Jane Eyre the Movie: Again


Charlotte Bronte's, Jane Eyre is turned into yet another movie adapted from the 1847 novel---and for those of you who haven't seen it, oh, what a movie!

I've always been a fan of Jane Eyre. She is such a strong, independent heroine who respects herself and has pride in who she is though she lacks wealth, beauty, or social status. The latest film adaptation of the novel is true (almost) to the original plotline and feels so authentic it would move even those who would not ordinarily be drawn into period pieces. The director, Cary Fukunaga, brilliantly cast Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender as Rochester.

What an amazing pair. Mia Wasikowska looks at home in her corset and plain, business-like clothes but at the same time, exudes passion and moral character---there is a bright light behind those soulful eyes, a light that is impossible to overlook. Fassbender is effortlessly sexy---the perfect Mr. Rochester. One of the first conversations they have in the drawing room one night beside the fire (long before they actually fall in love) crackles with sensuality---I'm paraphrasing here, but he asks her what her "governess' tale of woe is, for every governess he's ever met must have one…" and she looks him straight in the eyes and declares she "does not have a tale of woe, she was raised in a house far grander than this one, and simply was sent to school because she was an orphan whose Aunt did not like her."

I could see the smile behind his stern look. And boy, how I wish I could write dialogue like that. Sharp, deep and with so few words!

Thornfield Hall is sufficiently spooky, but I wish we had seen more of it. I love castles and manors in any story. They are a character in the tale. I kind of grieve when we lose that house in the end.

Judi Dench is Mrs. Fairfax, and she is kinder to Jane than I remember from the reading the book. The rest of the characters were as rich as I had always imagined them.

In the end, Jane and Mr. Rochester of course, have an HEA (well, he is injured and disfigured for his heroic efforts)---but it's still a romance with an HEA. The only criticism I have of this film is that it ended without closure. It needed the last few chapters included in the book. Jane and Mr. Rochester are left in the film, just embracing. I wanted the last scene to be the one from the book where he regains his sight and sees his and Jane's newborn son (as happens in Ms. Bronte's original telling). But other than that, this is a must movie for historical romance fans!

Did you see this movie? What did you think?

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