JANE EYRE
A film review by Jane Taylor
Copyright 1996 USPAN
this review is also posted at http://moviereviews.com/janesreviews/janeeyre.html
***1/2 (out of 4)
I'm sure that at some point in my educational career, I read Jane Eyre. But I was glad not to remember much about the plot. Like any good romance, especially one where the situation looks hopeless, I enjoy it more if I'm able to be surprised. And boy, did I enjoy this.
Not that surprise is the only good thing about the movie. It's just consistent with the rest of what there is to enjoy. The acting was wonderful and the characters were very, very human. In particular, William Hurt as the tormented Mr. Rochester, though he stayed true to the formality and precision of speech of the 1830s, was the kind of man that I would take great pleasure knowing and verbally jousting with in 1996. I cared about what he was going through, which made the climactic fire scene and the resulting shift in his relationship with Jane an agonizing and suspenseful journey on which to travel.
Charlotte Gainsburg as the homely but ethereal Jane was also a joy to watch unfold. Her transformation from mistreated schoolteacher to beloved governess was wary, gradual and authentic. With one brief smile from her somber face, she conveys the transformative joy of a child taking her first steps. Her severe gray dresses, tight bun and pale, crooked lips allowed Hollywood to redefine the term plain, but it allowed her expressions to shine through that much more clearly and be her crowning adornment. I must admit, though, I couldn't help but think "Hey, you're not poor anymore, babe - get a makeover!"
Anna Pacquin, the luminous child from "The Piano" plays Jane as a pre-teen. Not a kid you'd want to try and match wits with. Pacquin carries herself with a grace and dignity that is queenly, formidable and adult, and with very few words, rips the pretensions of her elders to shreds. I'll be looking for her, in about 10 or 15 years, starring as Hester Prynne in a remake of "The Scarlet Letter."
My only criticism of "Jane Eyre" is its mid-April release date. This is the movie for a rainy, dreary Saturday afternoon, not for a glorious spring day. Catch it soon and appreciate its gentleness, before the sensuality of budding flowers and the testosterone rush of the summer blockbusters takes hold.
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