Product: Becoming Jane [Blu-ray] (2007)
Rating: 4.0
"My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire..."
Every story must begin with that flash of "divine fire", the inspiration which causes the characters and their world to spring into miraculous life. What exactly was the catalyst which propelled Jane Austen to write her most popular and beloved novel "Pride and Prejudice"? Perhaps a romance to rival Lizzie and Darcy's own...In BECOMING JANE, Anne Hathaway ("Princess Diaries", "The Devil Wears Prada") plays twenty-year-old Jane Austen, struggling to invent herself as a writer, and determined never to be beholden to any single man's fortune, in spite of her family's lean economic situation. Faced with the prospect of being married off to the dull-as-dishwater nephew of Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), Jane's head is later turned by handsome, penniless law student Tom LeFroy (James McAvoy), and a thwarted romance blooms which inspires her creative hand...Although the alleged love story between Austen and LeFroy is still a hot topic of debate for historians (Austen's sister Cassandra is rumoured to have destroyed several important documents relating to the affair following Austen's death); BECOMING JANE is a charming period piece which will no doubt be welcomed with open arms by the legions of Austen fans. Anne Hathaway--British accent tight and intact for the most part--does a fantastic job in the title role; and dreamy, blue-eyed James McAvoy ("Bright Young Things") is just what's called for in the role of LeFroy. Julie Walters, Maggie Smith and James Cromwell are all splendid.Recommended.