A good review and some zombies

The Santa Barbara Independent reviews the Westmont College Jane Eyre production that we presented some days ago:

This ambitious stage version of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, adapted several years ago in England by Polly Teale and directed here for Westmont by Mitchell Thomas, is likely to be remembered for a long time, both as a successful show in its own right, and as an example of an adaptation that fulfills the promise of its source material. Sarah Halford shines throughout the show’s three action-packed hours in the title role, surely one of the most demanding that any actress in Santa Barbara — or anywhere else for that matter — will attempt this year. Halford weaves a convincing spell as the enigmatic and splendidly willful Jane, showing both verbal command of a huge role and a sophisticated sense of her character’s development over a period of decades.
Teale’s most remarkable dramatic innovation involves the way she handles the character of Bertha Mason, the so-called madwoman in the attic. As played by Marie Ponce in this production, Mason is onstage all night, interacting with and shadowing Jane and revealing the symbolic connection between her seemingly feral character and Jane’s stormy inner life. Ponce is great; clearly relishing this opportunity to express the universality of women’s emotional distress in a manner that is as poetic as it is harrowingly realistic. The redoubtable Nolan Hamlin, like every other cast member besides Halford and Ponce, plays more than one role, and he too is excellent, particularly in discharging his responsibilities as Rochester. In the roles of Adele, Helen Burns, and Mary Rivers, Beth Segura is another standout. Her rambunctious physical characterization of Adele is a key element in establishing the play’s emotional dynamics with the audience.
Before you rush out and see this Jane Eyre though, you should prepare yourself — not necessarily by re-reading the novel, which is not absolutely necessary — but by practicing sitting still. At a solid one hour and forty-five minutes, the first act is as long as many entire plays. In fact, if there is anything that mars this otherwise stellar production, it is the imbalance between Act One and Act Two, which is only about half as long. In any case, taken as a whole, this gigantic Jane is a triumph. (Charles Donelan)

The New York Times carries a nice article on how Horror Films of the 1940s can appeal to modern kids. Jacques Tourneur's masterpiece I Walked With a Zombie (1943) is also listed:

Mr. Tourneur directed “Cat People” and our next selection from the set, “I Walked With a Zombie,” a reworking of “Jane Eyre” set in the Caribbean. Here horror lurks in the sunshine, amid slanting shadows of palm trees, with drums always beating in the distance. Dean enjoyed it, and found the ending involving zombies wading into the surf “creepy,” but didn’t seem overly worried by the various untimely deaths. (Wendell Jamieson)

The Dallas Observer Blog (Unfair Park) compares Laura Miller, former major of Dallas, with Bertha Mason:

It’s just so funny and so weird that they’ve got Miller locked up in the attic of her North Dallas castle like Rochester’s first wife in Jane Eyre. (Jim Schutze)

Terry Heath begins a series of posts related to The Female Gothic in Wuthering Heights:

While Wuthering Heights may not appear an example of Female Gothic literature at first glance, the most crutial elements of the genre are in place. It is the artistry and talent of Emily Bronte which takes a germ of an idea and develops it into something greater, a novel which has not only survived but has thrived, unlike many of its elder cousins of the Female Gothic novel.

Fatalgram reviews MTV Wuthering Heights: [it's] bad, but still worth watching. The London Meander describes a visit to the National Portr]ait Gallery, with a special mention to the Pillar Portrait. UK Heritage & Nostalgia posts about The Old Apothecary in Haworth.

Categories: Haworth, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, References, Theatre, Wuthering Heights