Jane Eyre - An All Time Classic With A Modern Touch.

(Mia Wasikowska in Jane Eyre)
(2011) ★★★★☆

Frankly, I haven’t read the book, but I really want to now after I saw the film that is indeed a surprisingly terrific adaptation of such a classic piece of work by Charlotte Bronte. Classic tales like ‘Jane Eyre’ could be rather boring to modern readers like us that probably prefer fictions to literature or stuff, but this 2011’s version is not at all mundane. It’s, on the contrary, intriguing and romantic enough to make you sit still and enjoy for two hours straight.

To those who’ve read the book, the story could be of no surprise, but to those like me who haven’t, it’s very much of a mystery, especially as it’s told in frequent flashbacks. It kicks off with Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) running out of a mansion breathlessly with a bitter face. Her memories then begin to play out as the story goes on. We’re told how she’s raised up and ill-treated as an orphan in her uncle’s family; strictly educated at a charity school and finally introduced to Fairfax Rochester’s (Michael Fassbender) house as a governess. It’s a nonlinear presentation so it seems a whole lot more gripping as a result.

The sets and costumes are much more gothic than ever before. The dialogues are ingeniously crafted so that they sound neither awkwardly ancient nor inappropriately modern. The atmosphere is breathtaking at times as conversations sarcastically take place in nearly darkness with only dim lights on characters’ faces. And I love Mia Wasikowska’s Jane Eyre in particular, disciplined but daring, persistent but decisive, elegant but humble, and asexually attractive.

This is a remarkable modern approach to one of the most important works in English Literature. It’s a nice film you shouldn’t miss, but you probably will like I almost did, since we’ve been eating too much pop junk; been spoiled for long by fads!