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But
this glorious season of Austen had more to offer than adaptations. We were also treated to a fantastically
lovely biopic-of-sorts, Miss Austen
Regrets. To give a frame of
reference, Miss Austen Regrets is to
the Austen extravaganza as An Adventure
in Space and Time is to Doctor Who’s 50th
anniversary. Sold yet?
As a
biopic, it’s unconventional in that we only get a fragment of the author’s
life. Save for a brief opening scene
from Jane’s past, the rest of the film focuses on just a few years – her last,
in fact. We follow her career; she’s
working on Persuasion and Emma is awaiting publication. Her family has a very upper-class attitude
of, “Oh, Jane dear, you mustn’t be so concerned with money, it’s absolutely vulgar,”
when her pen is providing for herself, her widowed mother, and her unmarried
sister. Even faced with a near-constant
stream of admirers at social occasions, she is plagued by worries, haunted by
the looming shadow of Pride and Prejudice
and afraid that her best writing is behind her.
Over
the years, much has been made of the unwed creator of some of the 19th
century’s finest love stories, and Miss
Austen Regrets is no exception. Through
Jane’s niece Fanny, an ardent fan and a young woman desperate to be in love, we
catch hints about Jane’s romantic history.
Her advice to Fanny about marriage is equal parts pragmatic and
satirical, with dashes of wistfulness thrown in perhaps to her own
surprise.
Olivia
Williams (who I know best as Adele DeWitt in Dollhouse) is just phenomenal as Jane, arch and clever and fierce
and vulnerable. Even seeing it for the
first time back in 2008, knowing very little about Austen, I was absolutely
gripped by her performance. Whether she
is teasing an adoring but clueless fanboy or mutedly reflecting on the wisdom
of past choices, she’s Jane through and through. She’s surrounded by an able cast, including
Imogen Poots from Christopher and His
Kind as Fanny, and fine supporting performances by Hugh Bonneville, Greta
Scacchi, and Tom Hiddleston.
Warnings
Thematic
elements, a little drinking, and a few veiled sexual references.
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