Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë's 1847 classic Victorian romance has been adapted nearly two dozen times for the big and little screens. In the opening scene of filmmaker Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre, a hysterically sobbing 19-year-old Jane (Mia Wasikowska) flees from a massive stone mansion, dashing across the rain-swept moors before collapsing at the doorway of the home of a young clergyman (Jamie Bell) and his sisters. In flashbacks, Jane's backstory is revealed: orphaned as a child and banished from her home by a hateful aunt (Sally Hawkins), Jane is sent to a boarding school, where she's befriended by Helen Burns (Freya Parks), who falls ill and dies—a painful loss that ultimately strengthens Jane's character. Eventually she seeks work as a governess to the ward of mysteriously reclusive Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender), moving into Thornfield Hall, an imposing estate overseen by kindly housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench). Of course, Jane gradually falls in love with her employer, but a dark secret threatens to keep them apart—testing Jane's resilience and resolve. While this new adaptation emphasizes the gothic elements—darkness, desolation, and danger lurk behind Thornfield Hall's austerity—the passion required to effectively fuel the drama is somewhat absent here, largely because Rochester comes across as a less than formidable character (as opposed to, say, Orson Welles in the 1944 movie). A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Cary Fukunaga, deleted scenes (17 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.), a segment on the score with Fukunaga and composer Dario Marianelli (2 min.), “The Mysterious Light of Jane Eyre” (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven adaptation.] (S. Granger)