Mr Rochester and Jane cosyin' up
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins
Fukunaga's Jane Eyre is delivered with impressive economy. Dovetailing from flashback to flashforward, certain elements of the tale (for instance, Jane Eyre's childhood and education) are given short shrift. Its most famous element- and here, the film's climax- is delivered with little fuss or reflexion. For 'Eyreians' (a collective name for Eyre fans that I know will not catch on), this may be a problem; this reviewer however, having not read the book or dipped a toe into any of the previous film canon, approached Fukanaga's installment unencumbered (and sparsely equipped with a childlike sense of wonder)....
We first meet Jane in full flight from Mr Rochester. She's midst the beautiful heather of some alien landscape, curled up in the fetal position and howling (Boy is she unhappy!). She eventually pulls herself up and finds shelter in the cottage of St John Rivers (Jamie Bell); a clergyman who lives with his two sisters. From there, we revisit Jane's unhappy childhood and meet her unedifying aunt (Sally Hawkins). Boo Hiss, says I! At a Victorian comprehensive, Jane undergoes character-building via the cane and later we catch up with her as governess of a thumping big mansion (maison รก la Michael Fassbender's Mr Rochester).
The connection between Eyre and Rochester crackles and froths; their two-hander scenes are the film's finest. Both actors, too, are not strictly bound to their characters' accents (Fassbender in particular lets his Celtic intones loose) which is a virtue (think of the effect a bad accent can have!). Wasikowska's performance has pain (but resolve); a character desperate to assert herself. She quietly commands the whole film.
Verdict: Hasty climax aside, overall a comfortable and beautifully mounted/acted edition.
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