HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Becoming Jane

With the enormous popularity through the years of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma to name just three, it should come as no surprise that there would be great curiosity about the woman who wrote these gems of picturesque romance. Julian Jarrold’s Becoming Jane lays part of that curiosity to rest. Set in 1795 and dealing with the singular most important romantic encounter in the life of the young Jane Austen, Becoming Jane might not quite match the romantic grandeur and emotional sweep of the best of the lady’s fictional creations, but on its own terms it’s an involving and in some ways quite sobering look at the state of gentrified women in the late 18th century.

Anne Hathaway stars as twenty-year old Jane Austen, uninterested in marrying for propriety or security even though two potential suitors (Laurence Fox’s Mr. Wisley and Leo Bill‘s John Warren) remain ardently in pursuit. Like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, she falls for a sophisticate (James McAvoy’s Tom Lefroy) who at first seems disinterested in her and her rural-based existence. Soon, however, Jane’s intellectual adroitness and her more modern view of the mores of polite society for women prove more than appealing to him, and they eventually vow their love to one another. She has no hopes of inheritance, and his future success as a lawyer seems tied to the acceptance of the match by his flinty uncle Judge Langlois (Ian Richardson).

The screenplay by Sarah Williams and Kevin Hood makes it perfectly clear how powerless 18th century women generally were if they were not lucky enough to be born into wealth. Thoughts of careers for educated women weren’t entertained at the time, so either marriage or spinsterhood seemed the only two choices. In hindsight we know how successful Jane Austen became as a writer, but such a thing was the exception rather than the rule at the time, a point driven home by a visit to authoress Mrs. Ann Radcliffe (Helen McCrory) late in the film. The script captures that creeping dreadful responsibility felt by all women at the time to plan for their futures in the most expeditious ways available to them.

The cast is superb. Anne Hathaway adopts an easy English accent that’s effortlessly natural. James McAvoy, in real-life a Scotsman with a heavy brogue, also effects a most effective British dialect (though he’s playing an Irishman) and handles both the lines and the physicality of the role (including two boxing sequences) with much dexterity. Both actors convey their thoughts and feelings in sensitive performances that ring true from beginning to end. Julie Walters and James Cromwell make wonderfully starchy parents for Jane while Anna Maxwell Martin as Jane’s engaged sister Cassandra who undergoes her own downward spiral and Joe Martin as Jane’s loving brother Henry likewise make notable contributions. Mention must be made, of course, of the always splendid Maggie Smith who plays the haughty district matriarch Lady Gresham (think Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice). Dame Maggie doesn’t chew the scenery here (though the part would certainly allow her to do so). Rather, she invests it with superlative comic timing to put forward every one of her caustic zingers. Paired with her nebbishy nephew Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox wonderful in the milquetoast role), the two make quite an amusing pair.

Julian Jarrold’s direction gets the most out of the rural settings of much of the story. He often places the camera almost as an eavesdropper spying on the characters as their stories transpire, and he’s unusually skillful weaving in and out of the couples during a couple of dance sequences. He hasn’t allowed the film to become picture postcard pretty either despite the period costumes and sets. There’s an overcast, sometimes somber mood established befitting the very serious, very real problems that the characters are grappling with. Becoming Jane may not cover Jane Austen’s entire life, but the parts of it that we witness are indeed often on the gray side.




The film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio is presented in this 1080p transfer using a high bitrate VC-1 encoding. It’s a clear, solid picture with obviously no dirt or debris, but it isn’t quite as sharp as I was expecting nor as highly detailed as the best Blu-ray transfers. The pastoral portions of the picture have a subdued color scheme; only in a few London sequences does color saturation deepen and the picture takes on some luminance. Blacks could be much deeper though shadow detail is certainly adequate. The film has been divided into 16 chapters.



The PCM 5.1 track (6.9 Mbps) has a very open and expansive lilt to it. Music is the primary occupant of the front and rear channels, but the recording is so impressive that individual instruments can be easily discerned in the orchestrations. The LFE channel doesn’t get much use apart from the boxing sequences and a thunderstorm, but overall, the sound design is quite arresting.



An audio commentary features producer Robert Bernstein, director Julian Jarrold, and writer Kevin Hood in one of the least animated and most lethargic commentaries I’ve listened to in quite awhile. They do have some interesting information to impart, but it’s a rather droning road to get to it.

Becoming Jane Pop-Up Facts & Footnotes is an excellent high definition alternative to that unengaging commentary track (and it's possible to play them both simultaneously if you prefer). Throughout the film, information about the real Jane Austen as well as about the actors, director, crew, and even trivia about the times of the film pops up at appropriate moments.

“Discovering the Real Jane Austen” is a 17-minute featurette on the making of the picture featuring interviews with the director, producer, actors, costume designer, choreographer, and production designer. It’s presented in 480i.

13 deleted scenes are presented in 480i. You may elect to play them all at once or watch them individually. Together they run 19½ minutes.

The disc features previews for such upcoming theatrical and Blu-ray releases as Wall-E, Dan in Real Life, and Enchanted. The trailer for Becoming Jane is not included.




Becoming Jane is a worthy biographical look at two key periods in the life of world famous author Jane Austen. The film’s story is engaging, and fans of Miss Austen’s books will find many parallels from her life as portrayed in the movie reflected in the stories that are so familiar to millions. It’s a film that has a firm recommendation from me.


Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC

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