Jane Eyre has to be one of my all-time favorite classics, and, after seeing the film version, I cannot describe how relieved I was. I really feel like it did the novel much justice. It played up the elements that I love about the novel perfectly; it was a perfect mashup of tortured romance, drama, and elements of suspense. The atmosphere of Thornfield Hall is picturesque and perfect. They did a great job of capturing the essence of rural England at the time.
Amidst a dark story and setting, shining brightest of all was the protagonist. Mia Wasikowska embodied a superb Jane. Her haunted look combined with a spark of defiance captured the essence of the character perfectly, shining particularly during her earlier interactions with Rochester. I believed every word that came out of her mouth. She effortlessly managed to pull us into the emotional story. Rochester himself was pretty excellent. I feel that Michael Fassbender for the most part did a great job. He had all the parts to an excellent Rochester there: the witty words, the tortured darkness, the genuine love, but there was something missing in the way he seamed it all together.
The few things I felt were lacking are explained primarily through Jane’s nature and narrations in the novel and may have been hard to translate onto the screen. For example, it seems hard to believe that Jane would accept Rochester’s flimsy explanations after the attack on Richard Mason and the initial fire. I loved the almost cruel moments of suspense at night in Thornfield; the mystery and frights excellently broke up the endless drama, but I feel like they could have played up Bertha and her story even more.
It may seem silly, but I felt like laughing at Rochester’s call through the wind at the end, even though it does happen in the novel and is obviously important. My fellow movie-goer was beginning to wonder if Jane was actually crazy as she just takes off into the hills. If supernatural/relgious aspects had been more prevalent throughout the film, it may have been less strange; at the same time, I feel like the film does build up a good case for a dialogue between Jane’s imagination and supernatural elements. I suppose in that case, it was fitting to do the scene as they did, but I guess I’m a bit of a novel purist. I also feel like Jane’s relationship with the Rivers family, and her refusal to St. John, could have been a little more developed. Same goes for the significance of Helen Burns, and Jane’s time at Lowood overall. But I realize that, at two hours and SO much that they did cover in-depth, that might have been pushing it.
Overall, I thought it was an engaging and beautiful adaptation. It may not have been 100% perfect, but, as a fan of a novel, it’s impossible for any movie adaptation to be.
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