Appleby Film Society, 11th January 2008
I liked this film. It’s not a great film, it has many flaws, and it’s absolutely essential that you take it on its own terms. Get hung up on fact versus fiction or historic accuracy and you could find it deeply disturbing, as many reviewers have. It’s a modern take on historical romance that focuses on the themes of Jane Austen’s work, with Jane herself as the main protagonist and incorporating other documented characters from her life. The same idea was used to similar effect in Shakespeare in Love.
The story itself is fanciful, and a bit too unlikely in parts. The Janeite in me enjoyed picking up the references, not just the obvious ones to Pride and Prejudice but to her other work – sense versus sensibility, the attraction of gothic fantasy, and the resonant effect of distant events on everyday life in the 1790s are all present. The acting is almost universally spot on as would be expected from the cast list, including Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith playing the (presumably fictional) inspiration for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and always-excellent Anna Maxwell Martin as Jane’s sister Cassandra. (Sadly the exception is Anne Hathaway’s wavering accent.) Male lead James McAvoy can, obviously, do no wrong.
The main joy of the film, though (apart from James McAvoy) is the love story. It’s not so much based on Pride and Prejudice but rather presented as Jane’s inspiration for the novel. The tale is delightful, with great chemistry, witty dialogue (no, not up to the book itself), sexual tension, repressed passion, lovely frocks, and great dancing. All the important ingredients for a historical romance, plus James McAvoy.
Next month, Anne Hathaway again, this time in a role more suited to her, playing the ingénue in the world of New York glossy publishing in The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve seen this movie and it’s well worth watching for Meryl Streep playing comedic bitch – a class act.
