There are two stories I'll take any way I can get them. One is A Christmas Carol and the other is Jane Eyre. Let's face it, I'm a sucker for gothic lit -- we can argue finer points later. So when this adaptation of Jane Eyre came to GMR I begged for it. I knew that no matter what, I'd love it. Or so I hoped. Luckily, this version by the British Broadcasting Corporation takes a loving look at the familiar tale.
Jane's story is a simple one. Orphaned at infancy and taken in by a cruel aunt and her mean-spirited children, Jane is sent to an orphanage school. But she longs for more than a life as a teacher at Lowood, and she soon takes a job as a governess for the mysterious, and strangely dashing, Mr. Rochester. And then . . . and then . . . . Oh, who am I kidding? Her story takes so many twists and turns it's surprising the original story didn't have a road map. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the tale (I'll assume there are one or two of you out there), suffice it to say that the course of true love never runs smooth. But don't worry, every single twist, turn and sidetrack is neatly wrapped up by the end of the tale. If it's such a winding road, how can this be, you may ask. Well, thanks to the miniseries format, this tale spools out in 5 almost hour-length episodes. That gives the production team plenty of time to tell the tale. Plus, there's some judicious editing, with many nips and tucks of longer side-stories.
That's a problem with the classics. They're so beloved by their fans, yet the stories themselves don't lend themselves particularly well to film format. At least not in their entirety. Anyone who saw Lord of the Rings with a die-hard Tolkien fan knows what I'm talking about. There's always a favorite passage that gets skipped, a particular scene or line that is omitted (and with LOTR, entire characters that were left out . . . but I digress.) With this telling of Jane Eyre there is also omission. But stepping away from my slavish loyalty to the book and looking at this miniseries as a complete tale in itself, I liked what I saw. There was sacrifice, sure, but attempting to adapt every single page of the novel into part of a filmed tale would have only served to drag the story down. I'll be honest; I never cared for Jane's aunt or her cousins from that side of the family, so the less time spent with that horrible crew, the better. Don't worry, there's plenty of thunderstorms, windswept moors and deep dark secrets for die-hard fans.
This isn’t a rip-off of the Orson Welles/Joan Fontaine Jane Eyre by any stretch. And I'm glad for it; Joan was always too pretty for "obscure, plain and little" Jane anyway. I did love the cinematography of that version though. This version has a grittier feel, almost a modern-day soap opera style of production. Watching this miniseries was more like going to a play than to the cineplex (or watching TiVo.) I was reminded of Dark Shadows, the vampire soap with poor production values, but a commanding presence nonetheless. This print is so clear that rather than feeling like you're watching a film, it feels like you're in the theater, almost a part of the play. Sorcha Cusack (no relation to John or Joan to my knowledge) plays Jane as a strong minded but big hearted girl willing to take on the world alone, but longing for the love of the one man she feels she cannot have. Michael Jayston plays Edward Rochester, the lord of the manor and Man With A Past. The chemistry between the two works well, and although neither one of them is unattractive by any stretch, they both play their roles of self-described outcasts very well. No scenery chewing, no hamming it up, just straight drama and a story well told.
This miniseries is presented as two discs, with three episodes on disc one and the other two on the second. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I’d like a Play All feature on multi-episode discs. As it is, you’ve got to spool through the credits at the end of every episode, and watch the title sequence at each start. Outside of that though, there isn’t much more to ask for with this set. There aren’t any special features, but considering this miniseries came out back in 1973 it isn’t any wonder. But this DVD isn’t for folks who are looking for bells and whistles, it’s for fans of the story itself. And in that regard, it delivers.
