Jane Eyre's erotic appeal and Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights absence from Cannes

Jane Eyre 2011 enters into a new weekend and that always means quite a few reviews, although this weekend they are mostly of the brief kind.

The Mesa Press has liked the film:

Perfectly scripted, cast and executed, the newest film rendition of Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" is full of powerful emotions and is certain to please both fans of English literature and cinema-junkies alike.
It is always perplexing how Hollywood can ruin such amazing pieces of classic literature, so audiences should be thankful to director Cary Fukunaga and screenwriter Moira Buffini for keeping the integrity of "Jane Eyre" intact. [...]
Wasikowska is the perfect Jane Eyre; though beautiful her look is also somewhat plain and her performance in the role is absolutely exquisite. Fassbender displays the perfect balance between being a rugged, older gentleman and his gentle, passionate side. The onscreen chemistry between Wasikowska and Fassbender is fiery and intriguing and the two actors play off each other wonderfully. [...]
"Jane Eyre" will inspire audience members to go home and actually read the book - a notion which died long ago with the invention of Cliff's Notes. Some scenes will tug your heartstrings, while others will engage you to laugh at the dark and dry British humor.
The cast brings life to the classic novel with a spectrum of emotional depth that is sure not to disappoint. (Lauren J. Mapp)

Noozhawk gives it 3 stars:

A classic love story with religious and moral themes, Jane Eyre is a story that takes the loneliness of the human condition and our common desire for love, truth and belonging, and exaggerates them for the screen. As such, it is a story for everyone. (Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman)

The Ithaca Journal gives it 3 1/2 stars:

Since, frankly, most people inclined to see the film are likely familiar with the plot — Jane survives a miserable childhood, becomes a governess at the imposing estate of Mr. Rochester, and the two fall in love despite a mysterious impediment involving strange noises in the attic — the pleasures of a new "Jane Eyre" inevitably lie beyond the twists and turns. The latest version does offer a novel narrative structure, opening with a sequence that normally comes toward the end, as Jane seeks shelter in the isolated home of a minister (Jamie Bell) and his sisters, and telling the story in flashback. It works, adding to the general mood of heightened passion and heart-wrenching loss. Add to that some gorgeous countryside, period dress and the possibility of a happy ending ... and you've got yourself a tasty costume drama. (Beth Saulnier)

Podcast Film Review mentions the Bechdel test again:

What makes this story in another universe of better is that Jane’s convictions are fucking believable and agreeable. She is a strong, intelligent, and virtuous, character. I don’t know if the movie would pass the Bechdel test, but it is certainly a movie women should look to for a good female character.
The whole movie is rested on Wasikowska and Fassbender. They deliver – big time. They have such a talent for making lines that sound a little contrived kind of good. (Collin)

The Windsor Star is a tough contender for the 'strangest review' award:

Eyre's erotic appeal
Gothic romance attracts us with a deep, tidal force. Part of the appeal Of Jane Eyre is the sense of ungovernable eroticism squirming to escape from just beneath the surface.

Wicked Local Dedham gives it a B and includes it among the '12 films we like better than 'Rio''. The Calgary Herald gives it 4 out of 5 stars.

Steering clear of melodrama to deliver a relatively matter-of-fact story of Victorian survival, the director lets the plot do all the heavy dramatic lifting while the actors are left to keep things minimal and authentic.

The Times Herald-Record gives it 3.5 stars. The Yale Herald, Risky Regencies, The Puget Sound Trial, Life Observed by {Kate}, Reel Ranting, {frolic!}, Farol de reminescências (in Portuguese) review the film as well.

And now for this year's other Brontë movie: Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights, which hasn't finally made it to Cannes Festival, as confirmed by the London Evening Standard:

Other hotly anticipated Britflicks - including Cannes regular Andrea Arnold's recently completed version of Wuthering Heights and Terence Davies's screen adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play, The Deep Blue Sea - are not on the list. (Nick Roddick)

Coincidentally, MovieLine thinks that Andrea Arnold is one of the '5 Indie Filmmakers Who Should Have Already Broken into the Mainstream'.

Her Wuthering Heights was largely (solely?) shot in Yorkshire, although this press release on Yorkshire and its history in film doesn't mention it yet. It does mention Wuthering Heights 2009, though:

On the small(er) screen Oakwell Hall in Birstall, featured in the ITV production of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Esholt, near Shipley, appears twice a week on our TVs as the fictional village of Emmerdale (though you really can enjoy a pint in The Woolpack when you come to visit).

Globe Trotting - a Boston Globe blog - suggests a trip to Brontë country organised by The Wayfarers.

The Birmingham News interviews Kenny Morris, director and writer of the production of Wuthering Heights currently on stage at Theatre Downtown (Birmingham, AL).

1. Why did you pick this show?
I first decided I wanted to write an adaptation of this show about two years ago, when I was directing “Pride and Prejudice” at another local theater. Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” was what made me fall in love with classic literature. “Forced” to read it as a freshman in high school, I found I couldn’t put it down. I ended up reading it every summer for the next three years. I looked at a couple of stage play versions of the novel, but was disappointed with the scripts. Since the novel is in the public domain, I decided to adapt it myself. I approached Billy Ray Brewton, president and artistic director of Theatre Downtown, about writing and directing the play, and he immediately accepted. I began writing the stage play in November 2009. [...]
3. Who do you think will like this show?
I feel this show will have a very broad appeal, from normal theater-goers to classic literature fans. Certainly fans of the novel will want to see this one, but you need not have read the novel to enjoy the stage version. Also, “Twilight” fans that are intrigued by Bella’s references to “Wuthering Heights” in Stephenie Meyer’s popular series, but have not yet read Emily Brontë’s novel, may want to see this show. It’s a rare opportunity to see this classic on stage, so anyone who is interested should take this opportunity to see it. (Alec Harvey)

The Financial Times has an article on the exhibition Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Windows let us survey the wilds of city and country from the safety of home and to witness transformations – the staining and drifting of leaves, the sprouting of new buds – from an unchanging lookout. They intimate adventure without risk. In Wuthering Heights, the quintessential romantic novel, windows separate life from death. Characters fling them open to die, ghosts pound against them to rejoin the living. (Ariella Budick)

A.V. Club interviews author Wendy McClure, who mentions reading Jane Eyre as a child:

I think I read Jane Eyre when I was in fourth grade, and I remember reading about her as a child and wanting to sweep the poor kid away. It was like, “Come on back to my house, and we’ll have pizza; you don’t have to put up with this.” There were definitely times when I wanted to rescue the protagonists, but this is the only one where I really felt like I was in an equal relationship somehow, and I think that’s because the books never made me feel like I was on the outside looking in. The books just give you such access. You felt like you were side-by-side. (Tasha Robinson)

Book Report Club, mylifeapancake and Laura Vanel-Coytte (in French) post about Wuthering Heights. Flickr user Lemon Lauren has uploaded a portrait of Mr Rochester.

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