Jane Eyre

Posted on: 9th September 2011  |

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins
UK Release date: 9 September 2011
Certificate: PG (120 mins)

‘I would do anything for you, Sir, anything that is right.’ – Jane Eyre

There is a Jane Eyre somewhere in there. In all of us, I mean. She is an honourable woman, humble and courageous, kind but strong-willed. While many stories rely on imperfect lead protagonists who fail in order for us to relate to the downtrodden nature of the human condition, Jane is altogether different. She appeals to the nobler parts of ourselves, a part that is equally common to all of us but by which we are rarely reminded of in film.

Jane Eyre breathes like fresh Yorkshire air, wholesome and invigorating for our interior lives that crave a bit of goodness. The nutritiousness of this film is owed to one particular point, that it succeeds in bringing to life a lead character who is virtuous but not at all boring. In recent years, only Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky can said to be similarly successful; for weeks after watching that film, I savoured the sweetness by playing its scenes repeatedly over in my head. I find myself doing the same with Jane Eyre, another film about human flourishing. The young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is the most formidable Jane ever to be shown on screen. The retiring mouse of past adaptations has roared. She sheds all glamour in severe hair and dour dress, but her inherent beauty punches through the grimness to make Rochester’s adoration not only sensible but inescapable.

An opening scene of Jane tearing away from Thornfield Hall into the terrific moors introduces the film like a grand piano crashing onto our heads. I groaned at the initial heavy-handedness, but appreciation must be given to the point that American director Cary Joji Fukunaga attempted to suppress many of the novel’s Gothic elements. Fukunaga has the unenviable task of resolving the conflict between the novel’s melodramatic Victoriana and the more naturalistic form of contemporary film. The initial scene prepares us for more heightened emotion than we are now used to but also introduces a filmic flashback storytelling that is most ingenious and up-to-date. The new narrative style allows the depressing first part of the novel about her miserable childhood and sufferings to be very short, only enough to establish her background, her subdued nature and toughness. It is also enough to disclose the meaning she experiences from the love of her friend Helen that helped her survive her torment. This relationship would set the pattern of her life that comes to fulfillment at Thornfield Hall.

Rochester warrants a mention, and, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, there is a less despondent and mysterious man than we are used to. Fassbender does not steal the show as he usually does, and this is a very good thing. This is Jane Eyre’s story. It is she who teaches us what it means to be human but also to be good. I am tempted to say that Jane is, after all, a better human being than Rochester, but Jane reminds me that this is not the case. All people are equal, as she memorably articulates:

Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings?…Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you, – and full as much heart!… I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: – it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal—as we are!

The film often portrays religion in an obvious and boring way; most often the name of God is used to subjugate Jane into obedience, such as is exemplified by the early scenes at Lowood School. However, the quote above reveals Jane’s inner prayer life, her image of God, and the empowering nature of her faith. Part of Jane’s strength lies in the fact of her inherent knowledge of her personal value in the sight of God. Her true worth is the same as everyone’s, in the strength of her spirit. She sees the value of all people in the radical egalitarianism of God’s love, and this opens her up to developing loving relationships with those around her, even in the kindness she shows some of her childhood tormentors.

Mia Wasikowska’s well-rounded performance, an inspired mix of both restraint and expressiveness, places Jane’s moral and personal development centre-stage, fully comprehending the heart of the book. Her liberation describes the conditions and developments needed for a person to be who they truly are. The connection between love and goodness are especially important. Her integrity makes her desirable and admirable, but her experience of love gives her strength to be virtuous. Jane Eyre may not be a modern heroine, but she is a timeless one.



Stefan Garcia SJ



 Visit this film's official web site




 

Jane Eyre UK film trailer 2011 - Penguin Books

Search

Type any words in the box below to search Thinking Faith for content containing those words, or tick the ‘author’ box and type in the name of any Thinking Faith author to find all of his or her articles and reviews. You can also narrow your search by selecting a category from the dropdown menu.