lunedì 18 aprile 2011

The New York Trilogy - Jane Eyre

While in New York, I went to the movies three times.
I have seen three completely different pictures, but I have enjoyed them in the same, intense way. Each of them dragged me in their own particular atmosphere and I felt shaken by every vision, and it is exactly what I expect from cinema. Here they are!
Oh, I was SO looking forward to seeing THIS movie!
For two main reasons: I am a huge fan of the Brontë Sisters (I grew up reading and adoring their novels) and I am a huge fan of the actors playing the main roles. It is impossible to have seen all the adaptations of this book made over the years both by cinema and television, but I have always tried to be updated. The story is a classic of literature history (written in 1847): Jane Eyre, a little orphan, is put by her awful aunt into a gloomy school where she learns to be a teacher and a governess. Once left the place, Jane accepts a governess position at Thornfield House, and she secretly falls in love with the house master, the very moody Mr. Rochester. After a while, Mr. Rochester asks Jane to marry him: this is a much unexpected event for the girl, but things don’t go the way they should…
The young film-maker Cary Fukunaga (best known until now for his movie Sin Nombre) and screen writer Moira Buffini (best known for her great work on Tamara Drewe), managed to create a striking novel’s adaptation, with the benefit of a modern touch (especially for the gothic, almost horror-film atmosphere), but I really think that the movie should have been longer. The 2 hours version doesn’t allow enough time to the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester to fully develop. This is the only major defect I’ve found to the movie: when Mr. Rochester asks Jane to marry him, the proposal sounds weird not only to Jane but also to the movie audience. It is a pity, because the chemistry between the two actors is really amazing and all the first scenes between them are full of great expectations. The thing I wasn’t disappointed by, was surely the cast: young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (her portrait of a suicidal teenager in the first season of In Treatment was simply unforgettable!) is a splendid Jane Eyre. Her mix of seriousness, dignity, wittiness and search for independence gives to the character a contemporary appeal. German/Irish actor Michael Fassbender is probably too young to play Rochester (he is just 34 years old) but he is so good to portray this grumpy, arrogant and yet fascinating man, that we instantly believe in anything he says or does (Zazie has been telling you this since 2009: watch, watch, watch for this actor, he will be very famous some day soon!). In minor roles, Dame Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins and Jamie Bell, reminds us that, well, British actors always do it better!
If you're looking for a truly romantic movie, you can't find a better one. 

5 commenti:

  1. Love this movie, too, and I agree with you about the movie length. When Rochester proposed, I thought "so soon?" I told my friend, who hadn't read the book but saw the movie with me, that she should read the book to get a sense of what Jane and Rochester see in each other and how they balance each other out.

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  2. I'm glad you agree, Josephine! And I think every human being should read this splendid book...

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  3. I went to a preview screening of Jane Eyre with my daughter. I agree with you that the choice of actors for the lead roles is unexpected, but I think it really hit the mark. Still, I thought that the film tried too hard to adapt it to modern audiences. Although it was still a really good film.

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  4. It is not perfect, Olga, I agree... but I think it is a good movie, very enjoyable, and very intelligent. Don't you think?

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  5. I find that this film is made with a special mood and atmosphere. It makes you empathize deeply with the characters. Michael Fassbender, as you said, is a new star. You can really sense his potential.

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