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Becoming Jane
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Julian Jarrold
Produced by	Graham Broadbent Robert Bernstein Douglas Rae
Written by	Kevin Hood Sarah Williams
Starring	Anne Hathaway James McAvoy Julie Walters James Cromwell Maggie Smith
Music by	Adrian Johnston
Cinematography	Eigil Bryld
Editing by	Emma E. Hickox
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date(s)	March 9 March 16 March 29 June 29 August 3 September 14 October 19
Running time	117 min.
Country	United Kingdom  United States
Language	English
Budget	€12,500,000 (estimate)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Becoming Jane is a Miramax film that was released in 2007. The film is based on the early life of author Jane Austen (portrayed by Anne Hathaway), and her possible flirtations with Thomas Langlois Lefroy (played by BAFTA-nominated Scottish actor James McAvoy). Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith also appear in this picture. The film was produced in cooperation with several companies, including BBC Films and Irish Film Board. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Julian Edward Peter Jarrold (born 15 May 1960) is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television director. ... This article is about the actress. ... James Andrew McAvoy (April 21, 1979[1]) is a BAFTA-winning Scottish actor. ... Julia Mary Walters, OBE (born February 22, 1950) is an English Golden Globe-winning actress. ... James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940), sometimes credited as Jamie Cromwell, is an Academy Award-nominated American television and film actor. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Miramax Films is a film production and distribution brand that was a Big Ten film motion picture distribution and production company headquartered in New York City before being bought out by The Walt Disney Company. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... This article is about the actress. ... Thomas Langlois Lefroy 1855 by W.H.Mote Thomas Langlois Lefroy (8 January 1776 – 4 May 1869) was an Irish politician and judge. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... James Andrew McAvoy (April 21, 1979[1]) is a BAFTA-winning Scottish actor. ... Julia Mary Walters, OBE (born February 22, 1950) is an English Golden Globe-winning actress. ... James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940), sometimes credited as Jamie Cromwell, is an Academy Award-nominated American television and film actor. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years and is now firmly established at the forefront of UK film-making; producing approximately eight films a year. ...

Becoming Jane was directed by Julian Jarrold. The cast was selected by Gail Stevens and Gillian Reynolds, costumes designed by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, and original soundtrack composed by Adrian Johnston. Julian Edward Peter Jarrold (born 15 May 1960) is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television director. ...

Although the film goes beyond what is proven fact in assuming a real relationship between Austen and Lefroy, the original screenplay was inspired by real events, which were chronicled in the book Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence, who was the historical consultant on the film. In fact, prior to Spence’s book, Radovici (1995)^[1] and Tomalin (2000)^[2] have also acknowledged the romance between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy. Tomalin’s book was also used as another anchor in making Becoming Jane.^[3] Becoming Jane Austen is a book by Jon Spence, published by Hambledon Continuum, on which the film Becoming Jane is based. ...

Synopsis

Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) is the younger daughter of a minister, Reverend Austen and his wife (Walters) who has yet to find a suitable husband. She wishes to be a writer, much to the disdain of her mother and pride of her father (James Cromwell). She turns down the affections of numerous men, including the nephew of Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), a Mr. Wisley. Mr. Wisley proposes, but Jane turns him down cold. It is not until the mischievous Thomas Lefroy, a promising lawyer with a reputation (who becomes the inspiration for Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy) (James McAvoy) shows up in town that Jane begins to take marriage seriously. After a bad first impression, Jane cannot stand the self-centered Londoner but the two get to know each other and eventually fall in love. Tom takes Jane to London to try and convince his uncle and benefactor, Judge Langlois, to let him marry Jane. The Judge considers it, but after receiving a letter informing him of Jane's poor family, he refuses. If Tom marries Jane, he will disown his nephew. Jane insists that she and Tom can still marry, but he says he has his family to think about and, outraged, she leaves London.

On her return home, Jane informs Mr. Wisley that she will marry him after finding out that Tom has come back to town with a new fiancee. Meanwhile, Jane's sister Cassandra has learned that her fiancee, Robert Fowle, has died of yellow fever. The girls are both devastated. Jane meets Tom again in a wood, where he asks her to run away with him. She agrees, but when they are halfway there, she learns that Tom's parents, along with his many brothers and sisters, depend on his allowance from his uncle to survive. Tom promises that he loves her and can still make money, but she refuses because without Judge Langlois's money, Tom's family will suffer. She ends her affair with Tom, returns home to her family, and begins to write Pride and Prejudice.

Years later, we see Jane, her brother Henry and his wife Eliza (Jane's cousin, a contesse) at a social function. As they are leaving, Jane sees a familiar man. Henry chases after him and, later, Jane meets for the first time in years, Thomas Lefroy and his eldest daughter, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen. Tom reveals that his daughter's name is Jane.

Critical reception

By April 2007, Becoming Jane had screened in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Sweden; reviews of which mostly originated from the first three countries. Popular movie review site, Rotten Tomatoes, credited the movie with a 58% approval rating. Most supporters of the movie praised in terms of the original screenplay, which was derived from biographies and letters of Jane Austen, the simple costumes of the late 18th century, the original soundtrack (orchestrated by Adrian Johnston) and solid performance by a leading cast.^[4]

Watching a game of cricket in Becoming Jane

Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy were particularly praised for their powerful chemistry that made the love story between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy so genuine.^[5][6] Hathaway was also admired for her fresh take on Jane Austen.^[6] Becoming Jane has however also received some negative reviews. Some viewers commented on the nature of the American Hathaway being cast as such a famous English author, and whether her accent was convincing enough.^{[citation needed]} These critiques have invited reactions from movie supporters. Some believe that Hathaway’s accent is appropriate for Jane Austen, making her suitable for the role. James McAvoy defended the decision of casting Hathaway by stating that a movie creator should “find the right actor…and she (Hathaway) is undoubtedly brilliant”.^[7] McAvoy further added that Hathaway was “the best Jane for the film”.^[8] Actress Anna Maxwell Martin (playing Cassandra Austen) stated that although Hathaway’s accent when the cameras stopped rolling “was a bit of a hybrid”, she thought that she barely made it.”^[9] Anne Hathaway herself admitted the persistent tendency to “sound too much like myself and not at all like Jane” due to cold weather in Ireland, thus she had to undergo voice retake for several scenes^[3]. Nonetheless, director Julian Jarrold praised Hathaway for her total transformation in becoming the Jane Austen. In a wrap up party after the filming, Jarrold confessed that the actress had been a different person, ‘not just her accent but also the whole character, the way of holding yourself and speaking was so completely different’.^[10] Jarrold and McAvoy further praised Hathaway as the 'real Austenite' who were impressed with her more than adequate knowledge on Jane Austen.^[11] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 529 pixelsFull resolution (1377 × 910 pixel, file size: 353 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 529 pixelsFull resolution (1377 × 910 pixel, file size: 353 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Some reviewers have questioned the historical accuracy of the movie; as an example, one promotional poster shows Jane holding a fountain pen. The creators of Becoming Jane have clearly stated, however, that it is not a biopic in spite of using many historical facts from Jane Austen’s life. The co-producer of the film, Graham Broadbent, explained that they ‘joined the dots in our own Austenesque landscape’.^[3] As probably anticipated by the movie creators, the most apparent side effect of the historical questioning is the increased public interest to learn about Jane Austen (through her novels, letters and biographies). This has added to the established interest generated from recent Austenian movies, e.g. Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. In addition, costumes worn by the characters from Becoming Jane have been exhibited in Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire (where she lived from 1809 until 1817, a few months prior to her death in Winchester) to accommodate the fans’ curiosity and romanticism. A fountain pen is a writing instrument, more specifically a pen, that contains a reservoir of water-based ink that is fed to a nib through a feed via a combination of gravity and capillary action. ... Jane Austens novel Sense and Sensibility (1811) was adapted into a 1995 film by Emma Thompson, for which she received general acclaim as well as a 1996 Academy Award. ... Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... Chawton is a small village in Hampshire, England, near Alton. ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ...

Cast

Main

• Anne Hathaway... Jane Austen
• James McAvoy... Thomas Lefroy
• Julie Walters... Mrs. Austen
• James Cromwell... Mr. Austen
• Maggie Smith... Lady Gresham

This article is about the actress. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... James Andrew McAvoy (April 21, 1979[1]) is a BAFTA-winning Scottish actor. ... Thomas Langlois Lefroy 1855 by W.H.Mote Thomas Langlois Lefroy (8 January 1776 – 4 May 1869) was an Irish politician and judge. ... Julia Mary Walters, OBE (born February 22, 1950) is an English Golden Globe-winning actress. ... James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940), sometimes credited as Jamie Cromwell, is an Academy Award-nominated American television and film actor. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ...

Cameos

• Joe Anderson... Henry Austen
• Lucy Cohu... Eliza de Feuillide
• Laurence Fox... Mr. Wisley
• Anna Maxwell Martin... Cassandra Austen
• Leo Bill... John Warren
• Jessica Ashworth... Lucy Lefroy
• Christopher McHallem... Mr. Curtis
• Ian Richardson... Judge Langlois
• Alan Smyth... The Showman
• Sophie Vavasseur... Jane Lefroy

Joe Anderson (born c 1981) is a British actor. ... Becoming Jane (Eliza deFeuide) 2007 Forgiven (Liz Peltham) 2007 Einstein and Eddington (Mileva Einstein) 2007 Meadowlands 2007 The Queens Sister (Princess Margaret) 27 November 2005 Gosford Park (Lottie) 2001 Lucy Cohu at the Internet Movie Database  United Kingdom Categories: | | | ... Laurence Fox filming Lewis in Oxford. ... Anna Maxwell Martin is an English actress who has won acclaim for her performances as Lyra in His Dark Materials at the Royal National Theatre and as Esther Summerson in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House. ... John Warren was a friend of Jane Austens brother Henry, and provided her with a sketch portrait of her very close friend Tom LeFroy. ... Jessica Ashworth (born December 23, 1987) is a British actress from Guildford, Surrey. ... McHallem as Rod in EastEnders Christopher McHallem (born 1960 in London, England) is a British actor, writer and director. ... Ian William Richardson CBE (7 April 1934 – 9 February 2007) was a Scottish actor best known for playing the Machiavellian politician Francis Urquhart in the House of Cards trilogy for the BBC. // Born in Edinburgh, Richardson was educated at Balgreen Primary School and Tynecastle High School in the city,[1... Alan Smyth is a respected music producer from Sheffield, England. ... Sophie Vavasseur is a young actress (born in 1992) who resides in Dublin, Ireland. ...

Location

Becoming Jane was shot in Dublin and some countryside of Ireland (including County Wicklow), instead of Hampshire, U.K., the birthplace of Jane Austen. The movie indeed received funding from the Irish Film Board, but as Julian Jarrold said, the decision was mainly driven by the fact that ‘Hampshire now is groomed and manicured and we were able to find in Ireland was a sense of countryside that felt more unchanged. That was one of the things that I really wanted to get...a sense of the landscape in which Jane Austen grew up. Ireland also has a great variety of Georgian houses and older houses as well. I think it gave us quite a different and interesting look for the film’^[10]. James McAvoy supported the decision by stating that he liked the fact that the houses in Becoming Jane were 'left to recede a bit more, a bit more gritty that you haven't seen in Austen films' and thus portrayed a 'sense of reality and a sense of poorer world' in the Regency Period.^[11] The English Regency, or simply the Regency, is a name given to the period from 1811 to 1820 in the history of England. ...

Interestingly, County Wicklow was also the very place Tom Lefroy used to spend a lot of his summer time. Tom even had a name for his feelings towards County Wicklow: ‘Wicklow trance’, which, as his son Thomas Lefroy explained, was a ‘household word in our family circle from the great admiration he had for the scenery of the County Wicklow where for many years he spent his summer vacations’ (Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy, 1871, p. 37)^[12]. Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Wicklow Code: WW Area: 2,024 km² Population (2007) 114,676 Website: www. ...

It is also intriguing to note that Chief Justice Tom Lefroy spent the three last years of his life in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, in a villa of Newcourt he rented in 1866. He died there as well on 4 May 1869 (Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy, 1871, p. 382).^[12] Bray was also one of the locations of Becoming Jane filming in March-April 2006. There is no evidence that the filmmakers were aware of the fact that Bray was the place where Tom Lefroy took his last breath, nor that Tom Lefroy was very fond of County Wicklow. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Since the first house of Jane Austen in Steventon was pulled down in 1824,^[2] scenes at Steventon Rectory were filmed in Higginsbrook House (spring 2006).^[13] Higginsbrook was a house a few miles off Trim in County Meath, Ireland. The house was built circa the first half of 18th century and now belongs to Christopher Gray and his family. It also had a ‘diminutive grandeur’, hence it helped portraying the financial status of the Austens (Revd. George Austen was not a man of wealth). Apparently, Higginsbrook performed well, for later in autumn 2006, it appeared again as the house of the Morlands in Northanger Abbey (ITV 2007). Northanger Abbey, a remake of the classic Jane Austen novel of the same name, premiered on 25th March, 2007 on the UK channel ITV at 9pm, as part of their Jane Austen Season. ...

Connections to Austen's Novels

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Much of the film echos the characters and plot of Austen's most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen (in the film) embodies much of Elizabeth Bennet's personality: a spirited woman who would only marry for love, turns down proposals from rich men, shares a deep relationship with her elder sister, and initially dislikes the very man that she ends up falling in love with. Other characters in the film such as Tom Lefroy, Mr. and Mrs. Austen, Cassandra, Lucy (Jane's younger cousin), John Warren, Lady Gresham, and Mr. Wisley also resemble much of Austen's fictional characters. Mr. Tom Lefroy best resembles Fitzwilliam Darcy in that he is Jane Austen's love interest, yet when Jane learns of his new fiancee in the middle of the story, one cannot not be reminded of Elizabeth's learning of George Wickham's engagement to Mary King. Mr. and Mrs. Austen appear very similar to Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet: the mother highly concerned about Jane's prospects, and the father highly concerned about Jane's happiness. Cassandra, like Jane Bennett, suffers from the absence of her lover, and has her heart broken just as Jane cries over Mr. Bingley's lack of correspondence. Lucy (Jane's younger cousin) reminds us of Lydia Bennet, for her young and boy-crazy tendencies, and also of Mary Bennet, when she sits down and gives a horrible piano and singing performance. John Warren seems to fit the character of William Collins, a socially awkward and tactless clergyman who failed to gain Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Lady Gresham and Mr. Wisley could be no other than Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her sickly and awkward daughter, Anne de Bourgh. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ... Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Mr. ... Mr. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Pride and Prejudice. ... For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ... William Collins may refer to: William Collins - founder of the 18th century Scottish publishing house Collins, that became part of HarperCollins or his son, Sir William Collins - a figure in the Scottish temperance movement and Glasgows Lord Provost between 1877 and 1880 Bootsy Collins - a pioneering funk bassist, singer...

DVD release

DVD cover of Becoming Jane, released in September 2007

Becoming Jane on DVD was launched in the UK on 10 September 2007, a month after the premiere in the United States, and in Australia on 12 September 2007. A release date for the DVD in the U.S. has not yet been announced. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Becoming Jane Soundtrack

The Original Soundtrack is currently available and features the numerous scores and instrumental music featured in the film, including the theme of the "Bastingstoke Assembly" in which Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy dance together for the first time.

A track listing for the album is as follows:

1. "First Impressions"
2. "Hampshire"
3. "Bond Street Airs"
4. "Bastingstoke Assembly"
5. "A Game of Cricket"
6. "Selbourne Wood"
7. "Lady Gresham"
8. "Advice From a Young Lady"
9. "Laverton Fair"
10. "To the Ball"
11. "Rose Garden"
12. "Mrs. Radcliffe"
13. "Goodbye Mr. Lefroy"
14. "Distant Lives"
15. "The Messenger"
16. "An Adoring Heart"
17. "Runaways"
18. "A Letter from Limerick"
19. "The Loss of Yours"
20. "To Be Apart"
21. "De vieni non tardar (from 'Le Nozze di Figaro')"
22. "Twenty Years Later"
23. "A Last Reading"

Awards

Becoming Jane received the Truly Moving Picture Award in 2007.

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Becoming Jane

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References

External links

• Becoming Jane at the Internet Movie Database
• Becoming Jane is a Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award Winner
• Becoming Jane Official U.K. website
• Becoming Jane Official U.S. website
• Becoming Jane at Rotten Tomatoes
• Becoming Jane Fansite