Jane Eyre

Monday 3rd February 2014

Director: Cary Fukunaga
Year: 2011
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell

I was looking forward to watching this, as I was very much in the mood for period drama, and I already knew I enjoyed the story of Jane Eyre (I've read it a number of times, and watched various versions of it in the past).

In many ways, this didn't disappoint. It's faithful to the story, and manages to create a pretty good atmosphere. Whilst the story gallops along, picking out the most salient pieces from the novel, each scene feels drawn out, dramatic and gloomy - just the way, I imagine, Charlotte Bronte intended. We follow Jane Eyre from the time she is orphaned, through her school days, to her life as a governess at Thornfield, and then to her time as a school mistress in a small village. Of course, the main story here is Jane Eyre's love story, but the rest of her life is highly relevant.

The problem with Jane Eyre is that there aren't really any surprises here. I don't really know why this was made, as there are no new insights to the story. If you don't know the story, but like period romances, you'll probably enjoy this. If, like me, you know the story well, you might wonder exactly why this has been made.

Rating: 3 out of 5