Jane Eyre DVD
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Rating: 4/5
Now there have been a whole of adaptations of Charlotte Bronte’s most famous novel Jane Eyre but I would go as far as to say that this is the best by a country mile.
Now Jane Eyre is one of my favourite novels of all time but has always been a little disappointed when it was adapted for either TV or the big screen - usually because the casting wasn’t quite right.
But there is no danger of that this time around as Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender are simply superb as Jane and Edward Rochester.
Wasikowska is still a relative newcomer but she leads this movie with such and elegance and poise and it is a really mature performance from her.
Her relationship with Rochester is just fantastic as Fassbender just oozes this something that just draws in the audience. It’s another riveting performance from Fassbender as he shows that he can take on roles in any genre - he is just so enthralling to watch.
Fassbender has such great chemistry with Wasikowska the relationship between the pair really goes seem so genuine.
There are also some great performances from the supporting cast in particular Jamie Bell as the somewhat chauvinistic Rivers who believes that women have their place. And the Dench is also excellent as Mrs Fairfax who develops a real bond with Jane.
While screenwriter Moira Buffini sticks pretty much to the story the films starts as Jane is fleeing Thornfield and the movie switches back and forth between her time as a governess there and with the Rivers family - which is something that I think works really well.
Now this may be a story that we have seen so many times but director Cary Fukunaga has brought a very fresh feel to this adaptation.
Jane Eyre is such a finely crafted movie that is filled with atmosphere and intrigue as well as fear and passion - not to mention it is just visually stunning.
Jane Eyre is a story about love against all the odds, themes which an audience can still relate to today.
Jane Eyre is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw