Becoming Jane (2007 Julian Jarrold)
I wonder at times about opening ourselves up to have others comment on our favourite films. Perhaps others do not like it, or worse find it dull or boring or despicable. Do we want to know this. I am left at the end of Becoming Jane thinking of this, for it is a film very much about what others may think of what you do (real or imagined) or say, who you see or are seen with.
I've been sitting with this comment for a while. It intrigues me.
As for the first part, yes, having people watch and review movies that I have chosen as favorites is always a little bit petrifying. It a vulnerable place to sit in, but as we've been doing this for a handful of rounds, I've gotten less attached and more pragmatic about others' responses as well as about my own choices. It feel more like a microscope of exploration, rather than exchanging briefs in a court. As my perceptions change, my ability to gain from this club increases.
Perseverance is a theme which runs through many of the films in my top 100 and
Becoming Jane is a great example. She met with great resistance when it came to her writing and her chance at love. It's difficult to not let others affect our ability to live authentically and to create. Yet, she continued on. I find her pragmatic sacrifices to be inspiring.
It is a film about what Jane Austen's life may have been like, but is steeped in the styling of her novels (at least my small understanding of her novels). This styling works very well.
Yay!
I believe they worked very hard to create a bridge between what they knew of her life and what they could glean from her novels.
A lot of this film is set not long before the time of The Favourite, and while aspects of the worlds are similar, they are worlds apart in many ways. Still the candle lit scene on the stairs brings to mind several scenes in the latter film.
I just saw
The Favourite on Monday and those candle lit scenes also made me think about
Becoming Jane and
Jane Eyre's candle lit scenes!
Filming candlelight is tricky business.
Ah, the longing and unrequited love, it is painful.
Ain't it the truth.
I still get choked up when I revisit this film.
How Green Was My Valley (1941 John Ford)
Poignant, yet with a bit of a rose tinted view of life in coal mining town. Yes there was the wicked tongue wagging and accidents happened at the pit, but nobody appeared to be suffering from any form of lung complaint.
Big surprise was the presence of a very young Roddy McDowell.
I am trying to think why I am rating this higher than Becoming Jane and it comes down to that poignancy, despite itself this film has a power to drive through to your heart (well this one anyway). The focus on life from the boy's perspective, but still dipping in and out of others lifes works. It ties the story together, in a way that the various scene would otherwise be too distant from each other.
I am glad I have finally gotten around to seeing this.
Rating: 79 / 100
What an interesting pairing. Both films span time and are about family love and loss.
How Green Was My Valley does come across as somewhat pastoral, but the darkness seeps into the bones and makes me shiver. The singing also sinks in deep. Those rose covered glasses get a bit misty with tears.
I'm glad you saw it too! Thanks, Dave.