Jane Eyre: An authentic, moving adaptation

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 26 May 2011 13:58

Each week, the Reel Dad checks the nutritional value of a movie — new or classic — to help parents choose what to watch. This week’s pick is a new film adaptation of the classic novel, Jane Eyre.

Some novels, no matter how acclaimed as literature, stump the moviemakers who create their screen adaptations. Perhaps because of subject matter, or the detail of plot or complexity of character, what comes alive on the page can fall flat on film. And that may explain why, after seeing a movie based on a novel, people often say, “I like the book better.”

Jane Eyre, the classic by Charlotte Brontë, offers a deep examination of a woman’s feelings and has been, over the years, challenging to translate to the screen. Perhaps because the novel deals so intimately with a woman’s hopes and fears, moviemakers have struggled to adapt the ambiguous to the visual that film requires. And, because the title character is essentially a feminist in a traditional man’s world, the content requires a careful, sensitive hand that the constraints of the film business may not always support.

The novel — published in the U.S. in 1848 — was first filmed in 1934 in a forgettable version that reduces Jane’s quest for authentic intimacy to a girl’s search for immediate fun. The well-respected adaptation in 1944 — with Joan Fontaine in the title role opposite Orson Welles — captures the ambiguity Jane brings to her life by focusing on the men in her life. And more recent versions, including a television version starring George C. Scott with Susannah York in the 1970s and a Franco Zeffirelli movie with Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt in 1996 — also choose to tell Jane’s story through the eyes of the people who surround her.

The new Jane Eyre is, perhaps, the most authentic interpretation because, finally, it focuses on Jane. This is her story, her journey, and while the film carefully develops others in her world, it returns to the original intent Bronte brought to her pages. The story is, ultimately, an examination of a woman’s willingness to authentically examine what life can mean and what she must give up to secure this experience. Director Cary Fukungaga and writer Moira Buffini are the first adapters who refuse to try to make the novel more than it is; they bring a confidence to the material that enables it to flourish. Brontë would have loved this adaptation.

In this film, actually, we begin the story somewhere in the middle with a young woman who tries to flea the demons we discover in flashback. Such passages reveal the core of Jane’s issues — the mean kids at school, the harsh treatment at home — that come to life as the filmmakers introduce us to the people who dominate her emotional health, especially one man who challenges her soul. This adaptation successfully conveys the repressed feelings that fill Brontë’s pages; it effectively expresses the emotions that society of that time does not believe a “proper woman” should feel.

Mia Wasikowska gives the title role a youthful beauty, enthusiasm and wonder that this lady deserves. She also makes us thoroughly believe in the ambiguity of Jane’s feelings, and the challenge to both confront and avoid her feelings for a most threatening man. Oscar winner Judi Dench delivers her strongest performance in years as the all-knowing housekeeper who expresses a love for and bewilderment with Jane that we all must feel.

Many classic novels fail the translation to screen. With this excellent film, not only does Jane survive the journey but invites us to experience more. Watching this movie made me want to read the book for the first time in years. I am loving every page.

Film Nutritional Value

Jane Eyre

* Content: High. At its core is a beautifully written novel by Charlotte Brontë that remains compelling today.

* Entertainment: High. Because the film focuses on Jane, and her progression as a character, it entertains as Brontë originally intended.

* Message: Medium. This nutritious film offers insight into the conventions of its time, many of which are relevant in our time.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to introduce children to great literature, via a strong film, is important to share.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. After you share this film, talk with your older children about the conflict any person can face between the desire to do what’s right and the need to follow the heart.

(Jane Eyre is rated PG-13 for some thematic elements including brief violent content. The film runs 120 minutes.)

4-1/2 Popcorn Buckets

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