A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Becoming Jane
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Thus starts Jane Austen's masterpiece, ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ In this, her second novel, published in 1813, Jane Austen sings a lovely, yet sometimes painful ode to the growth of love between two people forced apart by their social status. It could be argued that such a story line is a well-worn cliché, but it seems the British public might not agree. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ still ranks as the nation's second "best loved-book" after ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ Many young girls' dreams revolve around a Mr. Darcy sweeping them off their feet. Hollywood -aware of the monetary potential in happily ended love stories- takes full advantage by bombarding audiences with as many Austen stories as possible. (How can one forget the incredibly charming Jeremy Northam giving advice to his precious Emma, or the high-spirited beauty Elizabeth Bennett portrayed by Keira Knightley?) But, what of the story behind the story - the story of the writer herself? The film-industry that has put goofy, puppy-love smiles on girls' faces with film versions of Austen's books has finally given us a biopic. There is just one problem; it doesn't actually provide the audience with much information about the author at all.
The movie ‘Becoming Jane’, directed by Julian Jarrold, greets the audience with a dignified Jane Austen spending her time writing. She draws energy from the affections of a rather arrogant, and dare I say, cocky Tom Lefroy. The story is undoubtedly catchy, and to me contains the perfect plot for a romantic movie! Granted, this is basically a revised version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but if you do what I did, and watch the movie with the sole expectation of a fun, albeit sometimes cheesy, romance story, then this is a fantastic flick. I was left completely satisfied by the acting, the scenery, the dancing and even the costumes (cheer, cheer).
Anne Hathaway, of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ fame, (Jake Gyllenhaal's wife, if you recall) provides an excellent performance as the independent in theory, though dependent-on-love writer. James McAvoy, as her love-interest (whom I guarantee will win an Academy Award eventually, unless they pull a "Scorsese" on him) shines with his remarkable portrayal of Tom. If you ask me, this movie is destined to find its place on the list of: "The Romantic Films that Should be Seen Before Death"
After watching ‘Becoming Jane’, I felt that the opening statement in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ should be re-written. So here you go: "it is a truth universally acknowledged that every single man, whether wealthy or not, must be in want of love."
Iþýl Kutluay (ECON/II)
i_kutluay@ug.bcc.bilkent.edu.tr
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