Jane Eyre (2011) Review

Based upon the 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre tells the story of an orphan girl by the name of Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska from last year's billion dollar hit Alice in Wonderland) who after years of abuse at an all-girl school travels to Thornfield House where she is employed as a governess (that's a fancy word for a nanny) by the dark, abrupt, almost sinister Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer soon become friends and she finds herself falling in love with him, much to the chagrin of herself and the head housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench). As time passes Jane learns that Mr. Rochester is harboring a very dark secret. Don't worry, I won't give away any spoilers suffice it to say that he isn't a vampire.

You know your movie is in trouble when the biggest criticism from me is the lead actress. Mia Wasikowska is not a particularly talented actress. In this film she is flat, lifeless and just plain boring. She is only "going through the motions" and delivers the lines as though she is reading them directly off cue cards. For the first two-thirds of the film she does no emoting whatsoever. Then in the last act of the film she does nothing but emote. By then I want to say "Frankly, my dear I don't give a damn". Her casting in the film has "studio" written all over it. She was the lead in a majorly successful film last year so it seems only natural that she would continue to be cast in lead roles despite not having enough talent to carry an entire film. There is an actress who also appears in the film by the name of Tamzin Merchant who would have been a far better choice for the title character.

Fear not fellow cinephiles. I did not hate everything about the film. As a matter of fact with the exception of the above paragraph I quite enjoyed the rest of the film. The performances by Michael Fassbender (who reminds me of a younger Daniel Day-Lewis) and Judi Dench are fantastic. Although could you expect any less from Judi Dench? Everything you need to know about both of their characters is subtly shown in their first scenes. For example Mr. Rochester is shown wearing a black hat and black coat with black trousers while riding a black horse with a black dog in tow. Those color choices, obviously no accident, automatically give us a feeling of foreboding and mystery around the character that we are intrigued by.

The cinematography, art direction, production design and costumes all fit together like the pieces of a gothic period puzzle. The film is sure to receive Oscar nominations in one or more of those categories. Cinematographer Adriano Goldman, whose work I must admit I am not familiar with, creates a bleak canvas of near-winter in the film, not just with exterior scenes, but the interior as well. One gets the feeling that it is colder inside the buildings then outside.

Overall, if asked by a friend, I'd recommend it but prepare to be unmoved and unaffected by Wasikowska's wooden acting.

★★1/2