Hated by the aunt who is supposed to raise her after her parents die, Jane Eyre has not had an easy go of it. Shipped off to a boarding school that relishes corporal punishment, she suffers a dark childhood where punishment is the norm and her freedoms are completely restricted. Upon graduation from the school, she takes a position as a governess to a young French girl under the care of a wealthy man named Mr. Edward Rochester. Rochester has a pull on Jane, but he is haunted by his past and harbors some dangerous secrets.
Charlotte Bronte’s 19th century book is in many ways the embodiment of the Victorian era. It has something for everyone: Christian piety, Gothic intrigue, love, betrayal, and more than a spot of violence. There are many reasons why Bronte’s novel has managed to stand the test of time, but readers ability to identify with “poor, plain, small and obscure” Jane Eyre is definitely one of them. In this most recent film adaptation, viewers can revel in the dreary landscape and dark corridors of Bronte’s novel as it comes to life on the screen.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, adapted from a script by Moira Buffini, this adaptation of Jane Eyre trims the book considerably and yet is still an effective and enjoyable adaptation. 21-year-old Mia Wasikowska is mesmerizing as Jane, and Michael Fassbender smolders as the elusive Rochester. A talented supporting cast, including Judy Dench, rounds out the film.
There’s a lot to like here. The cinematography is great, with lots of misty moors, dark forests, and even darker corridors. Fukunaga spends a great deal of time working on the emotional details of the film, and the attraction between Rochester and Jane is palpable. The themes and overall mood of Bronte’s novel have been retained, and the nod to the Gothic style could not be clearer.
The film jumps around in time at the beginning, and this is something that viewers not intimately familiar with the story might struggle with. Although the storyline sorts itself out as Jane becomes more established in Rochester’s mansion, the flashes back and forth in time are likely to frustrate some. What’s more is that much of the building of the relationship of Rochester and Jane has been cut, and so their sudden professions of love felt rushed to me.
However, the story is really about Jane Eyre’s quest to find freedom, and that’s expressed in this film, too. At the end of the day, it’s not about getting the emotionally unavailable guy (although that happens, too) so much as it is about Jane finding her happiness. This film is a testament to that, and it’s pretty enjoyable.
Jane Eye is playing in selected theaters now.
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