Whether I'm emersed in the fragile pages of a novel, wrapped in a blanket sipping tea in front of my television or munching popcorn in a theatre, I'll jump on any opportunity to escape to another time - especially when that time is set in England's history! A few days ago I was transported to Gothic Victorian England when I saw the latest interpretation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Having read the novel and seen a few productions, I hoped the 2011 film would bring something entirely new to the story yet it adhered to the book quite strictly but for an odd chronological sequence which may make the storyline somewhat confusing for one who is unfamiliar with the book. The majority of the film was told in the form of flashbacks into Jane's past; an understandable choice given the fact that all 38 of Bronte's chapters were squeezed into 120 minutes of cinema.
Admittedly, I feared a repeat of the infamy of 2005's Pride & Prejudice (where a classic beloved tale is dumbed down for the benefit of contemporary viewers who have barely used a book for anything but a paperweight!) Happily however, the film maintains historical accuracy in its dialogue and costume design. While I am by no means an expert, the set design of the interiors felt off somehow, I would have preferred a little less Victorian influence (which would not have been as prominent only ten years into the period) and a little more Tudor or Elizabethan (which compliments the intimidating Gothic Revival period so well). The exterior shots however, were breathtaking! I'm acquainted with the exquisitely dreary descriptions of the cold, wet moorland setting of the book and the film portrays this desolate, isolated and almost cruel land to perfection.
It also has to be said that the acting was stellar. Jane & Rochester drip chemistry (as well they should) and while both in rather small roles, considering their acclaim, Dame Judi's Mrs. Fairfax and Sally Hawkins' Mrs. Reed were two of the most memorable character portrayals.The 2011 version is, in my opinion, far superior to the 1996 William Hurt version - I just can't seem to take him seriously in the role of Rochester, although Charlotte Gainsburg is amazing. Yet by far my favourite Jane Eyre rendition is the 2006 Masterpiece Theatre mini-series. If you have the wherewithal to enjoy the entire three and a half hours of romance and torment, I promise you'll feel the same.
For now, on this rather splendidly dreary May afternoon, I think I'll curl up and read Edward Rochester's professions of love to a passionate yet plain young governess and savour the melancholic and romantic prose of a most talented 19th century writer as the grey rain spatters against my windowpane.
