Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors

Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors is a visual journey that embarks on an exploration of the life and times of one of the world's most revered authors, Jane Austen. This 2017 biographical documentary, presented and narrated by well-known British historian Lucy Worsley, digs deeper into Austen's personal life and vividly paints a picture of what was happening behind the closed doors of the regency era.

Worsley, who has made her name as a television presenter and a linguistic historian, brings to life the physical and cultural landscapes that influenced and shaped Austen's life and works. She transports the audience into the world of Jane Austen – dynamically exploring and revisiting the places where Austen’s characters, Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, and Anne Eliot once held conversations.

The epitome of the documentary is its ability to create a clear, concise summary of Jane's life, encapsulating her creativity, personality, struggles, and triumphs. Using first-hand accounts and letters between Jane and her sister Cassandra, the film explores the familial relationships that profoundly impacted Jane's writing. Moreover, the documentary examines the severe restrictiveness placed upon women in Austen's era, laying bare how these limitations in life bleed onto the pages of her novels.

The documentary builds a living mosaic of the day-to-day life in the 16th century, painting a vivid picture of the socio-economic and cultural climate of this era, contextualizing Jane’s life and her works. Following Austen's life from her birthplace in Steventon to her final days in Winchester, Worsley visits Austen's two Hampshire homes and travels to Lyme Regis, the famous Dorset seaside town that features in many of Austen's novels.

The intriguing part of this biography is the light it shines on Austen's romantic life or lack thereof. Through Austen's letters and writings, the film delves into the intimate and quiet world of Jane Austen, presenting her as a woman, a sister, a daughter, and finally an author. It discusses the societal attitudes towards women, marriage, and financial security at the time, providing much-needed context to the romantic predicaments faced by Austen's heroines.

Debbie Charlton and Jeanice Brooks contribute to rendering an authentic period atmosphere by providing input on the music and decor peculiar to that period, enhancing the documentary's fluency and enriching the overall viewing experience. Charlton, a historical property curator, provides a valuable insider’s perspective — such as an archival painting brought to the forefront to demonstrate the visuals of Georgian social life. Meanwhile, Jeanice Brooks brings in the musicality of Austen’s world, adding a layer of emotional depth to Jane's household's dynamics.

The film goes beyond mere historical investigation; it ventures into territories of Austen's life wherein art imitated life. In the backdrop of a society fixated on marriage as the singular path to security and respectability for women, we're offered a unique glance at Austen's perspective. Rendering a new dimension to her seemingly ordinary life, the narrative contends that Austen was anything but conventional.

Yet, the most commendable aspect of the documentary is possibly the way it humanizes Austen. Often, literary figures of such historical significance tend to be regarded with an almost reverential remoteness. However, Worsley strips down these barriers and presents Austen in all her normalcy and complexity, piecing her life together with her words subtly and sensibly.

As a work of cinematic reportage, Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors is an engrossing watch for literature enthusiasts, historians, and admirers of Jane Austen alike. It gives a fascinating insight into the private and relatively shielded existence of the acclaimed writer. Going beyond the realm of fiction, the documentary successfully stitch together fragments from Austen's life to compose a delicate tapestry that is a testament to the writer's enduring legacy.