By Prashmita Singh

Movie Review : Jane Eyre

"Jane Eyre", the 1997 television film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's classic novel of the same name, directed by Robert Young and starring Samantha Morton as Jane Eyre and Ciaran Hinds as Mr. Rochester, offers an atmospheric retelling of the timeless Gothic romance.

There are many interpretations of a good literature, just as every person’s character have different facets to it. Versions of Shakespeare’s plays have been enacted for hundreds of years, and yet every other one represents something different, especially if there is innovation in the production, script or acting.

With this film, I found it true to the book, but too chopped up and strung to the rope of fluidity. The movie started off with the Red-room scene, which given is the first appropriate action inducing one, but the developments leading up to it seemed too rushed and sudden to me, almost pulled harshly. There wasn’t enough time to show the early developmental years which built Jane’s character, or her friendship with Helen and her influence for that matter. One possible interpretation could be the focus on the romantic part of Jane’s life as compared to the bildungsroman-tic nature of the story, which is fair if not too narrow visioned. But even the building up of Jane’s relationship with Mr. Rochester was non-existent.

The novel is a long story, hence, it must be condensed; Blanche Ingrim’s character is vastly overlooked, or Mrs. Reed, for that matter and her side of the story. What could’ve taken just a few scenes to cover is skipped.

The visuals are commendable, though. The grimy and desaturated setting with the filters used in the film gave it the gothic feel in real sense. Muted and subtle colours perfectly framed the emotions too. Everything seemed cold and painful and the world felt genuine throughout. Samantha Morton’s acting was to the point, starting from the joyless scenes to the serious ones.

I also felt the connection between Jane and Mr. Rochester could’ve been stronger and lacked the spark and intimacy, even if we separate the film from the book. Their relationship was rushed throughout the movie, and St. John’s character was completely overturned which seemed a bold move, but not in a good way, and the only thing which was common was their desire to marry Jane. All the characters had been made flat and even though it was a bearable film, the only thing that did it for me was the aesthetics.

The score by Richard Harvey was good and appealed to the senses, creating a dramatic effect whenever a scene which required a flow of emotion rolled by. Overall, it was a decent watch, with pleasure and a “good-time” as its main purpose. For me, it was a clear adaptation that isn’t that perfect but will surely entertain and give a vague but general idea of the world of Charlotte Bronte.

Name : Prashmita Singh
Roll no. : 22ENG0623
Sub : Victorian Literature