Pride and Passionless

I'll admit right off the bat I haven't read much Jane Austin, in fact I have only read "Sense and Sensibility". I intend to dive right into Jane Austin as soon as possible but for those who know me know I have a back catalogue of bunches of books I must read through before I could possibly think of reading anything else. It's not anything against what I think about Jane Austin it's just really I have a lot of books I bought over the years that I really need to read.

Jane Austin has fascinated me, I have wanted to know much about her and I'm sure once I get to reading her books I will want to learn even more about her, unfortunately the new film "Becoming Jane" which sheds some light on mysterious love life doesn't really give me much insight into what she was other than a carbon copy of perhaps one of her literary characters.

"Becoming Jane" begins promising by introducing Jane as a writer and a very independent thinker, she's a bit of a misfit in a society where it becomes customary for a woman to marry a man for financial security. Jane's parents have her partnered with such a man who is sure to secure her for the rest of her life, but is someone Jane has no feelings towards. Jane is played with a very charismatic and winning personality by Anne Hathaway an actress who has shown just how good she can be in films that are beneath her. Hathaway indeed has the talent to carry this film but that can only go so far.

Jane meets a man (played by James McCavoy) with whom she grows to love but the problem being is he's not all that wealthy.

I suppose the film is trying to make a point by showing her real love story parallels her imagined one she wrote with "Pride and Prejudice". The problem I had with the film is it doesn't really have much fun with this idea. Unlike "Shakespeare in Love" which had the same idea, this film lacks the humour and colorful characters and the passion those lovers had.

I didn't really feel anything for Jane's predicament perhaps because I've seen this all before in other costume romances or other pieces of English literature.

This film has the chance to add a wonderful blend of colorful characters like Jane's mother and father played by Julie Walters and James Cromwell or the Aunt of one of Jane's suitors played by Maggie Smith, but these characters are forced into the background only to add a few funny touches into some scenes.

Even the cinematography seemed a bit dreary at times that wasn't crisp or clear sometimes even covering up actor's faces which lost me in some scenes.

I don't think this is a terrible film I did enjoy a few good parts in it and Hathaway and McCavoy make a credible couple but the love wasn't there, it's a routine picture and from what I hear about Jane Austin I think she deserves a better treatment.