English classic “Jane Eyre” – one of the most popular novels among movie lovers. We reveal which film is most accurate in transmitting the atmosphere of the English manor? Which actress was able to convey the feelings of the heroine? And, most importantly, who is the best Mr. Rochester?!
“Jane Eyre”, 1943
The first film version of “Jane Eyre” was produced during the war years and it is remarkable, that the role of Mr. Rochester is performed by truly demonic movie personality – Orson Welles, director of the film “Citizen Kane”, which critics still consider №1 film of all time. And radio play “War of the Worlds” put by Orson Welles, caused a panic among the Americans making them believe in a real invasion of Martians. Estimate the scale the person! Macbeth and Othello became following, after Mr. Rochester, classic characters, depicted on the screen by Welles.
He captured the darker side of Mr. Rochester making the first film production of Jane Eyre even more alluring and necessary for any film geek to watch.
“Jane Eyre”, 1983
Filmed by BBC the four-episode TV version of the novel is one of the most popular among fans of Charlotte Bronte. Six and a half hours of film almost literally reproduces the on-screen work, that caused the unanimous approval of the audience. But we love this movie, not just for this word for word depiction, but also because Edward Rochester played by Timothy Dalton won the heart of Jane Eyre, along with all the female movie viewers.
Fans claim that Dalton is the perfect embodiment of the character of the novel. And no one worried that in the book Rochester was not very attractive, unlike the famous actor. Yes, and how is it possible to withstand the man who has managed to play the role of both the stunning James Bond, and the charming Rhett Butler.
“Jane Eyre”, 1996
The film of 1996 year was directed by the great Italian Franco Zeffirelli, he is the author of the canonical film version of “Romeo and Juliet”. Having a vast experience in the on-screen embodiment of human passions inhuman scale, Zeffirelli took perhaps the most emotional version of “Jane Eyre.”French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg embodied on screen the most loving and suffering Jane for the entire film history of this novel, perhaps because the English restraint is alien to her due to her origin.
The character is so successful, that the actress could possibly be the best Jane Eyre. But Mr. Rochester in this film adaptation disappointed the fans of the novel. But remember, the director, just following the original source, made the screen hero less attractive. And still that red hair…
“Jane Eyre”, 2006
In an effort to repeat the success of two decades ago, in the early 2000s, the British once again made a serial film of “Jane Eyre.” In this film version of the novel we should also mention the work of the production designers of the movie. All these “closed” dresses, red velvet tie of Jane (!), bluish mist enveloping the estate, contain meaning no less than the famous dialogues of heroes. But the erotic scenes of the movie (by modern standards, very innocent) shocked the connoisseurs of the novel, contending that “Charlotte Bronte turned over in her coffin” after the TV premiere of the series.
“Jane Eyre”, 2011
Surprisingly, speaking about this film version, fans complain about the inconsistency of the plot and understatement, saying that “not everything is clear and there is an unexpected end”. Is it possible that after ten adaptations and a re-read through the length and breadth of the novel, there is something unclear?! Fortunately, all of these “shortcomings” did not affect the successful film distribution history of this movie and further more than successful film career of the protagonists. The character of Mr. Rochester in the film was embodied by the favorite film festivals Michael Fassbender. After shooting in the provocative film “Hunger”, for which the actor lost 45lbs., the work on “Jane Eyre” proved to the film world that Fassbender is an actor-all mode: he can act and blockbusters, and play a melodrama, and art house alike.
