I'm usually not a huge book-to-movie fan. Not saying I won't go to the movie, but I always walk out muttering something like, "the book was better" under my breath and secretly judging the undereducated plebeians leaving the theater with smiles of shallow satisfaction smeared across their faces. Mr. Awesome gets so mad at me for this. He's not a reader and the poor man just wants to watch a movie in peace once in a while. I tell him he married the wrong person.I've been known to compare the Harry Potter movies to Totino's pizza rolls to anyone that says "Oh, yeah I know Harry Potter, I saw the fourth movie once because my sister dragged me. It's cool, whatever." "But Totino's have no comparison to deep dish Chicago style pizza!" I try not to scream as I respond to them, "And that's what the books are like! Similar elements, same name, but they can't actually be compared."
Yeah, people love it when I do that. It's especially appreciated if they haven't read the book.
Seriously, after writing that all out for you, I don't know why I have friends any at all.
But this time, I can't say that I hated this interpretation of the book. In fact, really loved the new version of Jane Eyre. Certainly, there were parts of the narrative that didn't quite translate to film, and it was a bit melodramatic in places, but I actually liked that. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it really captured the "essence" of the book.
Now, let me be clear, I'm no Jane Eyre connoisseur. Let's be honest, I'm normally not as invested in romances as epic fantasies, so I can't be considered an authority. But I have read the book twice and enjoyed it very much--both times--so I can appreciate the movie. Okay? Okay.
Casting, costuming, writing--it was all good. Mia Wasikowska was incredibly transparent as Jane. Very noteworthy. But the highlight for me was the overall artistic integrity of the movie: the dark halls of Thornfield were sufficiently creepy, the stark moors of the countryside were deliciously blustery, and the distant Rochester of my adolescent dreams was satisfactorily tempestuous.
Overall, the film was wonderfully gothic. Maybe this is why I used to have fantasies of loosing myself to the moors whenever I felt bereft as a young adult. There is something incredibly romantic about that era, and this film really captured that. It is highly recommended.
