Monday, May 25, 2009
More Jane
posted at 4:58 PM |
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Watched "The Jane Austen Book Club" since I was in an Austen frame of mind. It's an odd little story and I'm not sure it doesn't strain one's credibility a bit too much but it's kind of charming. It brings an Austen-esque touch to the lives of six people who decide to discuss and (re)read one Austen book each month for six months. It's interesting to see and hear their interpretations of the various characters. Furthermore, it's an astonishing 198 years since the first book was printed and it's almost impossible to believe that the books are so much a part of our social fabric. the plot twists and tie-ups are a bit too tidy but they are faithful to Austen and they're done without too much melodrama.
It's a nice touch to have the characters develop as the characters in the books. To some extent this works because the film is fairly well written. To another it works because the actors are all terrific. The coup de grace is that each actor had to read entirely whichever book his/her character was leading in each month's meeting of the club. Given the literary plot this definittely gave substance to the layers.
The Northanger Abbey play scene is priceless, I have to say, and the subtle references are nice. As in "Clueless," there are verbal and physical references that will become apparent upon subsequent viewings, I feel sure. If I have a discernible quibble, it's mostly that it didn't seem substantial enough. I don't know if the fault likes it too many television actors whose gravitas is thin or if the writing simply lacked depth. It's pleasant and has some pleasant turns but it never quite picks up enough steam for my taste.
Among the main actors, Emily Blunt the most interesting to watch. At the beginning, she is so uptight your eyes hurt. I'm not entirely sure how she shows the transition so effectively. She reminds me of Amanda Root's transformation in my favorite film version of "Persuasion" when she morphs from plain to lovely without a film cut and without any change other than the light in her eyes. Some actresses have remarkable abilities.
Madeleine Peyroux sings "Getting some fun out of life" over the credits at the end of the movie and is a dead ringer for Billie Holliday though a lot less loopy. I can't wait to hear more.
It's a nice touch to have the characters develop as the characters in the books. To some extent this works because the film is fairly well written. To another it works because the actors are all terrific. The coup de grace is that each actor had to read entirely whichever book his/her character was leading in each month's meeting of the club. Given the literary plot this definittely gave substance to the layers.
The Northanger Abbey play scene is priceless, I have to say, and the subtle references are nice. As in "Clueless," there are verbal and physical references that will become apparent upon subsequent viewings, I feel sure. If I have a discernible quibble, it's mostly that it didn't seem substantial enough. I don't know if the fault likes it too many television actors whose gravitas is thin or if the writing simply lacked depth. It's pleasant and has some pleasant turns but it never quite picks up enough steam for my taste.
Among the main actors, Emily Blunt the most interesting to watch. At the beginning, she is so uptight your eyes hurt. I'm not entirely sure how she shows the transition so effectively. She reminds me of Amanda Root's transformation in my favorite film version of "Persuasion" when she morphs from plain to lovely without a film cut and without any change other than the light in her eyes. Some actresses have remarkable abilities.
Madeleine Peyroux sings "Getting some fun out of life" over the credits at the end of the movie and is a dead ringer for Billie Holliday though a lot less loopy. I can't wait to hear more.
Labels: actors, movies, singing, today's movie, writing
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