7 days until Jane Eyre 2011

Well, here it is at last! Focus Features have finally released the 'theatre list' with details on where and when Jane Eyre 2011 will open around the US. Do check it out in order to find the venue closer to you.

Reviews of the film are starting to trickle in. From Variety:

The candlelight flickers exquisitely even as the passions are slow to ignite in this spare, shrewdly acted but not especially vital retelling of "Jane Eyre." Favoring a darkly expressive visual approach that plays up the gothic extremity of Charlotte Bronte's oft-filmed classic, helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga brings a temperament of steel to a stark, severe adaptation that provides only fleeting emotional and psychological access to its famous heroine. Michael Fassbender's casting as one of cinema's dreamier Rochesters may raise purist eyebrows but could also broaden Focus' reach among younger women, certainly including but not limited to Brontë buffs. [...]
In an unusual gambit, scribe Moira Buffini ("Tamara Drewe") shuffles the chronology with a simple, elegant framing device: Rather than detailing Jane's cruel Victorian orphanhood, the opening scenes are marked by a sense of tragic inevitability as the older Jane (Mia Wasikowska) is seen fleeing Thornfield Hall, into a quintessentially Brontëan landscape of wild moors and sodden English weather. [...]
Though Fukunaga was hardly an orthodox choice to direct a period costumer after "Sin nombre" -- his 2009 debut about Central American immigrants -- his hand can be discerned in the film's unusually blunt, visceral dramatization of Jane's ordeals, such as an abrupt cut to the lash of a cane against the girl's back. And whereas past adaptations have relied on voiceover as a substitute for Jane's first-person narration, Fukunaga avoids such exposition with a bold insistence on image-driven storytelling.
There's a bit of "The Turn of the Screw" in this "Jane Eyre": When Jane is installed as a governess at Thornfield and received by Judi Dench's benign, faintly reproving housekeeper, the house is cloaked in the sort of impenetrable shadows that might have been lensed by Gordon Willis. Disquieting later passages -- from Jane's first meeting with the surly, mysterious Rochester (Fassbender) to her growing awareness of some malevolent, unseen presence -- are shot with the shivery atmospherics of a horror picture.
The subtle visual inflections and deliberately constricted performances contribute to a slow-burn effect that compels up to a point. The attraction between Jane and Rochester initially remains at a barely perceptible simmer, as Wasikowska and Fassbender bring an icy, combative edge to their scenes that doesn't melt until the last possible moment. But melt it does, as both actors credibly and movingly reveal emotions their characters scarcely have the ability to acknowledge.
At this point, however, the narrative machinery of Brontë's tale dutifully clicks in, and even the script's structural tweaks can't ward off the perfunctory feel inherent in the preponderance of third-act revelations. The camera's restless pans across the rugged countryside, set to the increasingly high-strung violins of Dario Marianelli's score, begin to smack of stylistic desperation, as the film becomes content to observe its heroine's actions without penetrating her consciousness. These problems are hardly unique to this "Jane Eyre," which affords a few piercing moments by dint of its performances but never threatens to sweep the viewer away.
After her decisive breakthrough last year in "The Kids Are All Right" and "Alice in Wonderland," Australian thesp Wasikowska again impresses. Looking glum and dowdy, her pale, spectral beauty peeking out only intermittently from behind a hard, pinched countenance, the actress carries the burden of Jane's suffering in every frame, conveying her broken spirit but also her fiercely honest and independent nature.
Some may deem Fassbender too handsome for a man described in the book as decidedly unattractive, but the protean Irish thesp evinces a reptilian quality that repels and fascinates, keeping one guessing as to what this belligerent, elusive and clearly tormented figure feels or doesn't feel for Jane. If Fassbender looks younger than other Rochesters, the crucial age gap is delicately sustained by the fact that Wasikowska looks younger than other Janes.
Lensed in somber, muted tones by Adriano Goldman, the picture is handsomely appointed in all respects, particularly by production designer Will Hughes-Jones and costume designer Michael O'Connor. Sound design is exceptionally crisp. (Justin Chang)

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Less melodramatic than most adaptations of this tough-minded story of an orphan girl's arduous journey into womanhood in rural England, the Focus release should elicit particularly ardent reactions from student-aged females and looks poised for a reasonable commercial career on the multiplex great-books circuit. [...]
Although her critical assessment of the religious hypocrisy of three key men in her life has essentially been jettisoned -- important in that it so profoundly shapes her own religious attitudes -- the strong spine of the character and the work itself remains sound and is manifest in every moment of Wasikowska's strong performance. [...]
Intriguingly, Fukunaga and his resourceful cinematographer Adriano Goldman visually constrict much of the initial action by tightly composing images of Jane with the use of curtains, door frames and so on, which intensely focuses attention on the characters' faces and the way they regard and perceive one another.
The other visual hallmark is landscapes. With rugged and barren Derbyshire locations standing in for the Yorkshire settings, the sense of isolation, of there being no recourse from the world into which one was born, is strong, and the moderate graininess and desaturation of the images reinforce the feeling of forlorn harshness [...]
Crucially, the scenes of Jane and Rochester getting to know each other, with her becoming captivated by his powerful personality and with him increasingly appreciating her ability to cope with his quicksilver intellect and diabolical mood swings, are among the film's best, well establishing a strong link between them. [...]
Unadorned to the point of physical ordinariness and with copper-colored hair generally pulled back severely, Wasikowska must convey everything about Jane from her posture, the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice. The character's obstinacy could have become wearisome, but Wasikowska provokes ever-growing admiration for a woman who has learned the virtue of patience but in the end will not submit to what she knows is not right. The proto-feminist aspect of the character has undoubtedly fed the popularity of the book over the years, but in a broader sense Jane is most impressive for how she never sinks to the levels of the limited and downright dreadful people who so often enjoy the upper hand over her.
However, a key aspect of Jane's makeup, her religiosity, has been sacrificed, perhaps out of fear that modern audiences wouldn't warm to the issue. Not apparent in the film is how Jane develops her own nondoctrinaire version of faith, largely in reaction to the false or misguided piety of Mr. Brocklehurst, the head of her severe school; St. John Rivers, the rural clergyman who takes a curdled fancy to her; and Rochester himself, whose previous relationships with women leave a great deal to be desired from a moral standpoint.
Fassbender cuts a more prosaic, realistic figure as the tormented, romantic Rochester than did the screen's most celebrated performer of the role, Orson Welles, in the effective 1944 version opposite Joan Fontaine and directed by Robert Stevenson. The long, discursive dialogues he instigates in the novel are also boiled down to little more than quips here, but the actor brings power and an assertive presence to the role all the same. Supporting performances are more than serviceable. (Todd McCarthy)

From Shockya:

With the help of actors who effortlessly connected to their roles emotionally, Fukunaga was able to capture his characters’ desire to break free from their expected society roles in a way that will allow viewers to connect to them as well. [...]
When fans of the novel first hear of the Focus Features movie, they may question why the studio would want to create another adaptation of the timeless classic. But once they see the film, they will realize that even though the plot is still set in the 1800s, Fukunaga was able to preserve Jane’s innocence while turning her into a relatable, 21st century female protagonist. As he has said, Jane “…is on a journey and finds someone (Rochester) she can relate to, who has suffered loss like she has, as she is plunged into complex situations and emotions.” Even though she is only a lowly governess, Jane is happy to finally have found someone who not only understands her needs and wants, but still accepts her for who she is.
Allowing Jane to break free of the typical society rules she has abided by all her life to consider a life with Rochester, the audience will be more likely to understand her desire to break free from the repression she has always endured. Jane’s need for freedom and to explore life outside of being a governess perfectly parallels people’s need today to break from the life roles placed on them.
Fukunaga made the right decision in casting Wasikowska as Jane. While older actresses have typically portrayed Jane in previous adaptations of the novel, producer Alison Owen was correct in wanting to cast someone who was not only comparable in age to the character, but also had a natural sympathy for her as well. Not only is Wasikowska around the same age as Jane, she was also perfectly able to portray the character who, for the first time, is dealing with her maturing, emotional feelings. Wasikowska also was able to keep Jane’s self-respect in tact as she goes after what she wants, and she doesn’t feel the need to conform to the traditional woman’s role in the 1800s.
As the movie continues, viewers will also come to respect the personal relationship between Jane and Rochester; when the characters first meet, they are guarded towards each other, but as time goes on, they begin to open up. Wasikowska and Fassbender complement each other on-screen, even though they have a 12-year age difference. Since ‘Jane Eyre’ heavily relies on Jane’s rocky relationship with Rochester, the actors chosen to play them would have to be both cynical and pure towards each other, which Wasikowska and Fassbender portrayed quite well. (Karen Benardello)

We don't agree at all with the beginning of this review from Neon Tommy:

Lizzy Bennett, Scout Finch, Hermione Granger: these are some of the strongest female characters to ever grace literary pages, and later the big screen.
Now, in Cary Fukunaga's second outing as a feature film director, Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) attempts to bring Jane Eyre, the strong-willed girl from Charlotte Brontë's novel of the same name, to that same level of canonizing. (Lilian Min)

We don't have anything against either of those heroines, but Jane Eyre was among them - off and on screen - long before Hermione Granger joined the group. The review continues and as the reviewer clealy dislikes Jane Eyre, so does she dislike that adaptation:

Easily the most intriguing part of the film, the evolution of Jane and Mr. Rochester's relationship stitches the film together neatly. From their dramatic first meeting to their tender ending scenes together, the rapport between Wasikowska and Fassbender is tangible, although not very strong from the start. [...]
The movie itself seems to be built around the increasing passion between those two characters: in a film so drenched in dreary, desaturated lighting, the brightest, most joyous parts of the film are of Jane and Mr. Rochester together.
The truth is, without the romance with Mr. Rochester, Jane would not be much of a character at all. Wasikowska plays her with a rigidity that is probably meant to reflect Jane's background of abuse and neglect.
Many of the shots in the film focus on Wasikowska's wan figure and hopelessly despairing gaze; for the majority of the film, these expressions make her actions seem overdramatic and staged.
When Mr. Rochester first enters the picture, Fassbender's same overabundance of dramatic gesturing is also evident and distracting; his gazes are riveting to the point of being unnerving, and Fassbender occupies the screen awkwardly, striding around in blousy shirts and very tight pants.
But as these two characters come together, so too does the rest of the film, at least for brief moments.
Surrounding Jane and Mr. Rochester are a multitude of colorful characters: Jane's bitter, treacherous aunt (played by an oddly cast Sally Hawkins, of Happy-Go-Lucky fame), Sinjin [sic] the preacher (played by Jaime Bell, with a most admirable set of sideburns), and Mrs. Fairfax (played by the always excellent Dame Judi Dench).
While in the beginning, these characters come off as stock (especially Jane's aunt), everybody thaws out to reveal deeper depths of character and understanding, most of all Jane herself, although this thawing happens too late in the film to be of any great impact.
Of course, Jane Eyre is also a film about deception, but those moments of the film are rather staid; any shocks that do arrive are purely from visual elements, and when the big reveal does happen, it happens with little real fanfare.
But by the end, despite the roughness and awkwardness that surrounds much of the rest of the film, Jane Eyre closes gently and lovingly.
Is this film a masterful literary adaption in the vein of Atonement? Not quite, especially initially, but the sentiment of the film builds beautifully, and leaves the viewer with the impression of having peeked into what the rest of the film could have been. (Lilian Min)

The Stanford Daily reviewer is not fully convinced by this production either:

Aided by rising stars Mia Wasikowska as the title character opposite Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester, director (and Oakland native) Cary Fukunaga breathes new life into Charlotte Brontë’s coming-of-age classic “Jane Eyre.” Beautifully shot on location in northern England with a well-rounded cast that includes Judi Dench and Jamie Bell, the film occasionally falters over a screenplay that doesn’t quite do the novel justice. [...]
Fassbender, still relatively unknown to American audiences despite growing popularity in his native Europe, captures the volatility and charm of a good man who has gradually been worn down by the secrets he is forced to keep. His intensity is matched by Wasikowska’s nuanced performance as an alternately passive and poised young woman who remains undaunted despite the misfortunes that continually beset her. Their chemistry, as Rochester and Jane, is organic; the sexual tension between them, almost tangible.
Visually, Fukunaga captures the novel’s Gothic character with rich detail and expert cinematography. By day, Thornfield’s panoramic windows reveal the gorgeous, sprawling grounds outside and the manor’s exquisite furnishings that denote Rochester’s social standing. At night, however, all is cast into darkness, suspense lurking in the shadows beyond the tenuous glow of the candles that guide the characters through the labyrinthine house.
Unfortunately, not even a combination of great acting and gripping mis-en-scene is enough to compensate for the uneven script, which in this case falls to screenwriter Moira Buffini. While “Jane Eyre” starts off strong, injecting just enough humor to make the esoteric language appeal to modern viewers, things start to lose steam as the plot progresses. The exchanges between Jane and Rochester, once rife with flirtation, become lackluster, and the movie begins to drag. Eventually, it regains its footing, but doesn’t manage to end on as high a note as it began.
The bottom line: “Jane Eyre” noobs like me may be satisfied (I forwent the book in high school in favor of the SparkNotes edition), but die-hard fans are likely to be left hanging. (I brought along a more accomplished reader who enjoyed it, but was bothered by deviations from the book). Even when everything else is well-executed, the writing just isn’t up to par, which is a great shame, given the material’s literary heritage. (Misa Shikuma)

On the other hand, The Seattle Times writer Moira Macdonald is a fan of the novel and looking forward to seeing the movie.

The IMDb boards now include a thread for people who have seen the film already to give their opinion. So far, the reviews posted therein are all positive.

In another IMDb thread, Magical_Misfit links to an image of Mia Wasikowska as Jane in her wedding dress.

Badass Nerd includes the film among a list of 'The 12 Best Film Adaptations Of Beloved Books'. Concordiensis considers it a 'movie to get excited about'. The Los Angeles Times also lists the film in the article 'Spring full of film adaptations of favorite books'. Readers are invited to

Read it, then see how the lusciously spooky costume drama plays them out on-screen. (Carolyn Kellogg)

Women's eNews thinks that 'March Is Month-Long Treat for Movie-Going Women'. Jane Eyre is one of the reasons:

No. 1: Cary Fukunaga's "Jane Eyre" brings Charlotte Bronte's beloved novel to the screen with a somber and sober emphasis on the hard and dark realities of impoverished, powerless Victorian-era girls and women. Convincingly played by Mia Wasikowska, young Jane is determined to escape her troubled childhood and survive bleak and threatening circumstances. Screenwriter Moira Buffini's script imbues period mannerisms with psychological innuendo and moves through several intriguing plot twists. A great spin on a classic. (Jennifer Merin)

The Chicago Tribune takes a look at some of the screenings which will take place as part of the 14the European Union Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center and advises,

If you want a classy, cultural experience, this one [Jane Eyre] is it. (Nina Metz)

It now turns out that not only Mia Wasikowska will be there for the March 6th screening, but so will Cary Fukunaga.

MovieLine recalls a funny anecdote told by Mia Wasikowska:

Fassbender plays the handsome Mr. Edward Rochester, whose love for the headstrong and spirited Jane Eyre (Wasikowska) grows after they meet one day when she startles his horse on the misty grounds of Thornfield Hall. During filming of the scene, cast and crew were treated to a firsthand view of the Fassbender Effect, which Wasikowska delightfully related during her Jane Eyre press tour.
“Michael had a very… huge effect on any horse he got on,” Wasikowska recalled. “There was a horse on the third day of filming [when] we were shooting the scene where Jane and Rochester meet, and every time Michael hopped on the horse it got a huge erection. And he’d get off and they’d run the poor thing around the block to try to make it go away, and he’d hop on it again and it would happen all over again, and they’d have to get him off and run it around.”
“It happened in rehearsals and then on the day of shooting,” she added with a smile. “So it was great.” (Jen Yamato)

Mia Wasikowska is also interviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal: The first scene you filmed was Jane fleeing Rochester's Thornfield estate, where you're stumbling and crying and soaking wet. How did you ramp up to that intensity?
Ms. Wasikowska: Ah yes, stumbling through the moors. I think that was day two. That's the thing about films—you can never choose when you do anything. You have to be ready at any moment to turn on a certain emotion. It would suck to do those scenes against a [special effects] green screen. Out there, it was windy and cold and I could at least imagine what it would be like.
Were there passages of the book that especially helped you unlock the character?
By the time I'd finished rereading it I'd underlined pretty much the whole book. From start to finish it's Jane's inner monologue, but the big key to understanding Jane is Rochester. Almost everything he says unlocks who she actually is.
You finished high school through correspondence courses. Was "Jane Eyre" part of your curriculum?
No. I read the book after I'd finished filming "Alice in Wonderland." I made a list of 10 books that I thought were classics and "Jane Eyre" was on that list. I was on the fifth chapter when I emailed my agent to ask if anyone was adapting it. Two months later she sent me the script and I was meeting Cary.
Did you feel it was important to be grounded in how other filmmakers and actresses have portrayed Jane?
I chose not to watch previous versions of the film. Partially because I was overwhelmed by how many there were, plus I didn't want to be influenced by other performances.
What makes Jane contemporary?
She has such a strong sense of self. She doesn't compromise herself. There's something in her that makes her think she's worthy of happiness, and that's really an important thing for young women to remember, especially when they're falling in love.
You were a ballet dancer before switching to acting. What's worse: point shoes or the corsets you wore for this role?
Corsets. There's something about feeling that you're trapped in a cage that gives you the sense of repression that women were under at the time. You can't bend over and you can't reach up, so you have to rely on people all the time. I've never been happier to be born in this time than when I was wearing a corset. [...]
In "Jane Eyre," the romantic tension between Jane and Rochester is so critical. Was there a way the filmmakers tested that when they cast the film?
Michael and I hadn't met before the first day of rehearsal. That was a big leap of faith for them and there was a huge sigh of relief when we got along. Half your job is done if you can just have fun together. (John Jurgensen)

Finally, according to this press release, Papyrus has partnered with Focus Features And Visit Britain and has a couple of competitions going on:

Visit Papyrus at the following locations to secure complimentary screening tickets; Westside Pavilion Papyrus - Los Angeles, Columbus Avenue Papyrus - New York, Embarcadero Center Papyrus - San Francisco; or visit www.papyrusonline.com for more information.
The in-store sweepstakes, held in partnership with Focus, is for a single Grand Prize trip for two to Yorkshire County in England, the home of Charlotte Brontë. The trip is valued at a $4,900. It includes airfare, hotel accommodations, and tickets to the Brontë Parsonage museum.
For details and official rules visit: http://www.visitbritain.us/campaigns/film/win/form.aspx. The sweepstakes began on February 14 and will end on May 2, 2011.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV