Jane Eyre is a love story, but, instead of the lighter romance and humor of Jane Austen's novels, this tale is marked by stark realism and a pervasive sense of misery. Who, or what, lives in the attic, under the stern and watchful eye of the semi-vigilant Grace Poole (Billie Whitelaw)? But there is something other than Edward for Jane to consider as she beomes established in her new situation, because Thornfield Hall hides a secret. From her first meeting with Edward, when she offers aid after he is thrown from a horse, she is infatuated, but his natural reticence keeps her from confessing her feelings. However, the master of the house makes the strongest impression on the young woman. Jane settles in quickly, forming solid relationships with her charge, Adele Varens (Josephine Serre), and Thornfield's housekeeper, Mrs. Brocklehurst (John Wood) and Miss Scatcherd (Geraldine Chaplin), but she forms a pair of solid friendships that help her through the hardest times.Īfter ten years at Lowood, an older, wiser, but still-spirited Jane (now played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) accepts a position as governess for the young French ward of Edward Rochester (William Hurt), master of Thornfield Hall. At Lowood, Jane finds life difficult under the tutelage of the cold-hearted Mr. Orphaned at an early age, Jane has grown up unloved and unloving, and now her aunt has decided to send her to the Lowood Charity School, citing her as willful, obstinate, deceitful, and in need of a stern upbringing. We are introduced to ten-year old Jane (Anna Paquin) in the early 1830s at Gateshead Hall, where she lives with her aunt and cousins. Ultimately, this film is on par with the 1944 Orson Welles/Joan Fontaine version. The result is a reasonably fast-paced story (with a confused sense of time) that occasionally struggles to develop its characters to their maximum potential. Screenwriters Zeffirelli and Hugh Whitemore have elected to retain Jane Eyre's full scope while elimiting many of the nuances. Of necessity, the story has been condensed, since it isn't possible to reproduce a full-length book as a two-hour movie. This new film, directed by Franco Zeffirelli (best known for his 1968 Oscar-nominated Romeo and Juliet), remains faithful to the original narrative in general, if not in all the particulars.

One of the best-loved of all the Victorian novels, Jane Eyre combines social commentary with gothic romance.

In an era when movies are again turning to classic literature for inspiration, it was only a matter of time before a new version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre reached the screen.

Best jane eyre movie