The Bangability of St John

The Boston Globe reviews A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz:

Deresiewicz suggests that his ignorant distaste for her work before he read her corresponds to a cultural truth: “In fact, a lot of people hate Jane Austen. . . . They see her as cold and prudish, a schoolmarm and killjoy.’’ Well, Charlotte Brontë might have agreed, since she said that the passions were quite unknown to Austen; but to claim that “a lot of’’ present-day readers “hate’’ her, seems to me wholly untrue, and the evidence of endless books, essays, and films about her surely disprove such a claim. (William H. Pritchard)

Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times about contemporary Cinderellas:

Yet the power of the fairy tale was vividly illustrated once more with the luminous wedding of comely commoner Kate Middleton to a charming Prince William, and a hypnotic new film adaptation of “Jane Eyre,” Charlotte Brontë’s gothic take on the Cinderella story.

The Belfast Telegraph also talks about marriages but seems to credit Jane Eyre with more frustrated weddings than she already had:

"Reader, I married him'' may be a pat way to brighten up a lurid gothic romance but, unless they come at the end of a book, the marriage service is generally a presage to disaster. Even poor old Jane Eyre had to have two goes before bagging her by then humbled and therefore less sexually threatening Rochester.

The CelebrityCafe reviews Jane Eyre 2011:

The most recent film version of Jane Eyre, though leaving out some aspects of the novel, accurately portrays many of the characters and events of the classic novel. This film is enjoyable while still faithful to the story, and the journey of the heroine is as remarkable as ever. (...)
The settings of the film are splendid and the interpretations of some of the scenery and locations fit quite nicely with what would be expected from descriptions from the book.
Altogether, the most recent film adaptation of Jane Eyre is enjoyable and helps to get across the majority of the story, though if you’d like a more in-depth understanding, I would suggest reading the entire novel. (Ellen Stodola)

By the way, a nice Jane Eyre-related initiative in the Film Streams' Ruth Sokolof Theater (Omaha):

BABY-FRIENDLY SCREENING (Please note new date and time!): Join us on Sunday, May 1 at 1:45pm for a baby-friendly screening of Jane Eyre. Infants welcome, and all under the age of 2 attend free!

On blogs: Pointless Movies Reviews,  Frenetic Reader, Labirin Film (in Indonesian).

The Awl publishes a list of the "111 Male Characters Of British Literature, In Order Of Bangability":

1. Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre)
12. Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
38. St. John Rivers (Jane Eyre)
46. M. Héger (Villette)

Daily Times (Pakistan) includes a profile of composer Naushad Ali:

A.R. Kardar then went for the movie 'Dil Diya Dard Liya' adapted from 'Wuthering Heights' in 1965. Personally, I was very sorry that this beautiful Dilip-Waheeda Rehman, Shyama and Pran starrer movie did not meet commercial success as it was a beautiful movie. Muhammad Rafi's 'Koi Saagar Dil Ko Behlata Nahin' was based on raag Kalawati though experts claim it be in Raag Janasamohini/Shubha Kalyan. Other beautiful melodies of this movie were 'Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aai' by Lata, 'Sawen Aaei Ya Na Aaei' by Rafi and Asha, 'Dilruba Mein Nei Terey Pyar Mein Kaya Kaya Na Kiya' by Rafi, 'Guzrey Hein Aaj Ishq Mein Us Maqaam Sei' by Rafi and a lovely song with modern treatment 'Kaya Rang-e-Mehfil Hei Dildaram' by Lata are unforgettable melodies. (Dr. Amjad Parvez)

The New Zealand Herald remembers Kate Bush's debut:

Who can forget the willowy, teenage Kate, attempting to encapsulate the entire passionate turmoil of Wuthering Heights into four-and-a-half minutes of eccentric warbling?  (Andy Gill)

We wonder what ruins this writer has in mind when he evokes Wuthering Heights and compares it to Braveheart (!). In Buffalo News:

But there is something infinitely more romantic about ruins than about completion. Ruins evoke emotions of the saddest love stories: “Wuthering Heights” or “Braveheart,” Mel Gibson charging through the Scottish countryside, back when he was more cute than bonkers. (Monica Hesse)

Ler por gusto não cansa, The Australian Bookshelf and 7972vale (a YouTube video) review Jane Eyre in Portuguese and Historical Tapestry chooses it as one of the books of her life; Jenny's Books didn't like Wuthering Heights.

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