Miss Austen Regrets ...

[Susan Kaye]

... so do I. It was such a downer. I know, I know, she was a spinster at the mercy of her male relatives and her life was not a bed of roses. But works that are pure speculation always tend towards making her a modern woman who was glad she never married and that her writing was the equivalent of marriage and family in her mind.

Sideline Rant--In our day this is done by people who pour all their love and energy into pets and try to convince me their little Bootsie is just as precious to them as my son or daughter. No. Bootsie is not the same, nor ever will be. Bootsie is not a moral being who needs guidance to become a productive memeber of society, and will likely never do worse than pee on the carpet. Children on the other hand ...

Anyway, I liked Philyda Law as Mrs. Austen. I think Jane was probably quite a lot like her. And didn't like the prospect.

Maybe another look will improve my view.

To the VCR.

Sue

[Laura Louise Hile]

I'd like to borrow your tape, Sue.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Jane Austen Regrets. I don't know what I expected. After the jumble that passed for Persuasion I was prepared for anything, I suppose. I should also mention that I liked Becoming Jane Austen ...as an entertaining work of fiction! Jane Austen Regrets was a more human story.

A writer's life is never as entertaining as her works--I am living proof! And no one call tell me that my novel is more important than my real life--it isn't! Those who think creative works compensate for human relationships don't understand the creative process at all. Unless one has tried their hand at writing, one won't realize that when a writer looks at her work, she sees the flaws!

Nevertheless, I appreciated the story here, a very human lesson in the nature of choices. Jane Austen chose "freedom" over marriage, and there was a price to pay. The theme of "regret" is one I encounter in myself, being near the end of the 40's, and its presence in this film served to make Jane Austen more human. The sombre "romantic" undercurrents added interest: Rev. Bridges, who was as much in love with Jane as ever and had the misfortune to know it. And perceptive, charming Dr Haden, who understood Jane's novels and enjoyed Jane's conversation but had no idea of the heartache he caused.

And then there was the turmoil over money. Always money. Yes, this is a theme I know very well. Don't we all.

I was surprised to see that the screenwriter did not expunge Jane's Christian faith from her life, as some have done. She made the kinds of comments I do.

Jane Austen Regrets is not a film I will run to for comfort, as I do with A&E's Pride and Prejudice or the 1995 version of Persuasion. Rather, I will use it a springboard for conversation. I'll play it for a group of friends, pass the scones, pour the tea, sit back and listen. Bet we won't be talking about the latest bargains at the mall!

[Susan Kaye]

I'm taping it tonight's late showing.

You're right in that it was a very human portrayal of a very human woman. One of the problems I see is we want to take the words of a public figure and take them as their immoveable belief. I know many of the things I say, while true, are diametrically opposed to other things I think. It's not that I'm a liar, but that I am torn and am able to live with two views at once. This is a talent that has come with age. I was much more focused when I was younger.

Anyway, Jane Austen Regrets will take a few viewings.

Take care--Sue
I think that actress makes a big difference here as well. "Becoming Jane Austen" with Ann Hathaway had many of the same themes running through it. The difference is that Hathaway is amiable and open. Likeable. The actress in JA Regrets is very astringent. Probably more true to life actually.

[Hailey]

I liked Miss Austen Regrets for the fact they portrayed Jane as someone who longed and yearned to be married but never did. I think she poured herself into her writing and created characters to help vent her melancholy and loneliness for not marrying.

What did you think of Becoming Jane starring James McAvoy and Anne Hathaway, and Jane Austen's relationship with Thomas LeFroy. I very much doubt their relationship was as serious as the film portrays. Although, there are parallels perhaps to Mr. LeFroy and some of Austen's characters. If nothing else, it is obvious that in real life, they obviously cared for each other in some way, shape, or form, and he admired Jane for her talent...

[Susan Kaye]

I enjoyed Becoming Jane Austen, though Anne Hathaway is far too pretty to be JA. I think elements of it was interesting--LeFroy challenging her writing style and content and how they put various lines of the novels in the mouths of her family and friends.

Jane Austen has never been someone I studied much so I could enjoy the movie without the truth of her life getting in the way.

[farrah *wentworth*]

i haven't seen MAR yet, i have it on dvd but haven't had the chance to pop it in and watch it. i have seen clips of it on youtube, and it looks good.

i did enjoy BJ because it was a nice love story....despite not having a 'happily ever after'. i guess i could appreciate her stories even more so because of the lost love--who knows if we would have her great works without all her regrets. i took BJ more as a romance movie than as a biography.