlessly. This is despite his admission this week in the press that he has never even read the Jane Austen novel 'Emma' before playing this character!

Tamsin Greig is another name to mention; she plays the character of Miss Bates so brilliantly in my opinion.

Linda did draw my attention to a review posted by Roland on Pemberley which began with a point that I myself would have made. The opening sequence of episode 1 was very Dickensian in nature; it showed the primary years of Emma, Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax before Frank and Jane leave Highbury and Emma stays. It was a very very effective opening.

This particular Pemberley review then shifts to a more disappointed opinion, some of which I have to agree with. To take a line from the review:

"When I first read the book Emma's realisation that she loves Mr Knightley was just as much of a shock to me as it was to Emma. In this adaptation the moment you saw Mr Knightley (LEANING on the wall?! Oh please) you know that she and he are the love story here. This doesnt seem right to me."

This is very true and I completely agree. This very point has been a gripe of mine about a number of adaptations over the years; it leaves nothing to the imagination of the audiences. And especially with the story of Emma, it is particularly disappointing.

Another review which was posted by Allison Pearson in the Daily Mail on Wednesday slated the producers of this adaptation by saying:

"the script has this 18th century heroine nattering away in the chatty, informal tones of a twenties flapper."

I think this may be overly critical but she has made a good point. In trying to make this production more contemporary, perhaps some of the Austen has been lost.

I have to say that even after these negative comments, I still am a great believer in this adaptations. So many younger people of this generation have no insight into literature and would not even know who Jane Austen was if you asked them. It may have been a mistake to make this version of Emma slightly more contemporary for us Austen lovers but if it intices at least one young person to pick up a copy of Emma and learn more about Jane's work then it has to be worth it! Do you not agree?

On a final point, I know how much Linda and Icha adore Richard Armitage so I will not say anything to offend, except that Jonny Lee Miller doesnt fail in demonstrating sensibility and charm as Knightley.
I welcome all opinions as I know everyone will have their own, very different, perceptions.

Pemberley Site: www.pemberley.com

Pic 1: Telegraph
Pic 2: Jane Austen In Vermont

Jane Austen Season in New Zealand

The new ITV productions of Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion screened here in New Zealand during July. I was so excited that we didn’t have a long frustrating wait, but rest assured, North American Jane lovers, the wait will be worth it in the end for you are in for a big treat next year with “Sunday’s with Jane”. (I love the title, and repeat it often. Sunday’s with Jane, how lovely and homey, conjuring up images of a cosy wood fire and friends)

Here are my short reviews of the new adaptations; beware, they are marginally spoilerific. :)

MANSFIELD PARK

By some miracle I still can’t fully understand, I went into the ITV Jane Austen Season completely blind, having ignored and resisted all Internet spoilers. Yes, even the publicity stills!

Mansfield Park 2007 was a complete surprise, and sadly, not a pleasant one. Personally, I didn’t like the script, or the casting.

When I watch adaptations I don’t have any problems with minor deviations from the book, sometimes it’s part of the writer’s job as they conform to various restrictions, but I don’t like it when the spirit of the adaptation is not faithful to the original work. Sadly, ITV’s Mansfield Park didn’t work for me.

NORTHANGER ABBEY

I was really looking forward to seeing a new version of Jane Austen's least adapted novel, Northanger Abbey. Andrew Davis’s interpretation was a revelation.

In a rare case of perfect timing, I had just finished re-reading the novel the day that the adaptation aired. I loved it. As a whole the interpretation was youthful and charming, and the casting was excellent. Felicity Jones was gorgeous as Catherine, with all her wondrous enthusiasm and naivety. JJ Feild was a very handsome leading man, and charming! He completely captured Henry Tilney’s natural ease and charisma. The chemistry between the pair was riveting. They shared a connection that was so strong it was almost tangible. Beautiful.

The supporting cast were well-rounded and well-cast, and the locations were fantastic. I really felt the wonder and excitement of Catherine’s journey as she experienced new worlds and relationships for the first time.



I have always enjoyed Andrew Davis’ work, and I think he did himself proud with his interpretation of Northanger Abbey. It was entertaining, and at the same time a unique combination of lightness and darkness, frivolousness and seriousness, sensuality and innocence. Most importantly it was faithful to the spirit of the original novel.

I was amused and entertained, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film that was so drenched in charm. Two thumbs up; I loved it.

PERSUASION


I was first introduced to Jane Austen at the tender age of twelve. I remember ripping through the novels at a ferocious rate, re-reading my favourites Pride and Prejudice and Emma several times before moving on what I considered (at the time) the ‘heavier stuff’. Before I reached Persuasion I hit a snag – I watched an adaptation that involved hours and hours and hours of walking. To my juvenile brain it encompassed absolutely nothing else but walking. I am embarrassed and amused to admit that it put me off reading the magnificent novel for at least a couple of years. I just couldn’t shake the walking.


I am pleased to report that while the new Persuasion does feature some frenzied spats of running (!), there was not a single dull walk in sight.

I adored this adaptation. Rupert Penry-Jones was magnificent as Captain Wentworth, and I cannot praise Sally Hawkins’ Anne Elliot enough. Their chemistry was magnetic, and their intimacy was slowly reborn from their place of torturous estrangement. It was a joy to watch. Wentworth’s bitterness melted away as he forgave, and was forced to acknowledge Anne’s sweetness and superiority of character.

The production was steeped in somberness. I felt the pain of the characters; Anne’s loneliness and regret, and Wentworth’s struggle to forgive the years of lost love.

The supporting cast were brilliant (although I didn’t enjoy Amanda Hale’s Mary Musgrove) and the locations were incredible! Lyme was gorgeous. I loved the contrast and symbolism of the rugged wildness compared to the refined gentility of everyday life.

My main gripe with this production was the placement of the famous “constancy” discussion between Anne and Captain Harville. For the life of me I cannot understand WHY the writers moved this crucial plot point to the middle of the story, and then, even better, left it unheard by Wentworth! Yes, unheard! All pretense at maturity fled during this scene and I was reduced to throwing popcorn at the screen. I couldn’t believe it!

In summary, Persuasion 2007 is a tragic, moving, and wondrous production - highly recommended to all. And if you haven’t done it already – read the book!



Pic 1: ITV Jane Austen Season from: radcity.net
Pic 2: Billie Piper as Fanny Price from: manchestereveningnews
Pic 3: Blake Ritson as Edmund Bertram from: bootsandbonnets
Pic 4: Northanger Abbey still from: FelicityFix
Pic 5: Felicity Jones as Catherine Morland from: pers.ncrv.nl
Pic 6: Persuasion collage from: spafax.com
Pic 7: Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot from: manchestereveningnews
Pic 8: Rupert Penry-Jones as Wentworth from: bootsandbonnets

‘Becoming Jane’ in China!

I was so glad to have Miaomiao contacting me from China, delivering great news indeed that Becoming Jane receives good feedback from China. Thanks to her, I've opened one of the Fansite called the Douban.com, and although I understood nothing (not surprisingly) of what the visitors talk about, I found out easily that Becoming Jane receives positive response in China. Of all the total 3033 hits, 838 of them are for 5 stars (27.63%) and 1481 hits for 4 stars (48.83%), so it's a very good thing.

Now, I’ve asked Miaomiao to contribute a short summary of the Becoming Jane in China, and I hope that in the near future we will have the first article about the movie’s performance in Asia. There, Miaomiao, you can’t run away now! ^_^

Pic: the Disney version of Fa Mulan, for I think that girl resembled Jane Austen in her courage and determination!

Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter

To bring us back down to planet earth after the last post, I thought that I would write a short piece about a book that I read when I was in Ghana. A friend recommended it to me because of my obvious love of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice.
If you want a book which is so light-hearted and easy-reading that it allows you to escape from the pressures of everyday life, then this is the book for you.

I think it appeals to every woman alive because come on every woman wants their own Mr Darcy.
The book is called ‘Me and Mr Darcy’ and is about an American bookshop owner named Emily, (a very quaint bookshop, like in the film ‘You’ve Got Mail’- does anyone know what I mean? I have always wanted to own a similar bookshop!), who is in her early thirties and single and who gets the offer to go to Mexico with her somewhat crazy friend to drink and party for New Year. She does not want to go and instead prefers to spend time alone with her favourite Jane Austen novel and her slippers (sound familiar? It does to me!). She, rather impulsively, decides to be adventurous and book a place on a guided tour through Jane Austen country instead.

When she arrives the entire tour consists of people over the age of 65, much to her dismay. There is one man her age who is a journalist and who she instantly hates for his arrogance and male pride. On the first day of the tour they visit Chawton to see where Jane lived in the last years of her life. When separated from the rest of the group, Emily stumbles across the real Mr Darcy. From that moment on, the rest of the week becomes quite an experience for Emily, something she will not forget.

As you can see from the premise, it is not serious at all and at times is rather silly but I really liked it. It does refer to the story of Pride and Prejudice a little too closely but sometimes I think it is important to read a book that allows you to swoon in the clouds. I really would recommend it; it is funny and the story telling is great and you just want to carry on reading, captured in the fantasy.

Pic: Taken from www.amazon.co.uk

Miss Terrified of Love

Many many thanks to Maria from Sweden for translating this article, originally written by Petter Karlsson; petter.karlsson@expressen.se. The article is found here. Herewith I also invite more of you to send me more articles… while we wait for Team Jane to compose some very interesting news.

Miss Terrified of Love

At the age of 26 she accepted a proposal from a wealthy youngster. But she changed her mind the very next day. Jane Austen loved love – and was terribly scared of it.

“…he has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove — it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light.”. Typically Jane Austen. In her whole life she wrote about heated love meetings, passion and sex in secrecy, but she probably only experienced one real relationship. And then… Yes, then she couldn’t help herself but to in a letter to a friend express an irritation over the boyfriend’s too light dressing gown. Maybe she was even afraid of her favourite subejct love? There is much that indicates that.

It feels like Jane Austen wrote the life she wanted to live. Privately, on the other hand, she remained a rather anxious spinster who only dared show her products to the closest family and never really let any man into her life. The only exception was a proposal from a six years younger “big and awkward” man named Harry Bigg-Wither which she first accepted – only to withdraw the answer the next day. And then he with the morning coat, a certain Tom Lefroy that is, later Chief Justice of Ireland, who she had a short fling with as a 20 year old. Reverend George Austen’s oldest daughter was brought up to clear-sight and a fierce irony that was not too common for women in 18^th century’s England.

To call her feminist is both right and wrong. Jane Austen never impelled any outspoken thesis. She never protested against that it was the four sons of the family that got the expensive education. (Two became clergymen, two naval officers.) Steady she stood anchored with both boots in a world that was about as liberal as Margaret Thatcher’s politics. Sat right. Curtseyed right. Spoke right. Wrote right. But only just almost. Jane Austen had the ability to look straight through all fancy cravats, graceful phrases and stale conventions. Maybe that is why she still touches us today. The18^th century England is not totally unlike the 21^st century Sweden. What went on in the finer lounges was sort of a Big-Brother-Soap. Between The Beautiful People a cockfight went on where the most important things were fame and a cool façade. Shallowness meant everything. Profoundness, nothing.

Jane Austen became both a blind follower and revolutionary. She was both fascinated by that world and mocked it. Not everybody appreciated her loving social scourge. Always so sarcastic Mark Twain wrote: “… any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book.”

Pride and Prejudice. 1797 (published 1813)

Mrs. Bennet at Longbourn in the south of England is struggling to get her five daughters married. The beautiful Elizabeth is enchanted by a young officer, but is at the same time drawn to the proud and arrogant Mr. Darcy.

Trivia

The modern best seller Bridget Jones’s Diary is thought to be a wink to Pride and Prejudice. The male hero is in both cases named Mr. Darcy. When the novels last became film and BBC-series the male leading role is in both cases played by Colin Firth.

Facts about Jane Austen

Lived between: 1775-1817. Died probably of those day’s common illness tuberculosis, or possibly – as her biographer Carol Shields wants to uphold – in breast cancer.

Family: Unmarried.

Residence: Moved around in southern England, Oxford, amongst others Reading, Bath and Southampton. The Chawton cottage is now a museum.

Personality: Witty, ironic, well-read, outspoken, ambitious.

Preferred topics: marriage and love in England’s upper class during the 18^th century.

Novels by choice (publishing year): Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey (1818), Persuasion (1818)

Pic: Cover to 'Pride & Prejudice', Wordsworth edition

My review of the Becoming Jane DVD

I just wanted to write a quick post as my ‘long-awaited’ Becoming Jane DVD arrived yesterday and I watched it the first chance I could last night.
I am heartbroken all over again!!! I have been wondering why this film has such a powerful impact on me. Firstly I think I am just a romanticist at heart and any doomed love story just plucks at my heart strings and bothers me for days (in this case, months) to follow! But this story is different…..I was really worried that all of the reading and insight that I have gained over the past few months would actually deter be from loving the film so much but this was not the case for I loved it more! I think that the Tom/Jane story is just so special. Since I have read more about the subject and visited Steventon and Ireland to see first hand where Tom and Jane walked and breathed, I think that I truly believe their story and feel that we cannot rest until we have done everything we can to find the truth.


Anyway, about the DVD. I ordered mine from http://www.play.com/ as I am confident in the reduced prices and service they offer. I am not saying this because of my love for everything Becoming Jane but the special features on this DVD are actually better than other’s in my collection.
Firstly, there are interviews with the director and other people involved in the making of Becoming Jane such as the fabulous people responsible for the costumes and make-up.
Also, there is the behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of two scenes from the film; the first is the boxing scene at Laversham fair when Tom launches into the ring and begins fighting. From this we see how wonderful James McAvoy is and how serious he was ensuring that it was just right. The other scene is the cricket scene. I have not watched this footage yet for I love this scene so much and I am not sure I want to see how it was filmed; I am sure that my intrigue will take over soon but at the moment I want to remain in a state of belief that it is all real and not a film!


Also amongst the special features is a series (approximately 10) of deleted scenes which made me very excited. You will be pleased to know that there are none involving Tom and Jane so they did not deprive us of any Tom/Jane interactions. There were, however, a few involving Cassandra that did not make the final cut. As I said to Icha and the others, this was such a shame for it really gave a better insight into the closeness of Jane and Cassandra. Also, Anna Maxwell Martin’s acting is so superb that it would have given her more of a chance to shine if the scenes had been included. I cannot remember all of the scenes right now but the ones that stood out for me were two in particular.
Firstly was an extended version of Cassandra’s grief for the loss of her fiancé. Right at the beginning of the film we saw Cassandra and Tom Fowle meet at the top of the stairs when they are awoken by Jane’s loud piano playing? Well in the deleted scene Cassandra retraces her footsteps to the top of the stairs, grieving for the loss of her Tom. It was really moving.
The other scene that I found particularly good showed Cassandra and Jane taking cover under a tree for it is raining hard; upon which they encounter Lucy Lefroy (Tom’s cousin) and her friend. It is set at the time when Tom returns to visit his aunt and uncle and does not go to see Jane (after the cork street meeting and before the meeting in the woods when Jane is out walking with her brother George). This deleted scene shows Jane asking Lucy with pleading eyes whether Tom is currently visiting nearby Ashe and when Lucy replies that he is, Jane appears devastated. I liked it because it is very emotionally evocative.
I think that overall, however, the final cut is perfect.

Finally on the special features is the theatrical trailer and a photo gallery. The photo gallery is fabulous; although most of the shots we have already posted here on the Becoming Jane site, there were a few treats that I had not seen before.


Sorry this post has turned out rather long but I just wanted to make you aware of something else that I noticed upon watching the film last night which actually shocked me.
When I returned from Ireland with photographs from ‘The King’s Inn’ (see my post below); myself, Icha and the others thought that the gate was used in the film. I confirmed that on viewing the film and in fact all of the shots which show Tom late and running to court were actually filmed at ‘The King’s Inn’ in Dublin. Very exciting!
If you again look at the photographs I took of the stained glass window with the ‘Thomas Lefroy’ inscription located within the building of ‘The King’s Inn’, the same shot of the glass is used in the film! We see Tom running up the stairs into the court room and he passes the stained glass window.
What I found so fascinating to comprehend is that the scenes in Becoming Jane involving a 20 year old Tom Lefroy studying in London were filmed in a place (Dublin) where the ‘real’ 50 year old Tom Lefroy actually walked! Also, James McAvoy is running up steps in front of glass that has an actual inscription of his character. Very spooky!

Pic 1: Becoming Jane DVD cover, taken from www.play.com
Pic2: Jane and Tom in cricket scene, taken from www.annie-hathaway.com
Pic 3: Jane and Cassandra, taken from www.annie-hathaway.com
Pic 4: Jane and Tom in the woods, taken from www.annie-hathaway.com
Pic 5: Stained glass window at The King's Inn, Dublin. Taken by me.

BJ fansite link and more BJ clips!

First, I want to thank Donald Munro for making an article in the Fresno Beehive about Becoming Jane Fansite. I have posted Donald's nice review of BJ before here, and apparently, he was impressed by our works here, and hence the article on his blog. Thanks a lot, Donald, for your encouragement! Keep it up, Ladies!

Now... for those who have craved for BJ clips, Nimue09 (from the IMDB message board) and Kari have spotted a collection of Becoming Jane clips in YouTube, posted by Willow09 (thank you, Ladies!). There are six clips so far.



The first one: Basingstoke Assembly. Ouch, my foot! Poor Jane!




Second: the library banter. Experience is vital...




Third: the Ball at Lady Gresham's manor. The electric chemistry! Aaahhhh!!! The magical appearance of Tom Lefroy! Jane's shining eyes! Aaahhhh!!! Am swooning...




Fourth: Kiss by the pond. Yumm...




Fifth: Walking up the stairs.... Miss Austen, good night...




Sixth: the kiss in the woods. Hello, brother George! Oh, it's also interesting to hear Mary Paul's county truly mentioned (County Wexford)...

Enjoy! ;-)

Michelle’s collections of BJ reviews

I would like to thank Michelle for providing me this great article, and also sorry for the delay, been extra busy than usual lately (the findings of Anthony Lefroy did nothing to reduce my schedule, of course!). Please visit the links to see the entire reviews, for I only put the excerpts here.

True Romance: Jane Austen herself would approve of this sad love story, by Maryann Johanson, Charleston City Paper.

OK, I know it's not real. I know it's a bit of speculation wildly spun out of, like, one mention made in, like, one letter that Austen flirted with this Lefroy guy — but so what? So what if it's a fantasy, a "fictional biography"? Didn't Austen write fantasy, too? Don't her books end up with all the deserving young women married to generous and worthy husbands? Austen herself knew how unlikely that was.

I love Becoming Jane even if it is almost entirely invented, because it captures both the aching romanticism and the cold, hard practicalities of Austen's fiction. And in a way, it even does Austen one better: it's laden with all of the angst and heartbreak and tears we've come to expect from a Sense & Sensibility or a Pride & Prejudice, but because it is adhering to the spirit of Austen's life — she never married, never enjoyed any kind of long-term romantic entanglements that posterity is aware of — it doesn't indulge in a happy ending. How can it? Spoiler alert! Anne Hathaway's charming and independent Jane does not end up happily ever after with James McAvoy's handsome and roguish lawyer Tom Lefroy. But I've "spoiled" the movie only for those who aren't familiar with Austen or her work, and I promise the movie works far better as a "fictional biography" — an enrapturing, spirited one with the foreknowledge of her bittersweet yet independent, unmarried life — than it does as a silly sitcom that hangs on the fulfillment of romantic dreams. Becoming Jane is too heartfelt to be dismissed as that.
…

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.

“Gracefully Austen”; Excerpts from James Stanford’s review:

…Utilizing a lovely British accent and a graceful way with words, Hathaway communicates Austen's predicament beautifully. When she was creating her immortal heroines, such as Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice" and Elinor and Marianne Dashwood of "Sense and Sensibility," the real Jane Austen must have pictured someone like Hathaway, with skin like milk in the moonlight and hazel eyes that sparkle with expectation, hopefulness and perhaps the faintest hint of lustiness when she looks at Lefroy.

McAvoy brings out the tug-of-war going on in Lefroy's mind between the pursuit of pleasure and the desire to please his benefactor, a prickly judge (Ian Richardson) who looks for opportunities to disapprove. As Lady Gresham, who has long been accustomed to being a puppet master and has no desire to relinquish the job, Smith is the embodiment of supreme snobbiness.

Director Julian Jarrold gives "Jane" a mellow, suitably unhurried pace that fits the story's setting and allows ample time to understand the characters and the codes of the culture they inhabit. Men are permitted to have their fun (Lefroy and a friend cool off after a cricket game by skinnydipping in the river), while women are expected to be models of decorum and demureness. Step out of line or fail to hold your tongue, and you risk becoming "tainted with suspicion," which is the next best thing to being shunned.

Austen may have challenged the rules, but the movie also shows her abiding by them. Even when her novels win her admirers who seek her out at parties, Austen shyly requests that she be allowed to retain her anonymity

Celebrities passing up a chance to toot their own horns? That's so 18th century.”

Anne Hathaway glows in period drama, by Masha Savtiz

Four out of Five stars

From the church podium at Sunday services, Jane's father Reverend Austen warns the women in his congregation, "A profound mind should be kept a profound secret."

Fortunately neither Jane nor director Julian Jarrold heeds this advice.

Becoming Jane is a beautifully imagined portrait of the aspiring writer in 1795 as she embarks on a life/career that will herald her as one of the great novelists of all time.

Anne Hathaway ( The Devil Wears Prada ) is luminous on screen as the 20-year-old Jane Austen. We watch her grapple with art, passion, and loyalty as distant relative Tom Lefroy, played by James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland ), is sent to spend time with her family deep in the English countryside to temper his insolent and wily ways.

The sharp-witted dialogue and attraction that ensues between Tom, the sophisticated law student, and Jane portends the romantic escapades and sagas that Austen is renown for in later works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

This romantic period-piece drama set in 18th century England is both stunning and sensual while still conveying the strict standard of propriety of the era. We are lulled into the elegance and charm of the highly ordered life of ritualized gentility and refinement. Frames are filled with striking images of nature—the bare winter trees against a carpet of ochre leaves or lush green foliage. The attention to detail in the lace of a nightshirt or pillowcase along with lovely costumes and music truly captures the authenticity and appeal of the time.

Though there is a bit too much "drama" in the drama, Becoming Jane is a well–made film and a well-told story. It examines the sacrifices in staying true to one's dreams, and making peace with the consequence of our choices.

Mississippi’s Clarion-Leger gives “Becoming Jane” four stars:

"Will all your stories have happy endings?" a suitor inquires of young writer-to-be Jane Austen in "Becoming Jane."

Of course, we know the answer. Pretty much so, yes, with weddings and young ladies of "no money, no importance" marrying well by the final page.

But that was the fantasy that Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) created for her world. A pretty young woman of no property and few prospects in early 19th-century Britain, she went on to write half a dozen of the finest novels ever written in English - lovely, aching, witty romances full of agonizing longing, class consciousness and withering put-downs.

And she couldn't have done it without that one heartbreak she had on her way to "Becoming Jane."

Anne Hathaway stars as the youngest daughter of a parson (James Cromwell) and his worrywart wife (Julie Walters). She has an older brother in the army and an older sister (Anna Maxwell Martin) engaged to an army chaplain.

The Austens of Hampshire are people of quality, not cash.

That's why Jane's prospect, the only heir (Laurence Fox) to wealthy Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith, of course), holds such promise. To her mother, that is.

"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.
…
And celebrate the glories of British character actors, especially Richardson, whose visage always suggested a scathing insult about to be hurled. When he calls Jane "a penniless little husband hunter," it hurts her and us.

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.

Pic 1: Mrs. Austen and Jane, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 2: Jane and Tom dancing, from www.james-mcavoy.net

Pic 3: Jane and Eliza de Feullide, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 4: Jane, Eliza and Henry, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 5: Jane and Tom, from www.james-mcavoy.net

More film reviews

After Michelles comment on a recent blog, she has provided us with yet more reviews for the film and I am going to present some of them below. Thanks again to you Michelle!

My favourite of this set is written by Bruce Westbrook and I have pasted the whole article below and highlighted the bits that I particularly like (link is a http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/reviews/4990504.html)

"Becoming Jane is a gem of a period piece showing how a 1790s British woman, repressed by sexist conventions, became an enduring novelist.

The rub is that Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) drew her novels from her life, so showing that life with fitting fictional flourishes feels too familiar after a rich diet of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. In effect, their inspiration — her own experiences — become Jane's inadvertent clichés.

Yet, like Jane's handsome beau, the film seduces. Beautifully produced, from production design and costumes to music and performances, it's also faithful to the genteel spirit and repressed passions for which she's known.

Much like Renée Zellweger's Beatrix Potter in the recent Miss Potter, Hathaway's Austen yearns for freedom to express herself, whether as an empowered female and an author or simply as a woman in love. Yet she's smothered by class strictures, male dominance and brittle rules of propriety.

Enter Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a reckless young lawyer who depends on the allowance of his uncle, a tyrannical "hanging" judge. Tom's impetuous freedom and Jane's hunger for a hunk are a combustible combination, sparking scenes of rare romantic fire. Tom can promise nothing but the affection Jane craves, unlike wealthy but bland Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), whose proposal could lift her family from financial ruin.

What's a young woman to do? Follow her heart, of course, though circumstances won't make that easy.

Hathaway may be too identified with modern young women via The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada to embody tentative feminism of the late 18th century. But she's had her moments in costumers, too, from Ella Enchanted to Nicholas Nickleby, and her soulful radiance, much like Kate Winslet's, is durable and transcendent.

Austen's stifling world is oversold, given the fact that she has a large, warm family who live in modest — yet far from rustic — rural calm. With others making stiff-upper-lip sacrifices, she seems guilty of selfish entitlement.

Then again, passion makes fools of us all, as she says, and there's no denying her strong case for vaulting socioeconomic chasms, which seem quaintly dated today.

In America, the romance of lovers split by money crested and ended in the 1960s, when songs such as the Four Seasons' Dawn warned, "Think what the future would be with a poor boy like me." But as songs also say, all you need is love. Austen may have been born in the wrong place and time to make that truth work for her, but that didn't mean she couldn't bestow it on her characters."

The second review is from total film (link is http://www.totalfilm.com/cinema_reviews/becoming_jane)

I have to agree with Michelle that this review is not my favourite although it is positive but I also cannot fail to include this line which is just over mid-way through the review:

"The role carries echoes of Sense And Sensibility’s Willoughby, just as Laurence Fox’s straight arrow could be a blueprint for P&P’s awkwardly undemonstrative Darcy."

I had not thought of Wisley with a Darcy likeness but it is very funny to think of him this way.

The third review: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/columnists/lratliff/stories/MYSA081007.WK.becomingjane.a316b4.html

written by Larry Ratliff at Express-News.

I like this line:

"the screenwriters use sketchy historical facts to place one of the world's most notable writers into a witty, heartbreaking romance of her own."

Although I obviously dont see all the facts as sketchy, I do think that the film is indeed witty and heart-breaking.

The last review that I am going to present here is from LA weekly film and tv and is written by Ella Taylor. Here is the link: http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/becoming-jane-romp-and-circumstance/16951/

It is a somewhat controversial review but there is a line that stands out for me (the same line that Michelle highlighted in her comment):

"...But two centuries after her death, Austen’s most potent theme —unavailable men, and the women who love them — continues to speak to women around the world, whether they’ve read her directly or through the romance novels (and, yes, self-help manuals) she inspired. This may be why, to the evident disgust of the manly critic sitting next to me, I wept like a baby when love lay bleeding on the ground."

This could not be more true! This picture of Jane looking so forlorn is heartbreaking.

After you have read the reviews, we would be most grateful for any comments that you may have.

Pic 1: Jane and Tom in library scene http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=405

Pic 2: Jane and Tom dancing at Lady Greshams ball http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=17

Pic 3: Jane reading http://www.queensfilmtheatre.com/files/page_720/294Becoming_Jane.jpg

Pic 4: Jane and Mr Wisley http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=37

Pic 5: Jane after leaving Tom at the inn. http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=40

Like an Austen novel, 'Jane' touches the heart

After reading several harsh comments on Becoming Jane, it's very nice to read a review from someone who understood that the movie was not a biopic, and it was a homage to Jane Austen's life and novel. So, here's the excerpt of a review by Donald Munro of Fresnobee.com; the entire review can be found in this link.

Like an Austen novel, 'Jane' touches the heart

Into the stomp and clatter of the summer movie season comes a tender little film that curls up in your heart. "Becoming Jane," a dramatization of the life of Jane Austen, presents a thoughtful Anne Hathaway as the title character. Though its story in some ways resembles the plot of -- you guessed it -- a Jane Austen novel, there's something refreshingly spare and rough-hewn about this big-screen experience. As a die-hard Austen fan, I was captivated, but I suspect that even the most casual admirer of "Pride and Prejudice" could find plenty to love.

Much of the film's success has to do with Hathaway and a sterling cast of beloved actors -- Julie Walters as Jane's mother, James Cromwell as her father, Maggie Smith as the snooty old biddy who trumpets her pedigree over all -- that never overwhelms the delicate material.

Hathaway, in particular, is radiant without shining too brightly, if that's possible. The last thing we needed in the story of Austen's life was movie-star glamour. Granted, Hathaway can mesmerize the camera. But she seems to realize that Austen was not an Elizabeth Bennett -- the gorgeous if diffident "Pride and Prejudice" heroine -- at least not in any way but her own mind.

...

In "Becoming Jane," we trace the story of a tenuous love affair between Jane and the dashing Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy). Most of this is conjecture, of course. There are no archived MySpace pages from the 18th century to measure their interactions, no tabloid headlines, no tell-all autobiography. Just several letters from Austen to her sister mentioning his name. Could Austen's infatuation been as fully realized as shown in the movie? Perhaps. Or it could be that it was little more than a crush from afar.

It doesn't really matter, though, because we aren't dealing with straight biography here but more of an impressionistic spattering of a life. What "Becoming Jane" does so eloquently is weave tidbits of her novels into the author's story. Thus her mother reminds us of the blustery Mrs. Bennett, her clergyman father the kindly Mr. Bennett. Maggie Smith's character could be a dead ringer for Lady Catherine. Jane's relationship with her sister evokes the fierce sibling bond depicted in several of her novels.

...

The best part while watching "Becoming Jane" is thinking that this sweet, mild- mannered yet sharp-tongued woman will go on to achieve lasting fame. In the scene of the inevitable country dance -- filmed with a welcome homespun simplicity -- she doesn't stand out in the crowd. But it is she who will be remembered, whose words will be read and treasured, whose stories will inspire beautiful movies of loss and love. It's nice that the big-screen imagining of her life does her such justice.

Pic: Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) carrying Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), from the U.S. Official Site of 'Becoming Jane'

More Reviews

Michelle has kindly provided the links to two more Becoming Jane reviews.

The first- "Becoming Jane" shows Austen powers, By Robert Butler:

http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/story/224979.htmlml

Pasted below is a small taster of the review:

Jarrold (a veteran of Brit TV whose only other feature was “Kinky Boots”) and company make the most of the period settings and costumes, their very deep cast of English thesps and especially their two leads.
McAvoy deftly limns Tom’s transformation from hard-partying gadabout to earnest suitor. Hathaway, up to now known mostly as a comic actress (“The Princess Diaries,” “The Devil Wears Prada”), tones things down to portray the more modest Jane. It’s not a showy performance, inasmuch as Jane tries to heed her mother’s advice and disguise her razor-sharp intellect beneath a façade of maidenly decorum.
But Jane’s inner fire, expressed through Hathaway’s big brown eyes, bursts through loud and clear.

I like that Robert Butler acknowledges that the film is speculative, being loosely based on facts, but still presents a wonderful story of what might have been.

The second is : "Becoming Jane" has plenty of sensibility by Alisa Lu

http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=7671

Again I have pasted part of the review:

Writer Julian Jerrod creates dialogue that perfectly captures Austen's playful yet profound spirit by incorporating lines from Austen's own novels. The witty banter and emotional dialogue between Lefroy and Austen leave the audience emotionally drained at the end of the film.A movie with strong screenplay still needs strong actors to do it justice, and Hathaway, McAvoy and a solid supporting cast do just that. Best known for her role as Princess Mia in "The Princess Diaries," Hathaway shows off her sensitive side and lends just the right amount of spunk and sensitivity to her character, though her English accent falls through more than once. Her electrifying chemistry with McAvoy, a relatively unknown actor until "The Last King of Scotland," would make the real Austen proud. To lighten the mood in the few scenes that are too emotion-heavy, Walters provides comic relief as the overbearing, pushy mother akin to Mrs. Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice." "Becoming Jane" is more than a simple love story; it is an attempt to explain the mind and emotions behind one of the greatest writers of all time. For the non-Austen fan, "Becoming Jane" is a wonderful drama with witty dialogue, a solid cast and beautiful scenery of the Irish countryside. For anyone, "Becoming Jane" is a fantastic movie.

There are a few criticisms in this review but this does not not take away from the overall positive opinion of the film. I love the mention of the lead's chemistry, it was indeed sizzling.

Pic 1: Taken from http://www.annie-hathaway.com/

Pic 2: Taken from http://jamesmcavoy.com

Pic 3: Taken from http://www.annie-hathaway.com/

A nice independent article on 'Becoming Jane'

Dear Michelle gave me the link to an independent article of Becoming Jane. It was written by Becky Kinder, one of the writers of Daily 49er, an online independent student newspaper at Cal State Long Beach. I like her elaborations, so here we go!

Exquisite shots of a misty countryside open the visually breathtaking new film "Becoming Jane."

The film is loosely based on the few letters left between Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) and her sister Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin). The script builds a torrid romance based on the letters in which Jane mentions only a few times a Mr. Tom Lefroy and a flirtation between the two.

The film, regardless of how accurate it may be to Austen's real life, takes us through the real constraints women faced at the time and admits that men faced certain social expectations and family obligations as well. Each sex found that societal and family ties can be detrimental to forming and continuing personal relationships.

In "Becoming Jane," we find that Jane and Tom (effectively played by James McAvoy) are an unlikely match at first. The simultaneous unraveling of their personal lives and blossoming of their romance is quite humorous at times.

The love and deep connection expressed so clearly and tenderly by Hathaway and McAvoy is a beautiful testament to what love and romance can look like in real life. The battle for each other's love, not to mention the battle for the support of their families, builds a tension in the story that wins over the audience's heart.

Each character is played quite well, and the portrayals are clearly based on English society's constraints in the 1700s and the emotions that flow from situations of loveless marriages, women who think and speak for themselves, and the responsibilities people have to their families.

Other notable performances were given by James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Leo Bill and Julie Walters. Even the subtlety of Laurence Fox's performance as Mr. Wisely is quite worthy of mentioning.

There are times in the film when a minute or more can go by without any dialogue or storyline progression. The audience, however, is given frame after beautiful frame of the society and country in which Jane lived. These views, many times shot as though the audience is a living participant within the film, help create a greater connection to the audience and the experiences that may have come from life in 18th-century England.

Some scenes, such as the one in the barn between Jane and her father (Cromwell), are shot with a handheld camera. The slight jostle of the camera and the angles it gives are contributing factors, giving a more realistic sensation of being a fly on the wall in Jane's life.

The editing connects this period film to modern audiences. The script and direction also help the audience relate to a lot of the exchanges among the characters. Indeed, the hardships they faced centuries ago can still be applied to situations we run into today.

A romantic film with bouts of comedy and action as well as a hint of surprise, this film's romance and storylines are definitely focused on dramatic and serious themes that can lead to the heartbreak of the characters as well as the audience.

Incandescent performances, script and direction make "Becoming Jane" a must-see. After seeing the imagined story of Jane and Tom's romance, it is up to you whether you agree with a line from the film that says emotion or passion "is absurd."

Pic 1: Tom Lefroy and Jane Austen at the Steventon gate, from james-mcavoy.net

Pic 2: Jane on the bridge, from annie-hathaway.com

Ebert's review on 'Becoming Jane'

Thanks to Kari, I found the Roger Ebert review of Becoming Jane in Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert seems pretty much a serious reviewer, hence I'm glad that he thought well of Jane, even though he 'just' gave her three stars! Below is the excerpt, and this is the link to the entire article. Enjoy! ;-)


Jane Austen wrote six of the most beloved novels in the English language, we are informed at the end of "Becoming Jane," and so she did. The key word is "beloved." Her admirers do not analyze her books so much as they just plain love them to pieces. When I was very sick last year there was a time when I lost all interest in reading. When I began to feel a little better, perhaps strong enough to pick up a book, it was Austen's Persuasion. What else? And I entered again the world of that firm, fine intelligence, finding the humors and ironies of human existence in quiet domestic circles two centuries ago.

"Becoming Jane" is a movie every Janeite will want to see, although many will not approve of it. The Jane Austen in the film owes a great deal more to modern romantic fancies than to what we know about the real Jane Austen, and if Austen had been as robust and tall in those days (circa 1795) as Anne Hathaway, the 5-foot-8-inch actress who plays her, she would have been considered an Amazon. Studying the only portrait drawn during her life, by her sister Cassandra, I think Austen looks more like Winona Ryder. But no matter. Patton was no George C. Scott.

My quarrel involves what this film thinks Jane is 'becoming': A woman, or a novelist? The action centers on a passionate romance between Jane at about 20 and a handsome, penniless young lawyer named Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy). What intimacies or decisions they arrive at, I will leave for you to discover, but surely few of Jane's contemporaries would have allowed themselves to be so bold. Jane, in any event, discovers love. And in the movie's sly construction, she also discovers a great deal of the plot of Pride and Prejudice, beginning with Mr. Lefroy as the original for Mr. Darcy. She even happily chances on what will become the novel's opening words: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
...
So followers of Austen will know they are watching a fiction. How good is it? Pretty good, in the same way that the movies based on Austen's books are good; in the movie version of Britain in that era, Laura Ashley seems to have dashed in to dress everyone, while Martha Stewart was in the kitchen. Hathaway is a stunning beauty, with big eyes and a dazzling smile, and McAvoy as Mr. Lefroy seems to have modeled his dashing personality on Tom Jones, the hero of a scandalous novel he gives Jane, who much enjoys it.

Her parents are played by Julie Walters and James Cromwell, who have the good sense to stay under the blankets while indulging in hanky-panky that must not have been common in the vicarages of the day. And Maggie Smith plays the dowager Lady Gresham, one of those minor titled figures who believe they've been charged by heaven to pass judgment on everyone in the neighborhood, especially anyone who is young and has a breath of feeling.

Mr. Lefroy's problem is that he depends on an allowance from his uncle, who will cut him off cold should he marry a country girl. Austen has another suitor named Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), who has money but no charm or beauty. Austen feels keenly that she must help support her family, but believes optimistically she can do so from her writings, still for the most part unwritten. Lefroy is desperate not to lose his allowance. Yet they are so much in love. But can they live in a dirt-floored cottage, with Jane plunging her fair skin into laundry water?

The way all of this plays out is acted warmly by the principals, and Eigil Bryld's photography (of Ireland) makes England look breathtakingly green and inviting. The director, Julian Jarrold ("Kinky Boots" and the TV version of "White Teeth") is comfortable with the material, and it is comfortable with him. Maybe too comfortable. The coast is clear for the sequel, "What Jane Became."

Pic 1: Mrs. Lefroy, Jane Austen, Lucy Lefroy and Eliza de Feullide from Chicago Sun Time

Pic 2: Tom Lefroy, from annie-hathaway.com

Empire Online review of ‘Becoming Jane’

Isabelle has provided me the complete review of Becoming Jane from Empire Online. Thanks, Isabelle! The reviewer (Liz Beardsworth) gives BJ four stars out of five.

Plot
Young Jane Austen (Hathaway) spends her time scribbling stories and reading the results to her family. It’s a secure if dull existence, and when the rakish Tom (James McAvoy) arrives in the village, sparks soon fly. But Tom has secrets which threaten their future.

Empire Review

Another month, another James McAvoy movie, and all the better for it. The ubiquitous and consistently excellent McAvoy this time plays roguish Irishman Tom Lefroy, here presented as the gentleman who caused a young Jane Austen to question her sensibility and consider instead her sense.

The role of Austen — that most inscrutable of lady authors — is taken by Anne Hathaway, an unpopular choice with those who swooned at the thought of a Yankee assaying such an icon of English literature. Yet she proves more than adequate, playing Jane as a coquettish, spirited young woman intriguingly at odds with the wry, detached presence of her novels. Owing much to the biography by Jon Spence, it’s a clever narrative device, this dichotomy echoing the question addressed in her most popular novels: is it better to follow your heart or your head? Far from simple literary debate, Becoming Jane offers this recurrent dilemma as the painful reality of Austen’s earlier life, and a struggle that had such a profound effect she could never quite leave it alone — in print, at least.

As such, the characters peopling the young Jane’s life are plainly recognisable as the prototypes for her most celebrated characters: Julie Walters’ anxious mother and James Cromwell’s strong, fair-minded Mr. Austen are clear relatives of Pride & Prejudice’s Mr. and Mrs. Bennet; Maggie Smith’s aloof, disdainful dowager exemplifies the snobbery and social climbing that provide context for Austen’s romances; McAvoy’s cocksure, worldly Lefroy is the epitome of the outwardly arrogant, inwardly sensitive hero of whom Mr. Darcy is the paradigm, while Jane herself shares the wit and passion of Austen’s most beloved heroine, Lizzie Bennet.

The A-list supporting players offer solid work, yet for all their talents at times feel anonymous next to the engaging leads. This really is McAvoy and Hathaway’s movie, the pair boasting a chemistry that fizzes from their first encounter, as trainee solicitor Lefroy — exiled to his country relatives after disgracing himself in the city — snores his way through Jane’s recital of her latest writings, much to her distress. Archetype he may be, but he’s also unavoidably, earthily real, and as bickering and banter develop into an irresistible attraction, the will-they-won’t-they relationship proves at least as delicious as that of Darcy and Lizzie. Indeed, for the first hour you might be watching an Austen adaptation rather than biopic, director Julian Jarrold making the most of moonlit trysts and pretty locations to create a fun period romance.

But it is in the second hour, after Jane uncovers Lefroy’s secret and finds herself forced to pit love against duty, that the emotional pitch of the film develops and real life is revealed to be far messier, agonising even, than any work of fiction. It’s a twist that adds a powerful new dimension to Austen’s story, underlining the film’s central thesis as to the role of writing in her later life: offering her the happy endings that reality, perhaps, could not. That theory is a little too neat to be entirely convincing, much less revealing, but the film’s quietly emotional denouement is undeniably touching, and there is much here to savour.

Verdict:

A charming, intriguing biopic, given extra depth and sparkle by attractive performances from its superior cast.

Pic 1: www.james-mcavoy.net

Pic 2: www.annie-hathaway.com