Jane Eyre - Grade: A

Starring:Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds), Judi Dench (Casino Royale, everything else), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott)
Directed By:Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre)
Release Date: March 11, 2011
Opening Weekend:(Limited Release) $182,885
Rating:PG-13
Run Time: 2 Hours
Synopsis: (Based on Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre) Girl is orphaned, has horrible loveless childhood. Grows up to be free spirited, independent and mature person, challenging the standard for women of her time. Girl gets job as governess at mysterious old manor. Manor's owner is moody, volatile and bored with women around him. Girl and owner form a strange friendship. Owner and girl start to fall in love. Girl thinks her life is finally going to change for the better but soon discovers dark sinister secret about her fairytale romance.




DISCLAIMER: It's been a good 8 years since I read Jane Eyre back in freshman year of high school and my memory of the storyline was pretty vague going into watching this film. I saw it twice in the theaters.



So How Was It?: Apparently less is more, a lot more. In an era of film obsessed with pushing the envelope and showing skin, its refreshing to watch a movie that builds a powerful underlying sexual passion without showing more than a glimpse of a bare knees and a handful of short kisses. Call it old fashioned, but Bronte's classic tale of 19th century love is more alive than ever.

A novel the length of Jane Eyre is almost impossible to ever fully and faithfully adapt because of one simple thing: books tell and movies show. The two mediums are so different that things will inevitably get lost in translation. Are the film's flashbacks of Jane's cruel childhood a bit over dramatic and underdeveloped? Yes. Do her and Rochester's deeply passionate love happen way too quickly? Yes. Is it possible to squeeze all the details of a 480 page 19th century novel into a 2 hour film that can withstand the infamously short attention span of the modern day audience member? No. Does Fukunaga create a painfully beautiful and touching film about the importance of love and staying true to yourself? A hundred times yes.












Acting Wise: Everyone is at the top of their game. Mia Wasikowska plays Jane with a strikingly ethereal grace. Her biggest strengths lie in her smallest movements; the "direct gaze" of those big sad eyes, the gentle movement of her neck, her perfect posture. She speaks the loudest when saying nothing at all. That being said, when she does talk, she delivers her lines with an effortless believability, most memorably in Rochester's proposal scene in the garden. Wasikowska is definitely someone to look out for in the future.

Michael Fassbender holds his own against Wasikowska. He is simply mesmerizing; a complex and unpredictable Rochester. With the slightest furl of his brow, he manages to switch from arrogant and volatile to heartbroken and shattered. Couple Fassbender's commanding presence with Wasikowska's quiet performance and you have a truly dynamic love story.

Judi Dench has officially proven that she is amazing in every single thing she does. Jame Bell manages to create a memorably stoic character even with in the short amount of time he has on screen. So much talent is shown in even the smallest of roles (most notably to a young Jane Eyre, played by Amelia Clarkson).






Technically: The film is like a tragic Gothic painting come to life; deep, dark and eerie. The entire art department comes together to make something really beautiful here; costumes, cinematography, set design. This is polished film making at its best.




Best Scene: Fassbender's apology scene by the fireside with Wasikowska. With the danger of sounding corny, it truly is a spellbinding scene. Awards for it are deserved all around.




The Shallow Editorial End: Jane and Rochester are described in the book as both being very plain looking, Rochester even being called unattractive. And try as the costume department might with the mutton chops and elaborately dowdy braids, both Wasikowska and Fassbender are clearly two very good looking people, emphasis being put on Fassbender. The German born Irish actor is reminiscent of a young Christopher Plummer ala The Sound of Music, which is a very, very good thing.






To See or Not to See?: See it. It's moving. It's tragic. It's good old fashioned love, a powerful antidote in a time of poisonously lackluster romantic comedies . Die hard fans of the book probably won't love the film completely, but then again its impossible to ever fully please die hard fans of anything.


Trailer:





and here's a clip of one of the best scenes between Fassbender and Miakowska:

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM

For Those Who Have Seen It: Like I said, I haven't read the book in years but wasn't Rochester supposed to be pretty badly deformed at the end? Aside from the blindness and scraggly beard, Rochester was still looking pretty handsome at the end...