First of all, have any of you readers seen this movie? Are any or many of you Jane Austen fans? I would love to say I am, I'm certainly a fan of the movies made about her writing, but have only made a teeny dent in the actual page. Epic fail, I apologize.
I really enjoyed this movie. The characters in it are all so simple yet so complex. In the end they all end up doing the right thing, which I really think is a trait that Jane Austen fancied in her characters, based on the movies anyway. Things seems so messy but really once the characters admit its their own mess things calm down.
I related most to Purdie, for many reasons: probably because she is young, but mostly because her life isn't what she must have imagined it to be. She and her husband have fallen out of love, out of passion, and she finds herself drawn to one of her students. There seems to be every reason for her to go for this guy: he's of legal age, and despite how inappropriate it would be for her to go for him she's drawn to his passion and magnetism. I feel so bad for her husband, Dean, but probably because I really love Marc Blucas. The scene at the end where she goes to him and begs him to read the book that so mirrors their relationship, a book about two people who have fallen so out of love that they hate each other but in the end find love again, it's so clear she wants him to get this part of her.
And then there's Sylvia, I just couldn't connect with her character, I really love Amy Brennamen though. She brings life to this character that, quite frankly I find really flat. I do love her ending, with her husband talking to Jocelyn about the power of the word, and writing her a letter to win her back.
I adore Jocelyn. Poor Jocelyn with her very Emma like attempts to bring two people together who are so obviously not into each other and not good for each other mean while ignoring the man, Grigg, who just loves her! Hugh Dancy is just so sweet and bumbling and loveable. Their back and forth bantering and her denying her feelings for him is a funny break in this serious movie.
Bernadette is the maternal figure here, she brings this whole little group together but doesn't seem to have much of a story of her own. I kind of wonder if the director didn't mean for her to actually be Jane Austen, a narrator of sorts.
Oddly I couldn't really relate at all to Allegra, although it's definitely the only role I've ever seen Maggie Grace in that I actually believe. Her portion of the story seems too small to have been a main character, and yet there's enough of it there to tease me with, I just didn't get enough development to really fall in love with her, which is sad, because I think I could have. Adorable, gutsy, lesbian that enjoys thrill seeking and adventure.
I think I'm going to have to read Jane Austen because I love every movie made based on her books, however loosely. Then I will, of course, blog about it. Next up on the menu, though, is Darynda Jone's Third Grave Dead Ahead. I think I may need to reread First and Second Grave and do all three though so this may take longer than I thought. In the mean time... I'm going to give YOU an assignment for my page. I want to hear a little about your favorite types of books and your favorite beverages that go along with them. Personally, I enjoy coffee with upbeat novels, but I wind down with a glass of wine every night and read a little before I crash out. I tell ya one thing... being a mom, has just one downfall... it's really cut into my reading. Everything else about being a new mother is magical. Expect to see some more off topic posts about my son, because I'm a little obsessed with him. For now, I hope to hear from YOU! Enjoy your drinks, and keep reading!
2 comments:
Great first post. I like that you reviewed it with both the book and movie in mind. I can't wait to read more.
Hey! Now I see your comment and your picture!!
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