Product: Becoming Jane [Blu-ray] (2007)
Rating: 4.0
Surprisingly excellent movie and worth buying!
In my opinion, this is a movie worth buying. Some period dramas do not stand up well to repeated viewings, but this one does. It's one of my top picks for 2007. To be honest, I was dragged into seeing this movie because my little sister is an Austenite, and I went into the theatre expecting to be bored. I came out of the theatre teary-eyed and deeply moved. I, like, many other reviewers here, could not stop thinking about the movie, days after I saw it.It's beautifully filmed with a nice attention to detail, and it contains great acting from the entire cast, especially Anne Hathaway whom I normally dislike, Lucy Cohu and Joe Anderson as a pair of mismatched lovers, James Cromwell as Jane's kindly clergyman father, and last but not least, the indomitable James McAvoy in yet another romantic hero role, forgive me if I say that I was infinitely more touched by his performance in this movie than in 'Atonement'. It's nicely paced, has a lush and romantic score, and a very profound yet non-typical (but no less heartfelt) ending for a romance which came as quite a surprise to me, having known relatively little about Jane Austen's life at the time of viewing. The last 30 minutes of the movie, for lack of less dramatic adjectives, was subtly devestating to me.Now I know there has been a lot of discussion on whether or not the events that perspired in this movie were true or not. I've learned that next to nothing is really known about Austen's life, and most of the personal correspondance she had with her sister was destroyed after her death, so I think the question is answered right there. So no, this should not be considered a biopic. This is a movie, INSPIRED by true events with artistic liberty taken, so take it as it is, and enjoy the beauty. This movie is a true gem, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.