Jan D
Absolutely love this adaptation and must defend any criticism directed at Ciaran Hinds who is the best Rochester on Earth. I found it very true to the book, albeit a quick adaptation, the writing is superb and genius. Anyone claiming it doesn’t align with Bronte’s novel may have read the book but did not comprehend it. Juvenile complaints about Rochester’s facial whiskers & mustache should check out old photos of young Prince Albert whom Queen Victoria found quite handsome, so Ciaran Hind’s facial hair was quit correct and dashing. Hinds is the only Rochester who actually has the falcon-eye as Bronte described. Yes, he’s quite ferocious in the post-wedding scene, but as in the book, he was hot-headed & explosive, pulse throbbing, yes he threatened violence and grabbed her arm etc. as depicted. Samantha is great as Jane, looks and seems like Jane should. What might throw some viewers is they didn’t write it word-for-word and in chronological order of the novel, but cleverly combined, for one example, in the scene where Jane is summoned to the drawing room and Rochester catches her eyeballing him, says “You find me handsome, Miss Eyre?” etc, well they combined not only Jane’s version from the early chapter but Rochester’s version of that same meeting as he relates in the later separation chapter, thus Jane seems cool and aloof, almost disrespectful to the Master of Thornfield. Genius. It’s a short movie, the concentration on the juicy Jane-Rochester romance
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/27/25
Full Review
Steve D
Above average version of the often told (and wonderful) tale.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
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Audience Member
Morton looks severely beautiful throughout (until the wedding scene, where her beauty is softer) and seems overall less appealing than any of the Janes of other productions, though her passionate love in a couple of scenes is quite moving, even amazing—without those two bits, this would be almost a complete bore. Hinds seems the most ferocious of Rochesters, in part because of his Nietzsche-like mustache, and so he's not that appealing, either. These quibbles aside, the movie wisely focuses most attention on their relationship and time together; she becomes the governess a mere twelve minutes into the movie, and the tangent of St. John gets equally brief treatment.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Samantha & Ciaran nail the main characters perfectly. I've seen all the Jane Eyre movies and this is my favorite. Watched it many times.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
Full Review
Audience Member
There wasn't much I liked about the film. The costumes and overall old-school vibe was great. Samantha Morton was an amazing Jane. I cannot say the same about Ciaran Hinds. His acting, in my opinion, wasn't the best, and there was no spark between them both. Throughout the whole film I kept thinking that he was a bit creepy and Jane should stay away.
If you ask me, the 1977 version is not the one worth watching, but I do know that there are many people who love it. It's the perfect movie for those who love old films and are fans of the original novel. But to be honest, there probably are better adaptations of it, where the two leads mesh well together.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This riveting adaptation of Jane Eyre is number one for countless reasons. The most important being the startling emotional engagement/first kiss between Jane and the dashing, esteemed Mr Rochester. The kiss is both passionate and tender, capturing their fiery yet gentle love through the lens of a Romeo and Juliet style forbiddenness that increases their romantic intensity. Mr. Rochester is the sexiest, sultriest, most alluring bachelor of Bronte's time. His captivating performance draws in audiences, allowing for an unprecedented intimacy. His articulate, yet gravelly voice is so enticingly masculine, yet sweet upon the ear, like peanut brittle. His facial hair is a wonder to behold, spanning the distance between his upper lip and his nose like the great Sahara desert. And his talent seems to have a direct correlation to the number of chins on his creamy, alabaster neck. Another high point of this film is the perfect quality of sound and use of sound effects. Particularly, when the horse does not open its mouth, but by the magic of movies is able to majestically whinny. And Jane's prominent forehead is beautifully accentuated by the fashion forward styling of her hair. All in all, no other adaptation compares to this one. The raw, aggressive emotion captured by Mr Rochester will captivate and attract any who have the privilege to lay eyes on his bewitching face.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
Full Review
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