Product: Becoming Jane [Blu-ray] (2007)
Rating: 4.0
Satisfying, if not Spot On
The film Becoming Jane sells itself as the love story of one of the world's most romantic women, which it manages to pull off. However, audiences looking for the real story of celebrated author Jane Austen should look elsewhere. The relationship between Jane and the infamous Lefroy that dominates the movie was more than a little elaborated. According to Jane's biographers, her attraction to Lefroy was mostly unreciprocated and eventually insignificant to her. Also, the flirty, charming Jane portrayed by Anne Hathaway exhibits only glimpses of the cleverness and irony that make the real Jane memorable. (It should be said that when the script and Hathaway "get it" at the same time, the scene really shines.) Besides this sometimes-misinterpretation of Jane, the rest of the characters were cast perfectly. Co-star McAvoy especially was appealing, endearing and believable as a foil for Jane.As for cinematography, the scenes consist mostly of recycled wood and countryside clips with the occasional social ball to break up the monotony. We probably see so many wooded scenes (that they become tiresome) because the major vehicle for dramatic foreshadowing is the state of the weather. Jane and Lefroy's first, unexpected rendezvous is in a forest bathed in hopeful summer's light. The undergrowth is thick with life, characterizing the spirit of their lively relationship. The young love that they share begins to develop over the summer months until an jealous suitor upsets Jane and Lefroy's happy plans together. The desperate couple must turn to desperate measures. The bleak, overcast skies that dominate this part of the movie cast doubt on their relationship. When Jane and Lefroy must part ways, she leaves him in the midst of a storm.From the telling final scene, the audience learns that Jane lived her life a spinster. This fact may come as a surprise to some, considering the passion of her novels, but it is the truth nonetheless. The film was faithful to the nature of Jane's preferred anonymity and her unmarried status. While it may require the suspension of disbelief for viewers that want the real story, Becoming Jane is a satisfying interpretation of the life of famed romantic Jane Austen.