BECOMING JANE trailer
Several Alert Janeites found it. Go watch it.
Our immediate thoughts:
Maggie Smith makes us laugh NO MATTER WHAT.
James McAvoy is very very cute!
We must retire.
DOROTHY!!! TEA!!! TULLAMORE DEW!!! DIRECTLY!!!!!
P.S. We just came across this article and had to share part of it.
How did you research your new novel, The House of Meetings. You have not, I believe, ever been to Russia? OKSANA EVERTS, London
No. I did it by reading (and imagining). The Daily Mail school of criticism would have it that all writers, including Tolstoy and Shakespeare, are sneak thieves and bagsnatchers (see the recent non-scandal, indeed non-story, centred on Ian McEwan). But reading is the other half of writing, or the other third: you write, you read, and you live.
Exactly. You don’t have to LIVE something to write about it. Imagination is a strange, wonderful, scary and occasionally genius-inspiring thing. We think Martin Amis is a bit of a blowhard but this is just brilliant. And we would love to get our hands on a full copy of his NORTHANGER ABBEY screenplay (Martin, if you’re reading this, e-mail’s over there to the right, bubba).
January 20th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
James McAvoy is way more than cute!!!!
January 20th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Okay, every last thing on the screen seems to have been ripped from some previous adaptation. Even the music is from Sense and Sensibility.
Is that a good sign?
Or a really bad?
January 20th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
And oh, from Little Women. Surely that must be just the trailer?
January 20th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Oh dear.
January 20th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Trailer music is almost always taken from another movie. Honestly, that’s the LEAST thing to worry about in this trailer.
January 20th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
ok so its a made up story…but it looks cute! I’m excited about seeing it!
January 20th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Almost always, Mags. But since the film is still in post-production and if the music track is not yet final, trailers usually “borrow” music from other sources. But you are right, this is the least of our worries. Just from the trailer one notices right away that the writers have taken too much license already.
To avoid consternation I highly recommend approaching this with the mindset that this is a work of fiction, which is usually the case with biopics nowadays. Gotta sell them tickets!
For those having problems connecting to MyMovies.net and/or playing the trailer, I was able to capture it to a Quicktime movie—I can send you the download link.
January 20th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Could I have that link for Quicktime? I cannot get anything to come up for the trailer on the website.
January 20th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Of course, Hannah.
(Mags, if this is not kosher, I will take it down.)
http://www.tlc-graphics.com/post/Tony/BecomingJane_tlr.mov
I hope you are on a broadband connection because it’s a fairly large file (15+ megs).
January 20th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
I don’t mind, if you can handle the bandwidth.
January 20th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Not a problem, Mags. This is definitely under the romance comedy genre:
“What is she doing?”
“Writing.”
“Can anything be done about it?”
Dame Maggie is a hoot, as always!
January 20th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
My favourite line in the trailer (and the one that makes me think they might have come halfway close to getting Jane right, is): “My characters shall have all that they desire”
January 20th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Hmm, when I click on the link a quicktime windows shows and and it plays but it does’t show any picture or sound…there must be something off with my Quicktime. Thanks for posting the link though, Tony!
January 20th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
You don’t have to LIVE something to write about it. Mags I shall be sure to quote you when people starting asking me questions about my extremely dysfunctional characters.
January 20th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Let’s give it another try, Hannah. This one is compressed, so it will not try to stream (play) in your browser. So you should get a zipped file which should expand to the Quicktime movie file.
http://www.tlc-graphics.com/post/Tony/BecomingJane_tlr.mov.zip
The file should play in any Quicktime-compatible player. Good luck.
January 20th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
My favourite line in the trailer (and the one that makes me think they might have come halfway close to getting Jane right, is): “My characters shall have all that they desire”
I don’t care for the implication that Jane Austen didn’t have all she wanted.
January 20th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I hope Patrick Doyle gets a boatload of money in royalties every time they use one of his cues from “Sense & Sensibility” in a trailer. Because it seems to be happening a lot lately. I had to laugh when I realized they’ve put together this trailer to follow the narrative structure of the 2005 “Pride & Prejudice” trailer. Hilarious and yet so predictable.
Honestly, from what I’ve seen, if this film was called “Becoming Sally,” I think I would kind of like it. But putting Jane Austen’s name to it and suggesting that this is her life and this is what inspired her (heaven forbid a woman author has an original thought in her head) is just a disservice to Austen’s work and her admirers. But whatever, I’m only a dried up old spinster-in-training.
January 20th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
It does really bother me that they took the music from Little Women and Sense and Sensibility. What, did they think we wouldn’t notice? Apparently a composer wasn’t in the budget. But I’m soooooo excited to see this movie!! I know, I know it’s a made up story; but it looks so romantic and sweet, I cannot wait to see it!!!! And I’m almost positive I’m going to see it at least 3 times.
Thanks for posting the link!
January 20th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
I’ll absolutely enjoy this as a work of fiction, but I’m bothered by the idea of other people thinking it’s a true story. Ah, well.
Besides the other movies named, they also borrowed some of Rachel Portman’s score from Emma, incidentally.
January 20th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Maggie Smith looks good–and the rest of it looks like a made up story. Oh well, I like fiction.
January 20th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
This is so confusing. Everything about it so derivative, apart from the numerous P&P similarities, i spooted virtually identically shots to stuff in “miss potter” and “marie antoinette” in there.
I’d love to think it were being done tongue in cheek somehow. An exploration of biopics, how we view (geniusy) historical figures, or similar, but none of the promotion seems to suggest that so far.
I suppose it’s a but of a forlorn hope, to expect some delicious secret twist like/in joke like Clive Owen’s cameo in the Pink Panther…
and BTW, does anyone think that’s Helen McCrory who says “to have a wife with a literary repution - nothing short of scandalous”?
January 20th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
To avoid consternation I highly recommend approaching this with the mindset that this is a work of fiction, which is usually the case with biopics nowadays.
Thanks for that suggestion; I think it will help me enjoy the film more.
Some of the camera work I looked, and the customs were pretty. James McAvoy was so handsome. And I liked the shot of him and Anne secretly holding hands.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:35 am
Is the broadening one’s horizons line some sort of sexual innuendo?
January 21st, 2007 at 2:07 am
Oooo, whoopeeee, this is a Jane rush for sure. I am so impressed with the sparkeling cast. Anne Hathaway continues to surprise me. She may just develop into a first class actress. She has the youth & beauty thing down pat. Those big doe eyes could be a contributing factor of global warming. I await opening day with baited breath.
January 21st, 2007 at 2:24 am
I simply agree with Marybeth. I am just recovering…I don’t like it….it’s like a cliche! and women can be original, they can not have imagination and all must be thanked to lovely men…;)
Also, did you remember ‘A Room with a View’ when Jane see naked men in a lake???
Welll, too predictable.
January 21st, 2007 at 2:26 am
Sorry! I meant women cannot be original.
January 21st, 2007 at 2:53 am
I’ll probably end up seeing it. Anne’s accent sounded fairly decent, although I’m thoroughly American, so I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to all the nuances of the British accent.
I just wish they didn’t present it as factual. Makes me sad. :’(
January 21st, 2007 at 4:30 am
Sooo, I saw P&P 2005, A Room with a View, S&S, Litte Women, Miss Potter… what *is* the point? But Anne Hathaway does look quite good I think. Still…
January 21st, 2007 at 5:39 am
I don’t care for the implication that Jane Austen didn’t have all she wanted.
What exactly don’t you care for? The filmmakers implying that Lefroy was the main thing she would’ve wanted in her life? Because, in a general sense, I think anyone who has read her letters would realise that she didn’t have all she wanted (who ever does?). If she was missing anything, though, I think it would have been financial security, not necessarily Tom Lefroy.
January 21st, 2007 at 5:51 am
I have always enjoyed Shakespeare in Love and I am optimistic I will enjoy Becoming Jane just as much - I only wished the movie would be promoted as a fictional story loosely based on fact … as so many have remarked before me.
I am positively surprised about James McAvoy’s performance and Anne Hathaway strikes a cord with me, too. In agreement with Glenys: The movie looks sweet and romantic and it is refreshing to see two people actually liking each other when they dance together at a ball.
@ Tony A: I tried to open the downloaded zip-file and it told me it was password protected.
January 21st, 2007 at 7:07 am
As a fictional story I think it would be very enjoyable - Though I’ll just have to pretend it’s not about Jane Austen to keep me from screaming at the screen every few minutes.
And as someone born and bred in Hampshire, I think Anne Hathaway’s accent is actually rather good.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Yes, as a ‘Regency film’ like a Barbara Cartland inspired film, I would enjoy it, but not as one about Jane Austen.
I don’t find Anne Hathway’s eyes showing intelligence or wittiness enough.
I don’t know if anyone else found her expression so fixed, like she got to that stage of ‘looking’ intelligent and ‘witty’ and then held on to that expression in fear of losing it.
Her expression is sort of stretched around the eyes, and the mouth.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I thought maybe the line about her characters having everything they desire was a snarky type reference to characters like Lydia Bennet and Maria Bertram. Anyway that’s how I chose to take it.
Course I haven’t watched the trailer. Rather unfair of all of you to hold your high-speed capacities over the heads of we poor dial-up folk.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Well, my local cinema here in London have already put a ‘Become Jane’ poster up. The trailer is terribly derivative, as other posters have pointed out (the ‘Mr Collins’ bits, music, cinematic shots , etc) however they may have just cobbled bits together to resemble previous films so that audiences know the scores. Hopefully final film is better. And at least the ladies appeared to be wearing bonnets outdoors so not all is lost.
James McAvoy is tremendously cute. I’ve seen him in quite a few things lately and he definately makes my Scrumptious Scottish Shortcake list!
January 21st, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I know that trailers always borrow music from previous films, but for those of us that own these soundtracks and are highly familiar with them (for me Little Women and Sense & Sensibility especially) it’s just plain distracting!!! I don’t know how to feel about this movie. It seems very manipulative and just trying to cash in on the popularity of Jane without being genuinely true to her. On the other hand, I love a period piece! I’ll definitely see it and will try to enjoy it as fiction so that my head does not explode.
January 21st, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Just wanted to put my two cents in. I am a refugee from the film industry and just want to point out that trailers are not made by the filmmakers themselves, they are made by the marketing department. Irrespective of the film’s quality or style, that trailer was specifically designed to call out to the audiences that came to see P&P, S&S, Emma, etc. They’ve made it derivative for that very reason. They’re hoping that exact familiarity will be what pulls us into the cinema. (If you lined up the trailers for the last 5 blockbuster action movies you’d find much the same thing.)
January 21st, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Ina, you know if you connect to the original link to the trailer, you can select the 56K speed and should be able to watch the full trailer, albeit in lower resolution.
I don’t understand what’s causing Carolin’s problem about password-protection, because the file certainly is not so. Anyway I moved the file to my server where you should be able to find not only the ZIP file of the trailer, but also a number of PDF books (including Mag’s North and South) and The Watsons—a must-read for Jane fans. My reasons for resetting these books are, first, I can’t stand reading badly typeset books. Secondly, (I’m starting to sound like Mr. Collins) it’s so much easier to search through electronic books than thumbing through paper pages.
The 56K version of the trailer is also there—small enough to download via dial-up. Keep in mind that your computer must be set up to play Quicktime movies. To download the trailers, or any of the other books there, connect to:
http://ftp.tlc-graphics.com:8008/
Username is Fitzwilliam and the password is… any bona fide Austen fan should know, surely! Just make sure to capitalize the first letter, since the server is case sensitive. Enjoy!
January 21st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
If anything, this film will be good for costume ideas for myself. And I refuse to think it good of much else, but to prove that James McAvoy should be in more period films.
January 21st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Ok, so the sound on this computer doesnt work, but from what I saw, this trailer reminds me a lot of another one a couple years back. It looks cute, but that still bothers me…
January 21st, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Oddly enough, it occurs to me now that the “Little Women” music was used in the original “Sense & Sensibility” trailer. Ah, the cirle of Hollywood.
January 21st, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Thanks Tony! I’ll try it on my laptop.
Julie G, that explains one of my pet peeves: trailers that have things that aren’t in the movie. I know you can’t include everything, but still…
January 21st, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Marybeth said: Oddly enough, it occurs to me now that the “Little Women” music was used in the original “Sense & Sensibility” trailer.
Indeed it was. I have that trailer on my DVD of Persuasion.
And speaking of Persuasion, what is the music used in this trailer?
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/persuasion/multimedia/clips/trailer.mov
I know it, but can’t recall from where.
January 21st, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I know that trailers always borrow music from previous films, but for those of us that own these soundtracks and are highly familiar with them (for me Little Women and Sense & Sensibility especially) it’s just plain distracting!!!
I totally agree! It was strange listening to those lovely scores while watching a different film. *sigh*
In the movie, are both Jane and Tom supposed to dislike each other, or does he like her right away while she has to warm up to him?
January 21st, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Wow, was that supposed to be a good trailer? It absolutely screams sappy (and not witty) love story. I agree with the music comments. I really hope that this is just a pre-preliminary trailer, because I was really disappointed. Anne’s accent sounded terrible.
January 21st, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Oh dear, more grist for the mill. I am happy, at least, to see Julie Walters with a starring role. I knew of Maggie Smith, but not Walters. A rare and welcome bright spot. Speaking of other “good news,” Anne’s accent sounds a little better than it did in Nicholas Nickleby, which is good considering she has so much to say. As for the music, I must confess I didn’t really notice, having not seen the two films in question for some time and not being as attentive to film scores as perhaps I should be. As depressing as this recycled music may be to some, the overarching tone–so obvious as to be beneath notice–is the greater evil, and a greater source of disappointment to us all. Of course, I will see the film and perhaps, on account of some fine performances and the enchantment of period dress, I will even get some enjoyment out of it, but I cannot help but think, even if prematurely, what a waste. Better not to have made it at all. Her books, as time attests, are enough.
Now, what’s this of Martin Amis adapting Northanger Abbey? I have not heard of such a screenplay…
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 am
Somebody said that they have seen the poster for the film. Which one did they end up using?
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:44 am
Now, what’s this of Martin Amis adapting Northanger Abbey? I have not heard of such a screenplay…
(Sort of) quick answer: Martin Amis’ script was written for Miramax in 2002 to replace Andrew Davies’ script. Miramax eventually decided not to produce it.
An excerpt from Amis’ script (probably the first ten pages or so) was published in the Autumn 2004 edition of Granta (volume 87). Back issues of Granta are available for purchase.
Here’s the link to the Martin Amis adaptation entry on my web site; scroll past it to the Davies entry to find a link to the 1999-2005 history of NA2, which includes news articles about Amis’ screenplay. These news articles were also originally available on Laura Grace’s NA2 page. The script excerpt was also reviewed on AustenBlog.
I would love to read the entire Amis screenplay, too.
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:45 am
To Sylvia M.
For Spain, I think this one: http://notrofilms.com/index.asp?MP=2&MS=64&MN=2&TR=&IDR=&accion=si&texto=&fdesde=&fhasta=&idarea=&pag=&id=197&ver=poster&r=1024*768
I think I am gonna cry!
January 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 am
I can confirm that the UK poster is like the Spanish one for which Carmen has just posted a link. However, in my local cinema it is in landscape, rather than portrait format.
I’m trying to think positive about the film, and like many previous posters, I agree that it is best (to avoid brain damange) to just accept that one will probably be seeing some frothy period romance (yes, as the noble Editrix says: NOT A REAL STORY). The nicked soundtrack in the trailer is annoying, but then I really have given up expecting decent period music in any Jane Austen adaptation (first few moments of P&P2005, as Mary plays a spinet and giant heavy modern piano smashing chords are heard…snort! Why can they never research music? It’s one of the cheapest things to do?).
January 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 am
On the site where I found the trailer, they had it illustrated with the ‘Becoming a Woman… Becoming a Legend’ poster.
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
“first few moments of P&P2005, as Mary plays a spinet and giant heavy modern piano smashing chords are heard…snort!”
Have to disagree with you a bit Kathleen. Having watched it repeatedly, I can tell you that if you listen closely Mary is playing scales, and not on a modern instrument. Yes, I am referring to sound, not just the appearance of the instrument. Most people probably miss that, even my Mom who is a trained pianist. But then my hearing is better than Mom’s. The filmmakers made it difficult to tell, but it is there.
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Hmmm…..Ina, I will confess that I’ve only ever been able to watch P&P2005 once. So can’t remember if they were scales or chords so I’ll agree with you! However I’m quite sure that instrument was a spinet. Spinets have a particular sound, more akin to a harpsichord than a pianforte. And it didn’t sound like a spinet. Not even like a late 18th century small square piano. But still, haven’t rewatched it so maybe my mind had already started raving. Hopefully, the new JA adaptations from ITV will be nice music-wise (will they mess up the harp in Mansfield Park? They always have!)
Anyway, back to ‘Becoming Jane’. I moaned about this before when I saw it on one of the prospective posters but why, oh why is Jane wearing a strange thing halterneck bodice? Looks like two little strings that tie behind her neck…most peculiar, never seen that before!
And alas from the trailer, it appeared that the Made-Up-Story is based on P&P (did Jane Austen write anything else? Snerk!).
January 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
“first few moments of P&P2005, as Mary plays a spinet and giant heavy modern piano smashing chords are heard…snort!”
well, don’t have the DVD, but i swear when the film opens it the main theme (as played by the composer - very obvously not done by the actress or “live” at all). Does she start playing scales when the action starts?
January 22nd, 2007 at 8:54 pm
I am sorry to see in the trailer no sign of Cassandra. I agree with Mags that to imply Jane’s life was lacking is to ignore the rich family and friend filled life she had. To show her conversing with Martha Lloyd and Cassandra and cousin Eliza would be more like it.
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:14 am
Very difficult to be sure but I thought I spotted Anna Maxwell Martin (who plays Cassandra) in a couple of background shots, including one where she is sitting to the left of the fireside.
However, I thought it was definitely her voice saying: “We are honoured by his presence”.
January 23rd, 2007 at 8:35 pm
The scales and the main theme overlap one another. Mary is not supposed to be playing the main theme at all, which is clearly a grand piano, the two sounds are played by two different instruments.
I am very sorry if your “mind had already started raving” before the first words had been spoken, thus preventing this observation.
I myself am perfectly able to enjoy a fictional story and will likely see Becoming Jane eventually, American actress or no. I may even have to give in and read Northhanger Abbey so as to not miss out on a reference.
January 27th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I tried downloading the trailer on both sites offered. Didn’t work for me.
Can someone upload it to youtube? Please? Thanks!
January 28th, 2007 at 2:05 am
Ann, have you tried downloading the file from my ftp server? I described the procedure in a previous comment (above, #37).
Or you can try these direct download links:
http://www.tlc-graphics.com/post/Tony/BecomingJane_tlr.mov.zip
http://www.tlc-graphics.com/post/Tony/BecomingJane_tlr-small.mov.zip
If you are on a slow connection you should try the second (small) one first.
January 30th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Thanks Tony. I tried your link…it worked, but my Quicktime stinks.
I’m watching it on Youtube…someone uploaded it! :0) Thanks anyways!