Screen adaptations of Charlotte Brontë’s "Jane Eyre"- Review

Good day to everyone and thank you for joining me on this page!

Today I would like to share my experience of watching some screen adaptations of the all-time classical novel “Jane Eyre” written by Charlotte Brontë. There’s probably no one in world who hasn’t at least heard about this piece of literature so this information might be interesting for those who try to decide which screen adaptation is best to see this evening.

"Jane Eyre" is a classical novel that describes a rocky path of the governess to happiness and finding her place in this world. She’d had complicated and hard childhood growing up first in the house of her relatives that hated her and then in a boarding school where rules of restrictions bordered on those in the penitentiary. As she finds herself a grown young woman she leaves the life that she knows and takes a job as a governess in a household of the mysterious Mr. Rochester. Their love story is eternal and it never gets old.

“JANE EYRE”, 1983 (starring Zelah Clarke, Timothy Dalton, Jean Harvey and other great actors)

Let’s start with the earlier television film that went on the screens in 1983 and starred Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton as the leads. Funny fact is that this “Jane Eyre” is actually older than me because I was born just four years later. But still when I saw it during mid 90-s on the TV in some small urban town in Russia I was very impressed with how fresh it looked in comparison with all the movies and shows that were run on our TV. I remember myself glued to the screen and not hearing anything else around. There was only me and “Jane Eyre” in the room. These tv mini-series consist of 11 episodes and I’ve waited for each one of them as if my life depended on it.
Although it was long time ago I still see those puppy eyes of the actress that played Jane Eyre and it probably the first thing that pops in my head once I turn my mind to that early production.
The script will leave the book-lovers satisfied too, because almost all events were easily fitted into 11 episodes, so you could say that writers did justice to the original novel.

“JANE EYRE”, 1997 (starring Samantha Morton, Ciarán Hinds, Jemma Jones, Repurt Penry-Jones and other great actors)

I have mixed feelings towards this adaptation. But first let me say that Samantha Morton is amazing in this role and she’s an excellent choice for the part. I was truly enjoying the opening scenes. But then Mr. Rochester comes along - tall, dark and all that mystifying air around him…Everything the way it usually goes. And then he opens his mouth to say his opening lines and it’s like a crow suddenly started barking!!! Never have I thought this was possible! But then, the book itself didn’t portrait him as someone nice neither, so I just let it go and tried to focus on the plot.

Until the Kiss!

WTF! Whatever this was, it wasn’t a kiss! And I can’t be sure but I vaguely remember choking on something I was chewing at the time. I’m telling you even my eyes hurt from seeing this disaster of a kiss.
Look, I get that Jane is innocent and inexperienced but all of us had our first kisses at one point and I doubt anyone was this bad at it. That beast Rochester all but devoured poor maiden!
I can’t put the blame on acting here. It’s the work of directing and the outcome is the director’s vision completely.

I have to say that everything else didn’t really matter to me anymore because my impressions were somewhat ruined from that point on.
There’s one more thing that I want to mention though: it distinctly feels as if the movie was cut too much. Like when Jane was summoned to the sickbed of her aunt Jane was suddenly already coming back to Thornfield Hall.

“JANE EYRE”, 2006 (starring Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Georgie Henley as young Jane, Pam Ferris and other great actors)

This television series is an improvement in my eyes. It follows the story without having to cut the story short because it has 4 episodes.
Actors did their best for us to believe them and be as invested in the story as we possibly could get. And the main thing that simply has it standing out is that the characters actually SMILE! Yes, they do smile in other versions too but here it happens so much more! And Toby Stephens’ Rochester is not acting like a madman running around the Thornfield and barking out orders and spreading his negativity (referred to the Rochester from 1997’s television film), but only as a bitter man just how I see it working in the book. You can notice that difference in the scene when he knows he’s about to lose Jane by showing off his wife hidden in the forbidden wing of the mansion. His look is not that of a madman but of the broken-hearted person who understands that Jane would leave him after this fraud.
I think this Mr. Rochester maybe my favorite out of those I’ve seen so far.

“JANE EYRE”, 2011 (starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judie Dench, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins and others)

Here is the most recent version that was run on big screens. You can tell that the cast has a lot of famous names.
My opinion is that acting here is very strong, deep and just professional. Sceneries are vast and you can feel that vastness with your skin. Even the light movement of the wind can’t go unnoticed by the audience. The work has been done brilliantly by everyone who worked on this piece.
Now thinking back to those almost two hours of watching I understand what in fact put this move on a whole new level.
It’s the music!
The music is penetrated into the picture and flows through it as some magical substance that embraces you and doesn’t let you go even after the movie is ended.
It was written by the famous musician of our time - Dario Marianelli! You may know some of his work for other motion pictures such as Pride and Prejudice (2005); Atonement (2007); Agora (2009); Eat, pray, love (2010) and a bunch of others.

To wrap it all I want to say that these four adaptations are only a tiny part of those productions that exist. “Jane Eyre” is everywhere: in the books, on the television and cinema screens, on the stage of the best theatres of the world. Classic never dies.

Thank you for staying with me until the end of the post and I wish you more good books and movies! Bye-bye!