Completed with an advertisement for U.S. government war bonds, "Jane Eyre" is a tribute to the classic 1940s film. Chock full of spooky Gothic scenes, this Robert Stevenson production showcases a cleverly melodramatic and witty screenplay along with the talent of Joan Fontaine and Orson Wells.
In contrast to Charlotte Bronte's novel, the cinematic version of "Jane Eyre" seems more like a souped-up version of her sister's psychological thrill ride, "Wuthering Heights," than a statement about moral convictions.
Modified for WWII audiences, the film focuses on old-fashioned entertainment and lacks some of the novel's feminist bite. However, it succeeds in portraying the injustice of 19th century England's caste system.
Stevenson lays the film's groundwork with influential moments from Jane's childhood. Without family or means, the tenacious orphan winds up trapped in Lowood, a charitable institution perverted by a dogmatic director who insists on "punishing bodies to save souls."
Conditioned to hate by her harsh environment, Jane finds salvation in her best friend, Helen. Played by Elizabeth Taylor, Helen teaches Jane her duty in life: to educate and prepare herself to perform God's work. Thus, Jane gains her characteristic personal strength and strikes out to make her way on her own in the world.
Employed as a governess by the Earl of Thornfield, Edward Rochester, Jane finds herself in the middle of England's nobility. Themes interweave with suspenseful mystery as she uncovers the "cruel cross of fate" which transformed him from a "fine, gentle and kindly" man to a "proud, harsh and sardonic" misanthrope prone toward "peculiarities of temper."
Transcending the omnipresent social barriers of title and fortune to win Rochester's heart with her sheer genuineness, Jane is the original "Pretty Woman." After falling hopelessly in love, she painfully discovers his deep, dark secret when their wedding grinds to a halt at the altar.
Apparently, the Earl of Thornfield already had a wife -- a violently insane monster locked away in one of the castle's many towers. With his skeleton dragged out of the closet, Rochester takes the wedding party to see his burden: "Look at that grave and quiet creature standing at the mouth of hell [Jane staring into his wife's cage]. Look at the difference, and then judge me."
For brevity's sake, Stevenson omits a key part of Jane's development as a religious, moral character by ignoring her post-engagement stay with minister St. John Rivers.
Instead, he plays to the audience by focusing on Jane and Rochester's romance. Jane leaves Rochester because their relationship cannot be fulfilled while his estranged wife still lives.Yet, after exhausting all of her prospects, she finds herself without work or a home and desperately longing for her true love. Finally, she returns to Thornfield to find it burnt to the ground.
In Jane's absence, the anonymous psychopathic wife destroyed the castle and committed suicide--leaving a crippled, blind Rochester to wallow in misery. Upon her return, Jane finds this "wreckage of a man" and loves him to good health again.
With its happy ending, "Jane Eyre" is an example of Hollywood at its finest. The film's amusing banter marks Jane's evolution from an honest child into a strong-willed woman. When Lowood's rigidly religious dictator asks about how she will avoid hell, Jane answers that she must "keep in good health and not die." Later in life, Jane achieves equal standing with Rochester when she frankly tells him that he is not handsome.
Likewise, Orson Wells enjoys rich dialogue when he describes a money-hungry flirt as attracted to his purse and not his person.
"Jane Eyre" also offers hilarious character portrayals. Lowood's director seems like a waxen figure from the "Addam's Family" TV series, and Rochester jaunts around in fur cloaks and gallops through the mist on a speedy mount. Jane's charge, a French girl named Adele, dons a coquettish accent and twirls around in a tutu to boot.
But perhaps the greatest stereotypical scenes come from Jane's romantic suffering; her teary eyes appear as gentle as Bambi's and drip maple syrup.
A special treat for those who have read the novel, "Jane Eyre" ranks with "Zorro" as one of DFS's most fun picks of the term.
