Reviews of "Becoming Jane"

Here are some reviews from the 2007 film, "Becoming Jane". 


Roger Ebert said:
 "Becoming Jane" is a movie that every "Janeite" would want to see. "If the real Jane Austen has been tall like Anne Hathaway, the actress who played Jane who is 5'8", then she would have been considered an Amazon". He argues that Jane Austen looks more like Winona Rider. What Ebert is confused about is whether or not if Jane is becoming a woman or a novelist. Overall, the film was good like Austen's novels, according to Austen followers. Even though it was fiction, it was still good. The film made England so charming, inviting, and very green.  Rating: 3/4


Stephen Holden from New York Times said:
Jane is like a "modern chick-lit heroine", not wanting a guy who doesn't use his mind. Its doesn't matter if he is rich or poor, she is not interested in those men. She turns down a man who is rich and has inheritance. Tom Lefroy in the film is considered to be the real Mr. Darcy from the novel Pride and Prejudice. Director Julian Jarrold portrayed the women of England having limited choices or options of their own life. Becoming Jane had the best from Anne Hathaway, playing Jane in the film. 


Stephen Hunter from Washington Post said:
The movie was "earnest and not quite charmless". Hathaway, acted more pleasant than she was in "The Devil Wears Prada". The rest of the cast was very good in their roles. Hunter considers Jane and Tom as start-crossed lovers that are not corrupt but "too noble for happiness". 


1. Ebert, Roger. "Becoming Jane :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com :: Movie Reviews, Essays and the Movie Answer Man from Film Critic Roger Ebert. 3 Aug. 2007. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/REVIEWS/70710006>.

2. Holden, Stephen. "Movie Review - Becoming Jane - Our Wit-Lit Heroine Avoids Marrying a Juiceless Man - NYTimes.com." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times - The New York Times. 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/movies/03jane.html>.

3. Hunter, Stephen. "Critic Review for Becoming Jane on Washingtonpost.com." Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 3 Aug. 2007. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/becoming-jane,1135328/critic-review.html#reviewNum1>.

Film Reading!!!!! Becoming Jane

The book that I have read during this term and the film that I watched over break have 2 VERY different plots. The novel that I read was about Jane having a love interest with a man named Frederick Ashford. However, the film was about Jane's first love at age 20 with Irishman Thomas Lefory.


Plot of the Film 
The plot of the film is that Jane Austen, the youngest daughter of Reverend George Austen, needs to find a husband. However, her dream is to be a famous writer, but her mother does not like that idea, but her father supports it. So, the parents are being matchmakers and search for a husband for their daughter. They thought a man named Mr. Wisley would be suitable. Jane thinks the opposite. When Jane met Irishman Thomas Lefroy, a lawyer, she thought he was "insolent, arrogant, impudent, insufferable, and impertinent of men" (Jane Austen, Becoming Jane). But once Jane got to know Tom a little better, their romance blossoms.
* If you want to know how this movie ends, see the film.
Favorite Parts

• When Tom and his uncle were trying out guns inside of a shed, Tom's cousin Lucy was spying on him. When she called his name from outside, Tom was startled, pulled the trigger inside the house. He could have killed someone, but no one got killed. That was funny but startling at the same time. 
• When Jane, Henry, and Eliza visited Tom and his Uncle, at one point they were having dinner and when Eliza was speaking about her husband  and her "portable wealth", Jane joked about happiness in a pocketbook. Tom's Uncle thought that Jane was being ironic for he thinks that irony is an "insult with a smiling face" (Judge Langlois, Becoming Jane). Jane corrects him by explaining that irony is "bringing together contradictory truths to bring out a new truth" (Jane Austen, Becoming Jane). There was silence and that was what made it funny.
• The cricket (a game, looks kind of like baseball) scene where Jane wanted to play with a group of men. She showed that women can also play cricket as well. 

Shots and Angles 

There were long shots like:

• Weather shots, background shots; to know the environment.
•  The woods scene where Tom and Jane didn't know that they were both in the woods because they were taking different paths. 

There was also 2 shots with Jane and Tom in the same frame. One scene that I remember that the 2 shot was used with Jane and Tom was the kissing scene while they were at the ball. The scene was outside, at night. The director used low-key lighting to detect that it is nighttime and maybe to show that what Tom and Jane did was secretive. 

Overall, I liked the film. 

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen (pg. 187-298)

Summary
So when Jane, Mr. Morton, Alethea, and her father arrived at Pembroke Hall, they met the housekeeper and soon, Jane met Isabella and the Churchills again and she also met Sir Thomas Ashford (Frederick's father) and Sophia ( Frederick's sister). Morton was surprised that Jane knew these people. Later on, Isabella asked Jane for her opinion on a novel she wrote. Then, Jane's maid said that she has a gentleman waiting for her and that person is Mr. Ashford. Jane, Isabella, and Ashford felt weird being in the same room together. Next, while Jane and Morton was in the garden, he asked her to marry him. Jane, said no to his proposal and does not want to see Jane again. Then Alethea's received a letter from Morton and the letter stated that Alethea has captured his heart. Alethea however, did not want to marry him. During July of 1809, Jane, her mother, Cassandra, and Martha moved to Chawton Cottage, their home. Jane's mother especially loved the garden. Jane was eager to get back to work on her new novels, Sense and Sensibility and First Impressions. Then, when her family read her novels, they complained that one of the characters was mean, so Jane changed the attitudes of the character. Also, they complained that there wasn't a happy ending with marriage. Cassandra wanted Jane to publish her books in London. Jane didn't want to, but Cassandra talked her into doing it. Jane gives in and she will go if Cassandra comes with her. So they met Henry and he liked the novels so he is looking for a publisher. One night, Jane, Cassandra, and Henry attended a play, and Jane meets Mrs. Jenkins and Isabella again. At the theater, Jane met a famous poet, Sir Walter Scott. Then, Isabella was caught with a man named Mr. Wellington. The next day, Jane encountered Ashford in Henry's office. Jane was so upset, she wanted to rush out the area, but Ashford stopped her. He said that his father and Isabella's father agreed that their children would marry each other. He didn't want to but it was his duty to marry her. He wanted to tell the truth but something keeps coming up. Suddenly, Ashford asked Jane to marry him. Jane gladly accepted. So when Ashford read Jane's novels, he said that plot sounded familiar to real life, that a man left a woman unannounced. Ashford apologizes to Jane for his actions. In October, a publishing house accepted Jane's novels and will publish them. Later on, the reader learns that Isabella is engaged with Mr. Wellington. Her father approves but she will be cut off from her fortune. Mr. Wellington retracted his proposal. So Isabella and Ashford will have to marry. Then, Ashford learns that his family is bankrupt and the only way to save Pembroke Hall is if he marries Isabella. Jane told him to marry Isabella and save his fortune. However, Ashford doesn't want to and he wants to elope. Jane agrees with the plan until that night, she couldn't sleep and doesn't want to go through with the plan. She wrote a letter to Ashford calling off the plan. They were both heartbroken but knew it was for the best. They will never forget each other. So they never meet again.  


Quote

"That is easier said than done, my love. I know what is to lose your home, to be penniless. It is too high a price to pay. I cannot let you do it." (James 293)

Reaction
Jane said this quote. I bet it is really hard for Jane to say these words. This isn't a fantasy, but this is harsh reality that people have to face everyday. We cannot get what we desire all the time. In this situation, Jane and Ashford are perfect for each other, but the reality is, they can't be together because of family problems. Sometimes, life isn't fair but we have to deal with it.