30-Day Book Challenge

14 – Book turned into a movie and completely desecrated

Jane Eyre

One of the first movie from this novel is “Jane Eyre” released in 1943. I liked the first part, but then my enthusiasm diminished because of the two leads.

Jane (Joan Fontaine) is languid and lingering, Rochester (Orson Wells) is too harsh. Their relationship is not fascinating.
A very young Elizabeth Taylor played the role of Helen.

About the BBC miniseries (2006), I didn’t like the cast except for Rachel Bilson, but it was watchable.

The 2011 movie has a great cinematography and direction, Judi Dench as Mrs Fairfax, but again, Mia Wasikowska’s Jane is not Jane Eyre.

I should rewatch Zeffirelli’s movie, but if I remember well, it was the best adaptation.
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    Have you seen the 1983 series? It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I can still only picture Zelah Clarke as Jane Eyre. Timothy Dalton as Mr Rochester was both magnetic and terrifying, like the character himself.

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    It’s hard to adapt Jane Eyre. But I loved the BBC’s Mr. Rochester. I think Jane Campion would make the movie or series the most accurate.

    Mr. Rochester is an interesting character. I didn’t fully understand him until the two last times I reread the book again. He’s such a good manipulator! He wanted to secure this innocent young girls feelings for himself and at the end he pays really high for his game although in the end it’s a happy ending. Charlotte incorporated her life experience from Belgium very well and she gave lot of herself and her brother to Edward’s character. Jane was herself mixed with her younger sisters.

    There’s a great book The Brontës by Juliet Barker where you can read all of the poems that weren’t published as well Branwell’s pieces. They even discovered that their mom’s dad was involved in smuggling, it could explain Branwell’s behaviour.

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      You’re right about Mr Rochester. I read Jane Eyre when I was very young, and everytime I reread it now that I’m an adult, I understand things and characters better.

      Thank for the suggestion about the book!

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        You’re welcome 😄 It’s a long read but it helps you understand better all sisters. I was mad about Charlotte that she burnt some other no published things from her sisters. I’ve read for the first time Jane Eyre when I was 11 I think, maybe sooner and I loved more her childhood story back than but myself I was still a young girl so it’s understandable.

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