Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Based on: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Cinematography: Adriano Goldman
Distributed by: Focus Features
Remaking a film out of an original novel is risky, especially so if the original piece is a world classic bestseller, and has over 20 renditions. However, the director, Cary Fukunaga, made this a worthy new addition that stayed true to the original backbone of the story while translating Jane Eyre’s life in his own language; he tells the story as a flashback after Jane Eyre’s escape from Thornfield rather than a linear storyline, which allows the entire novel to be seamlessly fitted in two hours.
The movie’s genre is drama and romance. Jane Eyre’s life, growth, and love are faced with the ultimate test of her conscience. The theme of feminism is strongly laid throughout the movie as Jane Eyre struggles between passion, integrity, and self-respect.
Adriano Goldman, the cinematographer, used delicate lighting to express Jane Eyre’s bumps and turns in her life – light shines brightly or gently or dimly, metaphorically illustrating Jane Eyre’s life, so transparently and beautifully like a watercolour painting. For example, Jane Eyre’s childhood at a grand house filled with an abusive aunt and hostile cousins, her life at Lowood School, and her first encounter with Mr. Rochester are expressed under dim candle lighting, perhaps to emphasize her loneliness. But her romance with Mr. Rochester is expressed under bright gentle day lighting as if spring has arrived after winter.
Jane Eyre was an orphan and lived a life full of struggles, which taught her to be independent and loyal to herself. She becomes a governess and falls in love with Mr. Rochester, her master, who loves her also but has a dark secret. When she stands between her love for Mr. Rochester and the truth that she can only be his mistress – she boldly chooses her conscience and leaves Mr. Rochester. Moreover, when she returns to find Mr. Rochester blind and alone, she does not hesitate to love him despite of his impaired body.
Main actors Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender captured the essence of the characters – they not only spoke with words but they spoke with their eyes. Wasikowska portrayed the life of lovely Jane Eyre who lived honestly in solitude, and Fassbender depicted the character of charming Mr. Rochester who has a wounded soul beneath his ego.
The movie has a strong resemblance to another remake of a novel, “Pride and Prejudice (2005)” because both stories take place in similar time periods and the directors have similar styles: Instead of reiterating the novel word by word, they highlight the key moments while keeping the backbone of the story and characters; the movies’ beautiful cinematography with careful lighting, background scenery, and detailed costumes are both exceptional.
To people who may not have read the original novel, this movie may seem like a typical Cinderella romance story. Characters may seem too familiar and two dimensional to viewers of this day and age. The movie also has many missing pieces of the puzzle: The novel goes in great detail to explain how the characters fell in love, an important piece to make the movie more persuasive to viewers who have not read the book. Characters like Adele, Mrs. Poole, and Ms. Ingram come with little explanation, making them weak supporting characters. The Rivers siblings, who helped Jane Eyre after she left Thornfield, are actually her cousins, which was never revealed in the movie.
All in all, if the viewer does his homework and reads the book before watching the movie, this will come as a great rendition with beautiful cinematography. As a bonus, it will replant the viewer’s love for this novel, passion towards life and himself, and innocent courage and dignity.
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13 Comments
12:01 pm
Fernanda
Anna and I watched this etoethgr just now, on a very stormy afternoon across the moors of Fayetteville, Eirekansaw. Oh Elaine, we adore this! Jane Eyre is the only book I ever read more than five times. The expressions you painted on the dolls’ faces are incredibly authentic and the music heightens every mood. Parts of it sent us into hysterics (you intended this comic relief, I sense), as when Jane is tilting backward climbing along her way to Thornfield Hall and popping out at an angle from behind a tree; or dragging over the rocks through the bad weather after her sudden departure from Rochester! And of course (!) the socialites at the party are Madame Alexander’s! Too brilliant. Repeat: Too brilliant.
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3:27 pm
mary
last month i bought jane eyre book and i read it i think it is the best book that i have read till now
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5:52 am
Fabricio
The 2006 version is my fvaturioe as well, and I agree with the “it’s a bit soon, isn’t it?” but still, my Rochester-craving is on-going and therefore I quite like the idea of a new adaptation. Doubt it’ll live up to the standard set by 2006 but still.
Never seen the actress before, but I’ve seen Fassbender in a few things. I think/hope he could be a good Rochester. RA would’ve been close to perfection, but that might be mainly down to me wanting to see RA as Rochester rather than anything else… teehee. Toby Stephens is still The One! 
They should go make adaptations of the other, less famous, Bronteb novels like “Shirley”, “Agnes Grey” and “Villette”. Jane Austen has all her books in some filmed version or another, and there are a truckload of “Wuthering Heights” and of course “Jane Eyre”.
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2:24 am
Tommy Boy
Good review. I do believe being a governess does not make Mr. Rochester her master though. She was just a worker earning salary. The maids were the only ones that would have considered him a master. I remember during the movie they mentioned that she should not speak with maids because they are of a much lower class, or something along those lines. I enjoyed the movie, and never read the book, so I did notice that I was probably missing some bonus background info. Overall, it was a good movie.
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2:02 am
Yguinho
Oops! Hi Maria! I think I stole your thunder in my ctemmnos on the next blog entry. Please excuse me getting so carried away!Interesting post Traxy. I wonder what happened with Ellen Page? I can’t say I like the looks of the actor they want to play Rochester.And why do they make so many versions of this story? I agree they should pick another one of her stories!I really loved the 1997 version (Ciaran Hinds again!) He played a fabulous Rochester! And I thought Samantha Morton was a perfect Jane!Sorry, but I missed the later version, it sounds great too. I even like the old one with George C. Scott and Susannah York.But enough is enough! I could see if there were bad versions out there that somebody would want to make a better one, but really it can’t really get much better, can it?Oh wait, it could…but only if RA was Rochester!
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5:23 am
Samee
Tarantino’s last Bill (David Carradie) died a pretty iohrrble death (by autoerotic asphyxiation). Looking at the outfits Gaga wears, the same might be possible for her. Hope there isn’t some kind of Kill Bill curse.Carradine’s ex-wife has written a book about the late Bill, called David Carradine: The Eye of My Tornado . I’m sure it will mention the Bill role in Carradine’s career revival. I’m curious to read that.
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8:11 pm
Gohar Zandieh
I read the book first, and then I watched the movie and I enojyed both very much. Very well done review. It makes me want to watch it again. Thanks
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7:18 am
Franco
Leec Jane Eyre en el colegio, como a las 11 af1os, y me gustf3 harto (aunque es bien suocra la historia, como casi todas las historias de las Bronte, en realidad).He visto como 4 adaptaciones en el cine y la que me1s me sigue gustando es la de Charlotte Gainsborough y William Hurt. Esta versif3n es bonita, tiene una fotografeda preciosa, y Mia es una buena Jane (aparte que Fassbender es maravilloso en todo); pero creo que le faltf3 UNF. O sea, encontre9 que era muy por encimita todo, le faltf3 pasif3n.Si les gusta Rochester (el personaje), les recomiendo leer Wide Sargasso Sea o bien ver la adaptacif3n que hizo la BBC o ITV, no me acuerdo cue1l de las dos cadenas. Se trata de la historia previa a Jane Eyre, de cf3mo Rochester conocif3 a su primera esposa y de cf3mo terminf3 cf3mo lo conocemos en Jane Eyre. 9 0
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5:56 am
Raman
I saw this movie opening day here in my hoemtown L.A. and I loved every minute of it. I absolutely think it’s a bad idea to split this movie up for non-English speaking countries; the whole thing is a thrill ride.The reason that European countries don’t have experience with grindhouse movies might be true, yet not enough of an excuse to split it the movie in two.I really hope that they won’t split the movie up in two for your guys sake.
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10:37 pm
Sir Ellington
You can never truly beat a novel compared to its movie sibling can you? so sad..
Wonderful Review <3
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2:54 am
Belen
I agree. This movie saved summer as I wrote also. I was cnuntiog on it not to let me down as every other movie has done so far. And it didn’t. It had everything a good Summer Blockbuster didn’t have. And it didn’t have a Transformer pissing on some guys head. Thank God.
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8:31 pm
admin
fantastic review, thanks
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4:19 am
Floristeria
MP: I didn’t realize she was in Hard Candy; a tnsuning performance in both movies, and quite different characters.SC: cats are just so cunning . . .dcb: I’m glad you’re feeling better.
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