Jane Eyre (2011) starring Mia Wasikowska was one of these late night movies watched in 30-40 minute increments. Although it was a very beautiful movie, and somethings were exactly the way I imagined them, I liked the book better. My biggest complaint is that Mia Wasikowska showed hardly any emotion. It is true that Jane was a very reserved person, but she had depths of emotion hidden under layers that life had cause her to develop. In this movie, I found it difficult to see the hidden emotions or the layers.
Because of that, I never knew why she was attracted to Mr. Rochester. I never saw her struggle between her desires for him and her desire to do what was right. She seemed so passive that I wondered where the feisty little girl from the flashbacks went. Perhaps it was that her eyes told me nothing, so even when she smiled, I wondered what she was thinking. That is fine for everyone in the movie, but as an audience, I want to see what is really going on inside her.
However, there were things I did like very much. Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax was lovely. I loved the subtleties of her reactions and her delivery was amazing. St.John Rivers was exactly as I imagined him. But I wished the audience could have gotten to know the sisters better. The girl who played Young Jane was very good and I loved her interaction with Helen. The scenes of the two of them were probably some of my favorites. I also liked the cinematography and lighting. They captured things the way I had imagined them when I read the book.
Overall, it probably won't go on any top 10 lists, but was glad I watched it.
Yeah, I couldn't get my hubby to watch it with me either...so I used the chance to introduce a Jane Eyre virgin to the story. Then I urged her to read the book, because as amazing as the movie versions are the book is best.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the spottiness of the emotional connection with Jane. The cinematography and music were GORGEOUS (something I think Thomas would appreciate).
Jane aside, I liked this Mr Rochester best out of all the others I've seen. He captured an aspect of Rochester that previous actors have missed. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but he was more cerebral where as other Rochesters are just overbearing in their moodiness. I thought the movie did an impressive job of keeping a lot of the dialogue that we love about the story--more so also than previous versions.
And yes, Judi Dench as Mrs Fairfax--Perfection! :-)
PS-If you want another fun period piece (with more humor) to watch sans Thomas, try "Lost in Austen." It's got some modern edginess that was a little unneccessary, but it was fun seeing P&P twisted. heheehhee
Having never seen any other versions, I have no Mr. Rochesters to compare this one to besides my own imagination. It is true he did not seem moody, but I couldn't figure out what attracted Jane to him. He was intelligent, but he was unkind with it. He could be charismatic, but then he insulted the people he was pleasing. He hated insincerity, so it made sense that he should like Jane, but what about him, besides his looks, attracted Jane?
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for your suggestion for another movie. My list is rather short. :-)