Movie review: Jane Eyre (M)

AT some stage over the course of high school English classes or arts subjects at university, people have come across Victorian literature.Led by Charles Dickens’ tales in the 19th century, the focus on the hard work, perserverance, love and luck of the heroes and heroines.The Bronte sisters were comparitively different. Growing up away from the city they focused on a more romanticised and Gothic-type of writing exemplified by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

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Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte under the name Currer Bell and is considered the most influential feminist text of the time.It is an autobiographical story of Jane Eyre, an orphan who is raised in early life by her hateful aunt and cousins before experiencing difficult times at an oppressive boarding school and becoming a governess at cold and jaded Mr Rochester’s home.Mia Wasikowska takes on the eponymous role after coming to notice in the Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland and other projects including The Kids Are Alright.Wasikowska is opposite Michael Fassbender in a role far apart that which he played in the latest X-Men film at the beginning of the year and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.Unfortunately, the two don’t mesh convincingly on screen. This is largely due to the age difference of the actors (Mia is just 21 while Fassbender is 34), despite the plot reminding us Jane is a governess fresh out of school and Rochester is a jaded, rich housemaster.Naturally, being a Bronte text, there is some passionate and mad running in the moors (something the sisters, especially Emily’s Wuthering Heights characters, were known for), which has always confused me. I know the metaphorical reasons for it but it still seems like a crazy thing to do. Also lending their prodigious talent to the film is the ever-strong Dame Judi Dench and Jamie Bell. Dench does not have to stretch her acting talents far as the world-weary housekeeper while Jamie Bell is excellent as the reserved yet determined clergyman.Cinematically, Jane Eyre is exactly what an audience can expect from a period story that people are familiar with.Compared to the original novel, the plot has been watered down a great deal and is told in a sort of flashback mode, skipping over a majority of Jane’s early life and focusing on her relationship with Rochester.It is beautifully shot and edited but it lacks the unique adventure and editing that was seen in Keira Knightley and Mathew Macfadyen’s Pride and Prejudice.That said, anyone who enjoys a period drama or an intriguing traipse into a slightly Gothic romance story will enjoy Jane Eyre.It doesn’t break any new ground nor does it have a standout performance but it is engaging enough to see through to the end.The Verdict: 2.5 stars. - Jane Eyre (M) is now showing at Bendigo Cinemas. See page 3 of the Bendigo Advertiser for session details. Follow film reviewer Chris Pedler on Twitter @FilmNerdChris.