Brooding for England

The Telegraph recommends the rerun of Jane Eyre 2006 (we suppose they mean the UKTV Drama repeat, check TV-alerts on our sidebar, because on the ITV1's schedule it doesn't appear):

A welcome repeat of Sandy Welch’s (Mrs Stephen Poliakoff) superb adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, starring Ruth Wilson as the eponymous plain Jane and Toby Stephens as her Byron-esque bit of rough, Mr Rochester. Skipping over much of the novel’s concentration on Jane’s miserable childhood, this adaptation takes her quickly to Thornfield, where the cat and mouse game between the central characters can commence. Wilson and Stephens simmer enticingly as the frustrated lovers, separated by class, age and wives that go bump in the night. (Mary Evans)

The Times's critic also joins in this recommendation:

Enjoy possibly the best Jane Eyre yet – Ruth Wilson – with Toby Stephens’s Rochester brooding for England. (Gabrielle Starkey)

And Radio Times:

One of the undisputed TV highlights of last year, Susanna White's thoroughly sympathetic version of Charlotte Brontë's much-loved classic delighted even the pickiest viewer. If you missed it (what were you thinking?), here's a chance to see what the fuss was about. Orphan Jane's grim early years are rapidly dispensed with in order to get us to the meat of the story: her dramatic meeting with the dashing Mr Rochester. Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens are splendid in their roles and, even for those who find the pair don't live up to their vision of the characters, there's no denying the screen crackles with sexual tension whenever they're together. Concludes tomorrow. (Jane Rackham)

Today we have a complete set of weird Brontë mentions around: Comic Book Resources reviews The Scream #1 (Written by Peter David, Artwork by Bart Sears & Randy Elliott & Lucas Marangon). Check the comment about this panel:

Danny's in a dream sequence. Notice that the glasses have vanished again. It continues to help indicate a fantasy sequence. . . as if dressing him like Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights" wasn't enough. (Augie DeBlieck, Jr)

Hollywood Today reviews The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep and makes the following passing comment:

Meanwhile, the boy’s mother Emily Watson is offered her choice of [Ben] Chaplin as the darkly handsome Wuthering Heights working man or the stiff upper lip charmer David Morrissey who plays Captain Hamilton. (Robin Rowe)

We read today in Simon Hoggart's column in The Guardian:

I read Lord Of The Rings when I was 12 and loved it, so I can well understand how an adult would turn away in despair after a couple of chapters, though Sherlock Holmes did surprise me. My own shame is Wuthering Heights, which I have tried three times without success. I gather I am not alone.

We are afraid that probably among the readers of this blog, Mr Hoggart is quite alone.

In The Guardian we also read a review of Rhett Butler's People by Donald Craig where the reviewer mades the following question:

Would Heathcliff's mystique be enhanced if someone offered a day-to-day account of his three-year sabbatical as a businessman? (Alfred Hickling)

In some other news: sometimes quite unexpected Brontëites turn around, check FrontPage Magazine to know who allegedly is an admirer of the Brontës: Muslim Brotherhood member Kamal El Helbawi. Enchanted Darkness briefly talks about Wuthering Heights 1939 and Fairweather Lewis comments the original novel.

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