Jane Eyre 1944 DVD Reviewed

The release of the new DVD edition of Jane Eyre 1944 (with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine, directed by Robert Stevenson) by Fox Home Entertainment (for Region 1) appears in several newspapers.

BrontëBlog is giving away five copies of this new and restored release. There's still time until April 29th. Click here to know more.

USA Today:

Jane Eyre

* * *, 1944, Fox,

Given its pedigree, this A-list production of Charlotte Brontë's oft-filmed novel ought to resonate more, even when judged solely against other 1944 movies (Double Indemnity to Meet Me in St. Louis to To Have and Have Not). Yet even atop its impressive DVD extras (two commentaries, 168 hours of digital work on the print, much more), the movie has a lot going for it. Start with Bernard Herrmann's aptly brooding score and an imposing Orson Welles (as Rochester, opposite Joan Fontaine's Jane) in a putty nose shortly after Hollywood started blackballing him as a director. But here, also, in a single movie are the era's three premier child actresses: Peggy Ann Garner, Margaret O'Brien and a very young Elizabeth Taylor. The director was Robert Stevenson, a journeyman forced to dodge genius Welles' not-exactly-submerged wish to steer the picture, an episode addressed on one of the DVD's featurettes. Stevenson later became Disney's house filmmaker (Mary Poppins, That Darn Cat!). (Mike Clark)

Edmonton Journal

Easily the best Jane Eyre movie out there, this 1944 Robert Stevenson production features Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Elizabeth Taylor and Agnes Moorehead as the central characters who will have their very lives thrust into chaos and turmoil when a young governess falls for a secretive man. Stevenson captures the best of Bronte's brand-name bodice-beating, but it's really the pitch-perfect cast that makes this exhausting drama so much fun -- well that, and the bits with the crazy lady in the attic. DVD features include commentary by Welles's biographer Joseph McBride. Rating 4 (Katherine Monk)

David Annandale on UpcomingDiscs reviews the edition:

Audio

Mono and stereo versions are, as ever in this series of releases, both on offer. The usual indiscriminate surround issues are there, but the volume in the rear speakers is sufficiently low that most viewers are unlikely to be bothered by the wraparound voices. The sound is, it must be said, quite rich for a remastered 1944 track, especially the music.

Video

A note prior to the beginning of the film essentially warns the viewers that the picture quality isn’t going to be perfect, but what’s on display here is pretty damn good. The blacks and contrasts are stupendous. George Barnes’ gorgeously atmospheric cinematography is almost perfectly preserved. There are, granted, a few shots where the grain is noticeable, but these are few and far between.

Special Features

There are two commentary tracks here. The first features Welles biographer Joseph McBride, who is joined by Margaret O’Brien (who plays Rochester’s young ward in the film). The second track has a broader focus, and is a round table moderated by the always interesting Nick Redman, here joined by historians Steven Smith and Julie Kirgo. Good stuff all around, and there is considerable discussion about how much, if any, influence Welles had on the direction, a theme that is picked up in the featurette, “Locked in the Tower, The Men Behind Jane Eyre.” A third track isolates the score and FX. “Know Your Ally Britain” is a propaganda piece Stevenson did for the War Department during WWII, and is an interesting curiosity. The other usual extras are here, too: restoration comparison, theatrical trailer, and photo galleries (covering production, storyboards and posters). On top of everything else, there’s a set of lobby cards packaged with the disc.

Closing Thoughts

Great package, even better (and still definitive) film.

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