To celebrate Jane Eyre’s 10-year anniversary, we spoke with screenwriter Moira Buffini about why she was so eager to adapt Brontë’s novel, what made the production so special, and why its heroine speaks to our time. In 2020, Screen Rant ranked it #1 in their “10 Best Jane Eyre Film Adaptations.” For them, “no other has captured the essence of the novel the way that the 2011 version has.” In the ten years since its release, Jane Eyre has only grown in esteem. With stunning cinematography by Adriano Goldman, a stirring score by Dario Marianelli, and Oscar®-nominated costumes by Michael O’Connor, this Jane Eyre "may be the finest of the 27 Jane Eyre film and television re-tellings," wrote USA Today. Rochester, the film is populated with a remarkable supporting cast, including Judi Dench as Mrs. In addition to unforgettable performances by Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael Fassbender as the formidable Mr. This new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel by Moira Buffini provided, according to The New York Times, “a splendid example of how to tackle the daunting duty of turning a beloved work of classic literature into a movie.” Buffini and Fukunaga’s version rearranges the novel’s structure, bringing out the book’s chilling psychological perspective and revealing an eerie Gothic tale running parallel to its swooning romance. What really makes this love story work is the tension generated between Jane and Rochester, especially during their evening chats before the fireplace, for without the inner fire of either character, would this story of chaste love and repressed desire still speak to us?ĭirected by Cary Fukunaga screenplay by Moira Buffini based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, and Jamie Bell.On March 10, 2011, Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre was released in theaters. Michael Fassbender is good as the Byronic Edward Rochester, as he is able to be both unpleasant and alluring, both moody and fiery. Mia Wasikowska’s Jane is outwardly restrained yet inwardly spirited. The best part of the film, however, is the acting. The novel’s Gothic atmosphere comes through very prominently in the film, but it is never tawdry or overdone. The dark candlelit hallways of Thornfield externalize Jane’s inner fears and also create feelings of dread in the audience. The desolate Yorkshire moors emphasize the isolation and coldness of Jane’s world. The film is artfully, even exquisitely, shot. Rochester, works very well, and is accessible to modern audiences while retaining an authentic period feel. My fears about the death of chronological storytelling aside, the resulting movie, which focuses on the romance between Jane and Mr. Very soon though the movie flashes back to Jane’s oppressive childhood, and then progresses on from there. Thus, the movie begins with a heartbroken Jane running away from Thornfield Hall, wandering the moors, and arriving faint and weary on the doorstep of St John (pronounced “sinjin”) Rivers, who takes her in. Screenwriter Moira Buffini has streamlined Brontë’s plot and rearranged the order in which some of the events are told. It is a successful adaptation, but, what is more important, it is also a successful film. This, the latest adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s passionate, affecting novel about a young governess, does just that. With each new adaptation filmmakers can only strive to present their own vision of the story and characters, and hopefully their perspective will capture the spirit of the novel as well as draw out and illuminate certain themes or aspects of the book. The great novels of the nineteenth century, like the plays of Shakespeare, are great living creatures, so full of vitality and depth that no adaptation can ever contain the whole of one. There is no definitive film version of Jane Eyre and there never will be.
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