Still captivating: Jane Eyre 1944

Not many news today.

There's a new appearance of Charlotte Brontë-saurus. But also Jane Eyre 1944 (the one with Orson Wells and Joan Fontaine) is recommended for rent.

Aces: Engaging from the word go, the 1944 black and white adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's beloved novel is tops in content and credits. Directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Orson Wells and Joan Fontaine, with a screenplay by Aldous Huxley and John Houseman and soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann, Jane Eyre is incredibly absorbing. Compelling performances convey the complexities of the characters. A compactly written script comes in handy. And yeah, do notice a very young Elizabeth Taylor in a teensy cameo. Terrific stuff, this!

(The still of Elizabeth Taylor in that film can be seen here.)

And tying things neatly, there's also another mention of Jane Eyre 1944 elsewhere.

Ward, there's an old-fashioned word -- as in Dick Grayson was a ward of Bruce Wayne, Annie was a ward of Daddy Oliver Warbucks, and Adele was a ward of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. Do rich people still have wards?
According to the Internet movie database (the famous imdb.com), there have been 18 film/TV versions of Jane Eyre. My favorite is still the 1944 movie with Orson Welles as Rochester and Joan Fontaine as Jane.

Categories: Jane_Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV