Saturday 17 September 2011

Jane Eyre - the new movie

Went on Wednesday to see the movie.  Before I give you my thoughts I have to admit to a prejudice in favour of the book.  At age 13 I won a prize at Sunday school; for attendance I think because I can't see me winning it for anything else.  They told me I could have a book and I asked for Jane Eyre.

Maybe they hadn't read the book or thought because it was 'classic' it was okay.  But on the edge of puberty and of emotional character, I found this a dangerous book.  I've reread it many times and of course there's plenty of moralising, which I probably skipped on first reading, but the story aroused all the 'I'll meet my prince someday' hopes even if in this case he was more fallen angel than fair haired hero.

If I put away all thoughts of the book and view it as a new story from a script then it worked.  Beautifully shot with Derbyshire looking magnificent in all weathers.  I liked the darkness of the interiors, as they would have been and Mia Wasikowska, though a beautiful woman didn't distract with her beauty.  I'd never seen Michael Fassbender in anything so approached his performance with no expectations. 

If I think of it against the book then there was the inevitable compression and choice of events.  Some seeemed to work and other choices baffled me, in particular at the end.  However, all in all I enjoyed it.

My favourite adaptationis the BBC TV with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson. But they had the luxury of letting the story develope as it should.  Oh and though the film has Judi Dench I think Lorraine Ashbourne made as good a job as the housekeeper in the TV adaptation.

I'll have to reread the book though!

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