The time between 9-10pm in our home has been sacrosanct for the past three Sundays as we sat back to enjoy BBC1's wonderful new adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Subtitles make everything plain and we're all agog for this weekend's final instalment. (...)Another Jane Eyre version, the cinematical 1944 version, made a big impression on playwright (and screenwriter) Alan Bennett as he confesses in this interview published in The Telegraph:Jane Eyre had [that priceless gift of communication that makes everybody feel the better for meeting her] too. Some writers describe her as a timid little thing compared to the masterful and overbearing Mr Rochester, but I have never understood the book that way.
On screen she shows a face both enigmatic and revealing and close-ups show an almost wordless communication with her new employer. She displays a respect tinged with asperity and limits her responses to "Yes, sir" or 'No, sir' while maintaining eye contact, her small smile displaying underlying dignity and seriousness of purpose.
Jane comes over as an indomitable character whose quiet ways hide an intellect at least as good as her master's. It did not take him long to discover that the new governess possessed an inner beauty that contrasted vividly with the glamour and artificiality of the beautiful women expected to appeal to Mr Rochester.
The actress playing Jane conveys all these emotions with an almost deadpan face and in a respectful manner, yet with a little smile on her face and a twinkle in the eye that makes you realise she is not intimidated or overawed. She seems to understand all the foibles of human nature and remain confident about her ability to cope with them.
No wonder Mr Rochester told her '? that look could prise secrets from the blackest soul'. The attraction he felt for her was a love governed by intelligence.
This new production of the book focuses more acutely on the personal interplay between the characters, and the proliferation of close-ups and facial expressions help enormously to make up for the loss of the human voice we deaf people suffer. The words by themselves lack impact unless we can see and feel the emotions, and this televised adaptation of Jane Eyre does it wonderfully.
Like many other deaf people, I find it difficult to hold a conversation with blind people as the eye contact mentioned above is impossible and body language an unknown quality. The few I have spoken to tell me emphatically that in no way would they prefer to be deaf and find their satisfaction in conversation with friends and in talking books and music. An audio version of Jane Eyre is most likely available (Bob McCullough).
"I also saw Jane Eyre (the 1944 version with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine) and remember being absolutely petrified by it."Finally, Leeds Today also covers the Brotherton collection exhibition that contains some Brontë items that we posted some days ago.
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