Jane Eyre

Old-fashioned English romantic dramas aren’t the kind of genre that I would go after, but the good reviews drew me to the cinema (it’s not that there are that many good films this summer to let this one pass :-D), and I don’t regret it. It’s a brilliantly made film that managed to hold my attention. Rather than romantic, as in romance, I felt it was more romantic as in romanticism, because the romance itself doesn’t work so well, but the gloomy atmosphere of the English countryside was wonderful. Fukunaga could have a go at horror for his next film, when it comes to scares, he managed some interesting things in those scenes. (29/07/2011)

Jane Eyre is a timeless classic from the pen of one of the most famous female writers of her time, which comes to life once again in an extraordinarily impressive film adaptation. An orphan, who has been pushed from one evil to another since he was a young child, grows up to become a young and intelligent woman who will not be intimidated even by the seemingly terrifying owner of a vast estate that is surrounded by more than one mystery. The cast deserves kudos all the way down to the floor. Mia Wasikowska gives her most convincing performance to date, Michael Fassbender is increasingly winning my sympathy with his chameleon-like acting, and casting Judi Dench and Jamie Bell in supporting roles was the right decision and I give them both a thumbs up. The setting of England has always appealed to me in many ways and in this film everything is perfectly captured thanks to the great production design and cinematography. And the music, which is only slight, subtly adds to the already chilling atmosphere of the film, but paradoxically warms the heart. In short, a film that delivered exactly what I expected and then some, which for me, as a viewer, is the most important thing. (10/09/2011)

Jane Eyre’s life was no bed of roses. She raised herself from an orphan thanks to a good education to a person who can handle her own explosiveness and, as if by design, her first job also gave her the love of her life. But the path to love was not without its issues. Jane had to go through renunciation, the test of condemning shallow characters and had to deal with lies and rejection. And, as chance would have it, the heroine, tested by life, ended her story by finding security and was married to the right man. But lest hearts should weep, mighty fate intervened so that Rochester had to pay with his own sight for his first false marriage. (26/07/2012)

As a viewer and reader who has always somehow avoided Jane Eyre, I couldn't have chosen a better version for our first meeting. However, this satisfied realization weighed on me quite heavily. After half an hour of the main heroine's suffering, almost in the style of Oliver Twist, I was shaking my head at the dysfunctionality of the events on the screen and the contradictory atmosphere that wouldn't let me properly engage in the story. But as soon as Michael Fassbender comes on the scene, the 19th century tableau takes on completely different colors, whether in the colorful reflections of twisted romance, the captivating small dialogue, or the darker shades in provocative scenes of the castle's mystery. And when I reached the reveal and the perfectly fitting ending, I felt relieved. The heart's melody plays loudly enough, Fassbender slowly conquers the wide Hollywood set, and there is a new (and very resonating) piece of complex historical romance in the world. (05/08/2011)

A triumph of classicism, filmmaking and romantic proprieties. If I didn't know the actors, I'd have trouble dating the movie. Anyway, it's because of the actors and some wonderful romanticizing compositions that Jane Eyre is worth it. I'm just a little sorry that Fukunaga didn't keep it for his retirement and boldly did not go back to where he left off with Sin Nombre. (28/07/2011)