Movie & Music

Becoming Jane marvelously chronicles a supposed biographical sketch of the one, the only, Jane Austen. What a poignant message it tells of the power writing has in bearing the soul of the writer and how the true values of a person are revealed in their actions. Sadly, this story shows that by choosing certain values, one must make count the cost and at times the cost is painful, changing the course of one’s life forever. Becoming Jane reminds us, the viewers, of a phrase we’ve heard and come to believe in: It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before.

Austen’s life was not as glorious as the witty, romantic tales described in her novels Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. Instead, her life was as realistic as could be. As an avid reader of her books, I have always been encouraged with the hopeful endings that Austen left her readers with at the end of each novel. Does not a peaceful, easy feeling come to those who read that despite all odds, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy end up together in the end? And how about Miss Dashwood hooking up with Edward Ferrars in spite of many misunderstandings and bumps in their road to fulfillment and love?

What one finds after viewing Becoming Jane is the reality of the webs we weave for ourselves. The power of our lives comes from the choices we make each day. Though Jane Austen did not perhaps live out her hopes, dreams, and unfulfilled desires, she left behind hope for new generations of women to live out their hopes and dreams, that we may fulfill our desires and live lives true to ourselves and our souls.

Know this, an hour and a half of your life will not be wasted if you choose to watch Becoming Jane with this disclaimer: pick up one of Austen’s renowned novels and read. Then and only then, watch the author’s life come to life on screen. The background information you gain from reading at least one of Austen’s novels will be of much worth in what you gain from the cinematic feature.