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Becoming Jane [2006]

Actors: Anne Hathaway, James Mcavoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

43 reviews
Sales Rank: 517

Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 120
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5014138601782
ASIN: B000NTPGH0

Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: September 10, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships from U.S.A., to anywhere in the United Kingdom! Orders only take 7-10 days! We specialise in service to the U.K. and only ship airmail.

Similar Items:

•	Miss Austen Regrets (BBC) [2008]
•	Northanger Abbey [2007]
•	Mansfield Park [2007]
•	The Jane Austen Book Club [2007]
•	The Jane Austen ITV Collection - Mansfield Park / Northanger Abbey / Emma (3 Disc Box Set) [2007]

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Like Moliere, which was released in cinemas soon after, Becoming Jane isn't a conventional biopic. Instead, Julian Jarrold (White Teeth) expands on events from Jane Austen's life that may have shaped her fiction. To his credit, he doesn't stray too far from the facts. In 1795, 20-year-old Jane (Anne Hathaway with believable British accent) is an aspiring author. Her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) married for love, and money is tight. They hope to see their youngest daughter make a more lucrative match, and there's a besotted local, Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox, son of actor James Fox), who would be happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Jane isn't interested. Then, she meets brash law student Tom (The Last King of Scotland's James McAvoy), while he's staying with relatives in rural Hampshire.

As in many Austen novels, it isn't love at first sight--but rather irritation. Just as affection begins to bloom, Tom has to return to London, and Wisley, whose financial prospects are superior, proposes. To complicate matters, Tom's uncle (Ian Richardson in his final performance) disapproves of the outspoken young lady just as much as Wisley's aunt (Maggie Smith, lending the proceedings some subtle humor). Had Austen penned the script, Tom and Wisley would be combined into one person, but life doesn't work that way--and nor does Becoming Jane. Though Jarrold's effort may not be as swoon-worthy as Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice, it remains true to the spirit of the author's work. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Great July 15, 2008
OK, it's not an exact account of Austens life, but if you just look at it as a film, not a factual documenturey, it's a very good film, with a very touching ending. Lovely scenerey and the acting is very good. Especially from James McAvoy (plus his eyes are gorgeous all through it!). I'm a big fan of Austens work and I thought this was a great film, well worth a watch.

3 out of 5 stars

Not as bad as some of the reviews... but not Jane Austen either May 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a very odd film as it can't quite make up its mind whether it's a biography on the real Jane Austen or whether it's a compilation of her books, and the merging of the two as if everything she ever wrote was rooted in her own experience instead of in her imagination make it both plodding and quite dubious.

As other reveiwers have said, too much of the plot, characters and scenes are lifted from the two most popular of her books due to film/TV versions (Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility) which makes this both derivative and uninspiringly predictable.

There is absolutely no sense of period which the BBC usually does so well: so here Jane wanders around a ball and into the garden alone; she, her brother and his lover all go and stay with her potential husband's uncle/patron; and after calling off her elopement (JA eloping!) she travels back home all by herself. Also all the discussion about women 'supporting themselves with their pen' is just ludicrous in this time period: even women who wrote made hardly any money out of it (and I don't think JA did, or certainly not much). And as for that absolutely ludicrous cricket scene - even Jennifer Ehle's brilliant and accurate Elizabeth Bennett would never have considered that!

I didn't think Anne Hathaway is as wooden as some other reviewers here but she's just far too sweet and wholesome not to mention pretty to be a good Jane who is supposed to have been far spikier even at a young age.

So an ok film to pass a couple of hours but forget that this is supposed to be jane Austen and you'll probably enjoy it far more.

2 out of 5 stars

Wrong, wrong, wrong April 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

While I am prepared to put aside the way this film "stretches" the truth about Austen's life (and looks), I cannot forgive the script. At times, it was quite dreadful - summed up by the moment when Laurence Fox casually slips "it is a truth universally acknowledged" into a conversation and Anne Hathaway's face lights up in a very hammy fashion. Absolutely risible.

The direction is equally unsubtle. Possibly the worst moment is the hugely unconvincing ball scene where Hathaway and McAvoy overact the sexual chemistry wildly and, therefore, unconvincingly.

Hathaway is OK, McAvoy does have some good moments and the generally fine cast raise this to a two-star film (the script deserves one or less). Most of them are wasted, though, with the honourable exception of Anna Maxwell Martin. I thought she was excellent as Cassandra, and the scenes in which she learns of her fiance's death are the best in the film.

3 out of 5 stars

Too forced into a box April 15, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

The story moves along, in Jane Austin style, with a tendency to follow parts of other Jane Austin stories (most notably, parts of Sense & Sensibility, parts of Pride & Prejudice) which is a nice mirror to how she created the stories. However, as the second half moves along, the story is led down the predictable hollywood-style ending. While not offensive, and with a good cast, this enjoyable movie is not particularly memorable. An enjoyable, if forgettable, experience.

5 out of 5 stars

A ne pas rater March 26, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

C'est ici que s'applique a la perfection la formule "autour de Jane Austen", car ce film est une libre fantaisie inspiree par sa vie. C'est a dire que quelques elements reels sont extrapoles, interpretes et inseres dans une histoire, meles a de tres nombreuses references a de multiples personnages de ses romans. C'est d'ailleurs un des grands plaisirs de ce long-metrage que de rechercher qui se cache derriere tel ou tel personnage, de reconnaitre des morceaux de Northanger Abbey dans les dialogues, d'imaginer tel ou tel detail de sa vie supposee reelle comme base de ses fictions. Mais je crois qu'a l'evidence, il faut maintenir ceci a l'etat de divertissement : un auteur entremele forcement moult morceaux de sa vie a son oeuvre, sans que cela ne suffise aucunement a la produire.

Clins d'oeil, donc, respectueux hommages, malice bienveillante de scenariste, mais jamais elements biographiques certifies, et ca me convient parfaitement.

Oui, ce film est un bonheur, un bonbon, une sucrerie pour jours pluvieux qui reussit, a mon sens, parfaitement son pari : offrir aux amoureux de Jane Austen une incursion dans son univers, sans adapter un de ses romans. Du neuf, en quelque sorte, une prolongation d'etat de grace, du bonus bien fait et joliment enveloppe; c'est la tout ce que j'aime !

Tout commence par un petit matin calme : Jane, autour de la vingtaine, est en train de mettre la derniere patte au texte qu'elle ecrit pour celebrer les fiancailles de sa soeur Cassandra. Au rythme de ses recherches, pour faire couler les mots, les appeler dans sa tete, elle laisse ses doigts rythmer le piano; d'hesitant et tout doux lorsqu'une formule se cree, en martellement sonore et joyeux lorsqu'elle en est venue a bout : chez les Austen, le reveil est parfois tonitruant, a quelque etage qu'il se passe, et le spectateur immediatement dans l'ambiance. C'est une famille unie, quelques libertes mettront a mal les puristes qui esperaient de la tenue et de la preseance en toutes circonstances !

Puis ce sont les quelques mois qui verront eclore l'amour entre Jane et Tom que nous suivons, selon le schema classique, tout commence mal, puis ca se gate, jusqu'a ce qu'ils ouvrent les yeux. Helas, ce n'est pas gacher le suspens que de dire que ca se terminera tres mal, nous savons tous que Jane Austen ne s'est jamais mariee.

Mais entre-temps quelle valse des sentiments ! On succombe, on tremble, on se revolte et on s'incline, c'est qu'on a aussi de la grandeur d'ame, dans nos chaumieres.

Le casting est rejouissant, credible de bout en bout, et Anne Hathaway campe une Jane Austen plausible. Mais celui qui tire vraiment son epingle du jeu, qui est fait de grace et d'incandescence, c'est James McAvoy en Tom Lefroy : je n'ai vu que lui, seduite et demandant plus. Quelle joie a l'idee de le retrouver prochainement dans Atonement !

Cette scene ou Jane danse avec Mr Wisley, cherchant Tom des yeux depuis le debut du bal, resignee, eteinte, ce pas de deux qui le fait apparaitre devant ses yeux, ce regard, rieur, mutin, entendu qu'ils echangent, my god, parmi les plus... les plus.... han la la !

Et puis cet epilogue, ce geste, discret, ce prenom donne...C'est beau, c'est tout ! Ca donne envie de connaitre la vraie version, de plonger encore plus profond dans tous ces livres qui racontent notre Jane, de maitriser plus et mieux l'anglais pour ne plus dependre des traductions tellement aleatoires (dans le sens que pas grand chose de cette litterature autour de Jane n'est traduit en francais !)

En attendant, et vous l'aurez compris je crois, je recommande de se ruer sur Becoming Jane !