The works of British novelist Jane Austen survived more than 200 years after her death. The entertaining documentary Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors reveals the touchstones that shaped her work and life.
Like the thematic elements of her most popular novels, Austen’s path is paved with themes related to money, family, and inheritance. Much evidence of her history can still be found in the English countryside today, including the residences she visited and called home. The film is, for the most part, an elegant guide to some of these historical locations.
Austin spent more than half of her life in the house where she was born. The Steventon village house is shared by her parents, older sister and six brothers. It was a crowded household, and Austin’s father, with limited means, was able to cope. The house no longer exists, although detailed blueprints allowed the filmmakers to redesign its structure.
Then there’s Stoneleigh Abbey, a stately mansion Austin visited in the early 1800s. Here she glimpses the other half of life. During that time she noticed the manor’s ornate furniture and living quarters, as well as the mannerisms and topics of conversation of its inhabitants.
A visit to the nearby Ashe Rectory will reveal where she met friends and indulged in playing the piano. We also get an indoor tour of the places around which her life and work revolved, including the publishing house where she negotiated the rights to Emma, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility. Ranging from extravagant to almost penniless, these settings illustrate the insights and contrasts contained in her work.
Austen lovers will love the desk where she writes, the wooden box where she stores drafts of her favorite novels, and the idyllic garden where she wanders and ponders her novels.
Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors lovingly captures a series of locations that helped shape Austen as a person and as an artist. This is a unique and illuminating approach to biography.
Directed by: Rachel Jardine
