Janeism

When I first heard about this movie I thought for sure that they'd probably cast some Hollywood beauty to play an author who wasn't really considered a beauty even by her family.

When I heard more about the plot, my thought was that they'd probably go the easy route of deciding that Tom Lefroy was somehow the love of her life rather than a slight flirtation when she was a teenager.

What can I say? I'd be prouder of being right on both counts if it wasn't for the fact that probably every Jane Austen fan in the world could have predicted them. Predicted them even without knowing that such a movie was in the works. Go up to a true Jane Austen fan, say "wouldn't it be cool if they made a movie about Jane Austen's early life," and the Janeite will say, "oh, they'd just cast some pretty little bubblehead and give her a phony romance."

Um, not that I'm saying that Anne Hathaway is a bubblehead. I doubt very much that she is. She's also no Jane Austen.





Don't you just hate literary snobs?

The problem with Jane Austen movies overall (but remember: all blanket statements are bad) is that they take something that is undeniably popular with a certain, fairly specialist crowd and try to translate it into a very populist medium. It's inevitable that the things that make Joe (Jane?) Moviegoer happy are going to niggle at or outright annoy people who not only know all of the books backwards and forwards but have also read all of her extant letters, juvenilia, and a helluva lot of Georgian background material besides.

*sheepishly admits to being one of the latter*

OLF, if you recall. When I decide that I like something, I don't usually go about liking it just halfway.

I really like Jane Austen. I own well-read copies of all of the books, letters, and other writings. I have several biographies on my shelf and have read many others. I was, for a while, a very active member of a Jane Austen forum until I got tired of the circular arguments which only seemed to be interrupted by teenaged requests for homework help.

And when it comes to the movies, I'm one of the hard-to-please types who more than likely frustrate the heck out of producers. Yes, I notice behaviours that, while they may be expected by a modern audience, are such flagrant violations of the all-important social rules of the time that they make me wonder if the filmmakers actually bothered to read the books. And yes, anachronistic props or costumes annoy me.

You're probably wondering by now if I've actually even seen a Jane Austen movie. I mean, if I find them so frustrating wouldn't I just avoid them?

Well, no.

There are a couple of decent ones, you see. The decent ones, with all of their faults, make you think that possibly, just possibly, someone will come up with a way to make a truly great movie out of one of these truly great stories that could be all things to all people. It's never going to happen, but the hope stays. Like the person in the article I linked to above says, the favourite Jane Austen movie is always "The next one. The one that will be perfect."

Having said that, I do have ones that I like. The Firth/Ehle Pride and Prejudice is classic, and since it's a miniseries they didn't have to try to squeeze everything into a couple of hours. It's not perfect, but it's enjoyable. I liked Persuasion even more, though I cringed when Wentworth asked her father for Anne's hand in the middle of an evening party. So, so not done. What was nice about that movie, though, was that they didn't try to make the surroundings and costumes perfect. It all looked a bit more "real" than you normally see in a period movie. Even the low light levels in some scenes seemed right. These people did, after all, live by candlelight.

Which ones don't I like? Well, lots, as you might have guessed. One of my least favourite is maybe a bit of a surprise, however, since it was pretty much feted when it came out. I'm talking about Sense and Sensibility. Yep. Can't stand that movie. There was a bit of nice casting in Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman and the film looks nice, but none of that can make up for the fact that Emma Thompson was fifteen years too old for her character and constantly kept calling everyone dearest.

Urgh.




Gee, Dee. Tell us how you feel.

Anyway, I've taken up far too much time with this lack-of-effort. Will I be seeing this latest film? On DVD, maybe. I'm more looking forward to the PBS showing of the latest group of BBC television adaptations, to be honest. From what I hear, there's plenty to like and yet still plenty to complain about.

You've got to keep the Janeites happy somehow, right?