For the next generation

After yesterday's brief respite, the Jane Eyre reviews are back.

Positive

The Harvard Crimson:

In his movie “Jane Eyre,” Fukunaga emphasizes the aristocratic structures that separate Jane and Rochester. Through most of their interactions, Rochester speaks in convoluted and cryptic sentences, employing a wider vocabulary than Jane and often leaving her confused. Fukunaga also populates his film with many shots of Jane observing Rochester from afar, unable to engage fully in his life of privilege. [...]
Though the cast is strong in its own right, their characters also come alive due to the environment they inhabit. Filled with shadows and flickering candlelight, the feel of the film preserves Brontë’s gothic tendencies and casts an alluring yet frightening pall over the proceedings. [...]
Living up to Brontë’s iconic novel is a difficult task, something not lost on the makers of “Jane Eyre.” “Literary [adaptations] are more of a risk,” said Fukunaga. “You just have to hope people accept your interpretation.” Ultimately, the hope is that the film’s unique qualities of cast and production will justify it. By placing Wasikowska and Fassbender in a world full of foreboding mystery and poignantly illustrating their attempts to accept their respective vulnerabilities, Fukunaga looks to have his “Jane Eyre” do justice to its classic namesake, and take a respectable place among the long line of film versions of the story. (Lauren B. Paul)

Poptimal:

Not to mention, book-to-film adaptations can just downright anger some people. So that being said, how did Jane Eyre make it work? I’d say a large part of it was the brilliant cast of actors. [...]
In addition to the great cast, it was visually on key with the storyline. The scenery gave off a dark and foreboding atmosphere when Jane was going through harder times and a much lighter and rich one when things were looking more up. For me, the visual aspect of a movie is so important. It has so much to do with the ambiance of a story and in this case made me feel a stronger sentiment for the characters. [...]
For a Brontë newbie like myself, I felt it was satisfying story although I’m sure book experts will be a bit more critical. However, if you know the story of Jane Eyre or not, the film was so well done that it might be a pleasant surprise for both fans and non-fans alike. (Desiree Neall)

Chud:

I know this isn’t saying much, but Jane Eyre is quite easily the best film of the year so far. It’s very well-made, the narrative is presented in an interesting fashion and the cast is very good. Hell, this movie actually made me interested in what Mia Wasikowska does next. If you’re interested in a movie with strong feminist tones and you don’t mind trading fancy visuals for decent storytelling, check this one out. (William Thomas Berk)

The Dartmouth reports that Jane Eyre will be screened as part of the Dartmouth Film Society's Spring 2011 series British Invasion.

The New York Times brings up Jane Eyre 2011 when discussing women roles on current TV programmes:

Television reflects all kinds of vestigial double standards, and an enduring one is the different perception of anger: a man’s wrath often signals passion or zeal; a woman’s rage or orneriness borders on crazy.
One reason the “Jane Eyre” story never gets old — and a new version of that Charlotte Brontë novel starring Mia Wasikowska is now in theaters — is that its darkest themes still seem fresh. In the feminist canon, “Jane Eyre” symbolizes social repression — Mr. Rochester’s wife is so wild that she is labeled a madwoman and hidden in the attic. (Alessandra Stanley)

A few blogs also review the film: Feminéma, Ciao Domenica, Inside My Mind, A Beaten Copper Lamp of Deplorable Design, Movie Picks by Watson and Composing Kate. Also, via All Things Foe, we discover that the film already has its own South Korean website (release April 21).

The Dallas Morning News suggests visiting the 'landscapes that inspired the Jane Eyre author'.

On to the other Brontë topic of the week: Jonathan Holloway's radio adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The Telegraph reviews the production:

Otherwise it was an unremarkable if workmanlike compression of the text, with five minutes allowed per chapter for Volume 1 and Heathcliff’s plottings in Volumes 2 and 3 all jam-packed into the last half-hour. Badly cast and acted with more ferocity than fire it was thin, limping stuff and much cosier than the original. (Gillian Reynolds)

The Spoof mocks the uproar caused by this dramatisation.

Another adaptation of Wuthering Heights is the stage version by Lucy Gough, now touring Wales. The South Wales Argus reviews it:

Lucy Gough’s adaptation is however a faithful representation of the storyline with all the passion and turmoil that makes the original so great. Set to a multilayered backdrop of the dark brooding wild moor that reflects the freedom and constraints Heathcliff and Cathy experience in their love for each other the cast make the most of shadows and light rather than elaborate props to illustrate the different scenes.
Robert Vernon throws his all into the role of the self destructive Heathcliff. Vernon’s portrayal is energetic, powerful and believable and you feel empathy for his unrelinquished love for Cathy.
Rosie Holt gives a mesmerising and haunting portrayal of Catherine Earnshaw giving her an almost wildcat devil may care presence in life and the presence of a haunting spectre in death..
Jenny Livsey’s portrayal of Nelly is sympathetic giving a warm presence to the production while Jessica Guise is a formidable challenger to Heathcliff’s aggression as young Cathy. (Andy Howells)

According to the Guardian,

the Orange prize for fiction has joined forces with Vintage Classics to ask 100 people to name the one book they would pass on to the next generation – their so-called inheritance classic.
The choices are fascinating. Certain authors make more than one appearance: Woolf, Austen, Tolstoy, Hardy, Faulkner, Misses C and E Brontë, Orwell, Harper Lee and Homer had more mentions than I'd have expected. Interesting, too, was how proportionately few contemporary novels make the cut – White Teeth, Wolf Hall and Trainspotting are here, but no Money or Saturday.

EDIT 30 March 2011: Booktrade has further info on this.

Sarah Waters, a well-known Brontëite, may be one of those recommending the Brontës, as seen once again in an interview on After Ellen.

AE: When I came out someone bought me Tipping The Velvet and said "Here you go, welcome." And I definitely feel that it is still more than just a book for me, it's bigger than its pages and the characters kind of go with me through my life, if that makes sense? When you were growing up was there a book like that for you?
SW: There are books like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights that had a huge impact on me when I was a teenager. (Sarah and Lee)

After last week's obituaries mentioning her role as Helen Burns in Jane Eyre 1944, today we have come across a couple of Elizabeth Taylor - Brontë mentions that don't have anything to do with that film. The Philadelphia Inquirer on the letters relating to the first time she was engaged to be married:

The online auction, set for May 19-26, also will feature letters that Taylor's mother wrote to Pawley after the engagement ended, including one in which she wrote, "You have a nervous condition and a problem with jealousy, as such you and Elizabeth can never be together."
How harsh. It's like a Brontë novel. But mother should have known that saying never to a teenage girl could lead to . . . seven husbands. (Howard Gensler)

And The Cutting Edge on her relationship with Richard Burton:

Her personal tragedy was to find an alter ego in the person of the fiery Welsh actor Richard Burton, to whom she was twice married, yet be unable to sustain a happy marriage to him. Like Heathcliff and Cathy in Wuthering Heights, they seemed doomed to destroy each other. (Francis Philips)

EDIT: An alert from Florence (Italy):

Alla Feltrinelli International (Firenze, via Cavour 12 ore 18) Gabriella Sica parla del suo libro “ Emily e le altre” (Cooper). Un libro a cavallo dei generi che ruota intorno ad alcune figure geniali della poesia che sono state antenate o eredi, madri o figlie di Emily Dickinson: Charlotte ed Emily Brontë, Elisabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, Margherita Guidacci, Cristina Campo, Nadia Campana e Amelia Rosselli. (La Repubblica)

Categories: Alert, Audio-Radio, Books, Brontëites, Haworth, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Theatre, Wuthering Heights