Being one of my favorite stories of allllll time, I was never happy with any of the several film or mini-series adaptations of Jane Eyre. Well, there is finally an adaptation that I really enjoyed. The latest Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, is gothic, intense, and entertaining.
If you are not familiar with Jane Eyre, the story is about a girl named Jane, who went through a rough childhood and grows up to be a governess at the Thornfield estate. Thornfield is owned by Mr. Rochester, and after getting to know each other, Rochester and Jane fall in love. But Rochester has a secret that causes their relationship to break.
Right from the beginning, I knew this movie did something right. It began in the middle of the story, where you see Jane running from Thornfield and ending up at the door of the Rivers. From that point, we see the movie is flashbacks. Shorter flashbacks show us her childhood and the last flashback is shows Jane’s time at Thornfield until everything meets up to the opening scene. This really worked for the story because I always felt that part when Jane is with the Rivers a little boring. Having the flashbacks stopped the movie from slowing down and losing a good pace.
The performances are great. Mia Wasikowska plays Jane with passion and subtle power. Michael Fassbender is intense and interesting as Mr. Rochester. He’s so fascinating to watch; it’s no wonder that Jane falls in love with him. Jamie Bell, Judi Dench and Sally Hawkins also star and act well.
Another thing that intrigued me about this movie is its director, Cary Fukunaga. I was impressed by his first movie, Sin Nombre. I was excited that he brought back the same cinematographer for Jane Eyre. The cinematography in Sin Nombre was stunning, and it is the same for Jane Eyre. It compliments the movie’s tone and story. It just works.
If you’re not a fan of Jane Eyre or Masterpiece Theater-like films, you’ll probably find this movie slow and boring. But if you love this kind of movies, you’re guaranteed to enjoy Jane Eyre.
Jane Eyre is now playing in select theaters.
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