2011 Jane Eyre

I finally was able to watch my DVD of this film. It was beautifully staged, and the great country houses were designed impeccably. Judi Dench made a great Mrs. Fairfax, yet there was a lot of dialog added to her character, including some "literary" criticism we addressed in my bachelors English program courses on Bronte. These were to the effect hat Jane was reaching above her station. There were also a few scenes of Rochester and Jane smooching to the watching servants' great disapproval. Didnt' happen. My problem is that Brontes' dialog is effective enough without throwing in a little Cliff's notes lingo for those who might be watching the film instead of reading the book to satisfy a lit credit. Rochester was credible, though at the end, the "Maimed, noble, lion-like Rochester" looked more like a skid row derelict than a blinded Samson. I think the same child played young Jane and Adele. There were crucial scenes left out, the lightening struck tree, The Fortune Teller, Jane hearing Rochester call her name, scenes with Betsey early on, and scenes that showed the keen intellect of Helen Burns. Miss Temple was nowhere to be found at Lowood, and Jane's painting with the Comorant holding the drowned corpse's bracelet in its beak was missing. Bertha was very Erzebet Bathory, not "rageous" so much as wronged, angry, lovely in a Vampire sort of way, and cognizantly jealous. We did not get to see her trying on Jane's veil, as Jean Marsh does so eerily in the George C. Scott version, my favorite of all. Grace Poole and her spooky laughter were also missing I enjoyed the film, but it could have been more faithful. The burned doll, pictured on this blog, was effecitve, and the dollhouse was magnificent. I would have trusted Bronte a little more, and been a little truer to the plot. For more critical papers of JE in general, see the blog, Bronteana.