"The Brontës' works weren't the cosy classics many see them as today"

The Yorkshire Post summarises the recent news about the two new film/TV adaptations of Wuthering Heights and asks Alan Bentley, director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, for his opinion:

But it's fair to say that popular books don't usually transfer well to the screen, which is why some Brontë enthusiasts are a little concerned with two new
screen versions of Wuthering Heights about to go into production.
Their fears won't have been allayed by reports that the rival adaptations, which both begin filming later this year, are going for radically different takes on Emily Brontë's classic tale of obsession and revenge.
A three-part television version for ITV described by insiders as "edgy, cool and raw" will see a distraught Heathcliff take his own life on hearing news of Cathy's death. Meanwhile the British film version is expected to stick closer to the idea of the two being childhood sweethearts, with Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan both reportedly vying for the role of Cathy. (...)
Alan Bentley, director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, in Haworth, hopes the new film versions will be true to the spirit of the original. "One of the strengths of the Brontës' books is they have always inspired new adaptations whether it's a film,
or a painting.
"I think they ought to try and keep to the basics of the plot, but ultimately what we are here to do is bring the book to as many people as possible, and film and TV adaptations reach a bigger audience than we can, so we're quite supportive in general," he says.
"I don't think any adaptation has ever really captured the essence of Wuthering Heights, but that's often the fate of novels because they tend to be more complex.
"Maybe the edgy re-interpretations will give people an idea of the impact the novel had at the time, because it was seen as very radical, it was thought of as being raucous, full of bad language and encouraging moral depravity.
"The Brontës' works weren't the cosy classics many see them as today. Wuthering Heights is edgy and it's not certainly not Jane Austen."
However, he accepts that not everyone will like the new films. "I'm sure there will be some purists who will be deeply disappointed, and I can understand that, but I think it's important to remember that a film can't do the same things as a novel," he says.
"But what it can do is encourage people who haven't heard of the Brontës before, to go and read their extraordinary books and find out more about these remarkable daughters of an obscure vicar from Yorkshire." (Chris Bond)

The Charleston City Paper reviews The Boat by Nam Le and describes it like this:

Not yet 30, Le effortlessly gives all seven tales in The Boat a different register, structure, vocabulary, and tone. "Halflead Bay," which unfolds in Australia, where Le partially grew up, is a wind-swept, craggy love story — a modern day Wuthering Heights set on the Continental Shelf. (John Freeman)

The Orange County Register publishes yet another review of the recent performances of Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre: A Musical Drama in Huntington Beach, California:

In a dark and lonely manor with eerie laughter floating through its halls, an unconventional love affair begins to bloom in Brethren Christian's dynamic production of "Jane Eyre: A Musical Drama."
Based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte, "Jane Eyre" follows the life of a young woman who conquers her adversarial circumstances to ultimately find love and acceptance. When Jane, a poor orphan with a blunt tongue and an iron will, falls in love with the mysterious Mr. Rochester, they must fight societal conventions and the secrets of Rochester's past to prove themselves "brave enough for love."
Kelsey Coleman and Patrick Quinn bring comic relief to the somber drama as Mrs. Fairfax and Robert, respectively. Coleman's wild gestures and loud, incongruous retorts upon first meeting Jane immediately establish the bubbly and lovably deaf nature of her role, while Quinn's irritated expressions and biting remarks show his character's disgruntled attitude toward his servile position.
Taylor Lardas is both captivating and fearsome as Bertha, the mad wife of Rochester. Her inane singing, frenzied pacing and wild appearance make her performance hauntingly bestial. In contrast to her untamed nature is the stolid and unmovable disposition of Grace Poole, played by Amanda Martin. Martin's drunken stagger and glowering looks legitimize Jane's nervous interactions with her character.
Nicole Braun rises to the challenge of capturing the complicated role of Jane Eyre. When around the other more dynamic and vivacious characters, her stiff posture and blank expression establish a quiet stage presence that accentuates Jane's silently resolved nature. In her solitary moments on stage, however, a new persona shines out. Her subtly passionate tones and anguished expression establish the caged emotions of her character.
Equally as expressive is Ryan Stong as the enigmatic Edward Rochester. His powerful, impassioned voice and brooding looks demonstrate a fiery yet self-contained demeanor that supplements the conflicted emotions of his role. In "The Gypsy," he proves to be as skillful at capturing comedic situations as he is at capturing the many dramatic moments of the show. Throughout the performance, both Braun and Stong consistently exhibit a very real and effective romance in their emotional duets on stage.
In the end, the show successfully transports the audience into the alluring world of Charlotte Bronte. With realistic characters and emotional songs, the cast of Brethren Christian's "Jane Eyre: a Musical Drama" powerfully captures a story that shows that everyone has a "hope of heaven." (Megan Petkovic)

DVD Verdict reviews A&E Romance Collection and, particularly, Jane Eyre 1997:

Orphaned at a young age, Jane Eyre is sent to an orphanage by her indifferent relatives. Finally ready to go out into the world, she is hired as governess at Thornhill, the estate of Edward Rochester. Rochester's a querulous man, with a colic temper and a manor in which odd things happen on a regular basis. Over time, Jane comes to love the irascible, enigmatic Rochester, who in turn professes his own love for Jane. For a brief instant, all is right in Jane's world—until her wedding day turns into a nightmare.
Did we really need another version of Jane Eyre? Charlotte Brontë's novel has been filmed no less than nineteen times—and that doesn't even count movies inspired by the novel, such as Val Lewton's I Walked With a Zombie. Surely one of those adaptations got it right. At least, I certainly hope so, because this one pretty much screws the pooch. The writers were brutal in their unholy quest to achieve a running time under two hours. Almost every subplot is gone—even Jane's childhood, which encompasses six or seven chapters in the novel, is glossed over in just a few minutes. As a result, the complexities of Jane's character fall by the wayside, and she becomes just another romantic heroine.
Samantha Morton (Emma) does a wonderful job as Jane (with what's left of her, at least), and is easily the strength of the production; unfortunately, the same can't be said for Ciaran Hinds as Rochester. His emoter has been cranked up to eleven; as a result, he's in turn too angry, too frustrated, and too emotional, with jarring transitions from one state to the next. It makes it very difficult to see what in him Jane finds so appealing. Rochester is usually considered a type of Byronic hero—moody, magnetic, and mysterious—but Hinds performance manages to downplay all of the romantic qualities of the type, resulting in a character who appears more dyspeptic than tortured. There's a certain amount of chemistry between the two, but this story demands not sparks between the leads, but raging bonfires, and that just doesn't happen.
If you are familiar with the novel and can fill in the plot gaps from memory, this is a somewhat passable adaptation, simply on the strength of Morton's performance. Those coming in blind—so to speak—probably won't care for it too much. (Judge Jim Thomas)

Rogue Weblog discusses Jane Eyre. Solodelibros reviews Wuthering Heights (in Spanish). Blog on Books talks about (briefly) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The Book Mine Set has a new Great Wednesday Compare: Charlotte Brontë vs Margaret Laurence. Last week's Brontë sisters fraticide battle has a curious final result:

The winner of last week's Great Wednesday Compare (Charlotte Brontë Vs. Emily Brontë Vs. Anne Brontë), with a final score of was Charlotte Brontë with 9 votes. Anne brought in 6, Emily had none.

Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History posts about Charlotte Brontë's antipathy to Catholicism in Villette and The Professor.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, The Profesor, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Theatre, Wuthering Heights