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_Miss Austen Regrets:_ a lovely little gem of a movie

Feb 13 '09 Write an essay on this topic.

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The Bottom Line For fans of the works of Jane Austen, this is a must see. Four stars overall.

First of all, a disclaimer: this film is not in the Epinions database, and is currently only available as part of the 2008 Sense and Sensibility Once I had sat down and watched this movie, I knew that I had too much to say about it in the review with the other film, so -- as they say, needs must.

Miss Austen Regrets is a biopic-drama complied from the surviving letters of nineteenth century author, Jane Austen. During her lifetime, Miss Austen wrote only six novels and several short stories, and ephremeral pieces. But she also wrote copious amounts of letters, as was the custom of the time, where families and friends kept in touch by writing to one another in a time before electricity, telegraph and the telephone. From her letters, we get to discover the world that Jane Austen actually lived in, and the very real problems that plagued her and her family.

At the opening of the film, we see a laughing, giggling group of women slipping down a hallway to doorway where one of their number is pushed through into a room. A handsome young man is here, and he proposes marriage to the dark haired woman who has joined him. When she says yes, that she will, the others spill inside to make a party of it, laughing and smiling in congratulations. But a moment later, we see the women departing in a hurry to a carriage, and they depart the manor of Manydown. It appears that there isn't to be any marriage at all.

Now more than a decade has passed, and Jane Austen () has remained unmarried, knowing critical if not monetary success with three of her novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. Living with her are her mother (Phyllida Law), and her older sister, Cassandra (Greta Scacchi). Coming to stay with them for a time is their niece, Fanny (Imogen Poots), a lovely young girl who is contemplating marriage with the choice of several gentlemen as her prospective husband. Right now, Fanny is head over heels over Mr. Plumptre (Tom Hiddleston), a very handsome man, with a quantity of money it seems. But both Fanny and Jane have their doubts, especially when other suitors appear, and Fanny must make the choice between having money, or having love, in her marriage...

Along the way, we see Jane working on her next novel, a story called Emma, and remembering her own decisions about marriage and the future. Among them, we get to see the relationship between Jane and Cassandra, and the tensions as well, especially in a quarrel between Jane and her mother over Jane's not marrying the owner of Manydown -- a choice that has left her family living just above the edge of poverty.

Adapted from original sources by Gwyneth Hughes and directed by Jeremy Lovering, this more than makes up for the previous Jane Austen bio-pic, Becoming Jane. I had been prepared for not very much, but found myself pleasantly surprised by this tale of a very private woman, who looked at the world around her with a measure of humour, criticism and unerring skill at writing.

What really caught at me in this story was just how narrow the opportunities were for women living in the Regency period -- about 1790-1820 -- where marriage was really the only choice if a woman was to have a successful life. In a time when only men could actually inherit property and estates, and women hoped that there would be a sum of money for maintenence or a dowry, working for a living or sliding into genteel poverty were the only real choices. And as for working -- the only respectable careers were those of being a paid companion or a governess, both of which could be quite detestiable. While Jane Austen did manage to find another way to support herself, that by writing, it was neither a secure or wealthy means of earning a living.

The production values in this film are quite lovely, with various location shoots -- Syon House fills in for the Prince Regent's library in one memorable scene -- giving the right feel for the place. A maze where two lovers seek to find each other is a delightful touch. Costuming, details of daily life and a smart, witty script fill out this film.

Happily recommended, especially for those who felt rather disappointed by Becoming Jane, and a must-see for all fans of Jane Austen.

Four and half-stars, rounded up to five.

(There isn't a link for this in the Epinions database for this film, and the film itself is bundled with 2008's Sense and Sensiblity. If there ever is a link, I will move it there.)

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