Review of Jane Eyre (1997) by Linda P — 16 Nov 2009

My vocabulary fails. The only word I can think of to sum up my opinion of this attempted version of "Jane Eyre" is "arrrrghhh"! Apparently, though Charlotte Bronte wrote one of the most important English classics of all time and is a literary icon, she was not as brilliant as the screenwriters who were compelled to pen their own version of the story and characters. I would never have thought that a boy-crazy Jane and a tantrum-throwing Rochester, who is so forward that a few scenes threatened to wax into Victorian porn, would work, but.......oh, wait, I still don't think they would work! The accurate elements that remain make no sense at all wrapped up in the mangled, mutilated remains. I honestly began to wonder if this was a spoof, possibly inspired by "30 Second Bunnies" and "The Simpsons". One star for the actors who did as they were told and did it well and for making me laugh (no small feat as my normal reaction would be to weep bitterly over such a travesty of my favorite literary work). I can only think of two last words to wrap up my view of this version, "Run screaming!".

Recommended Versions (my ratings, versions not on Flixster):

5 Stars - Masterpiece Theatre 2006 with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson.

3.5 Stars - BBC 1983 Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton.