.Pilgrimage to see Jane Eyre.

This Friday, I and several of my classmates from our Bronte's class ventured to the Neon theater downtown for a viewing of the new film Jane Eyre.  We had all just finished reading the book for class (some of us for the second, third, or more times) so there were several scenes not included that we definitely missed, but altogether it was a lovely movie.  The acting, musical score, costumes, and cinematography were all fabulous.  For me, the music added so much to the narrative - the string-driven songs reminded me of the score from The Village, which I also love - and I've been listening to the excerpts on iTunes, reliving scenes in my mind.  I've had photos from the film hanging in my office at school since Scott brought them home in The New York Times review of the film, so I thought I'd share some of them, and several more, here.

{Mia Wasikowska is a superb Jane and I love this somber picture of her in her cape}

{Likewise, Judi Dench is a great Mrs. Fairfax - they did a fabulous job with casting of this film!}

{Similar to the book, I had to warm to Mr. Rochester but he steals your heart at all the right times - corny, I know, but it's so true!}

{This scene is amazing!!}

(From a response for class): In Jeffrey Sconce’s article, “The Cinematic Reconstruction of Jane Eyre,” he discusses the complexities of adapting Bronte’s work to a cinematic medium.  He writes, “Bringing Jane Eyre before the cameras in the early Forties required a reading that captured the novel’s importance and identity for a contemporary audience through a narrative form familiar to them, a task perhaps better executed by a Hollywood producer than by a devoted Brontephile” (517).  I found this quote particularly interesting in regards to the most recent adaptation of Jane Eyre, particularly in considering the scenes and articulations not included in the film.  For Sconce, at least, the logic lies in the “contemporary audience” as reason for why these particular scenes were omitted.  As we’ve already briefly mentioned in class, there were several key scenes not included in the newest adaptation, including the infamous “gypsy” scene, the ending “conclusion” with Jane and Rochester as a family, and Miss Temple is almost (if not fully) non-existent.  In keeping with Sconce’s notion that these omissions can be blamed on the viewing “contemporary audience,” why would these particular scenes be the first to omit for our own contemporary viewers?

Secondly, I enjoyed the opening of Donna Marie Nudd’s article, “The Pleasure of Intersexuality: Reading Jane Eyre Television and Film Adaptations,” when she writes, “Virtually every informed audience member or reviewer will discuss whether the adaptation he or she is viewing is ‘faithful.’ But the inevitable question arises: ‘Faithful to what?’ Is Bronte’s three-volume Victorian novel a romance? a melodrama? a gothic mystery? a Christian morality tale? a feminist classic? a fictionalized autobiography?” (523).  Again, this question was particularly interesting in regards to the new Jane Eyre because the previews presented it as a “gothic mystery” (or at least that’s what I expected when watching the trailers).  So, again, considering Sconce’s “contemporary audience,” could this emphasis on the gothic elements be partly blamed on the current fascination with vampires, gothic fairy tales, and dark romance?