Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre poster & wallpaper
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William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Joan Plowright, Anna Paquin, Geraldine Chaplin ... see more see more... , Billie Whitelaw , Edward de Souza , Elle Macpherson , Maria Schneider , Fiona Shaw , John Wood , Josephine Serre , Samuel West

Director Franco Zeffirelli stresses emotional realism over gothic chills in this restrained adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic. The screenplay, by Zeffirelli and Hugh Whitmore, remains relativel... read more read more...y faithful to the original story, beginning with a condensed look at the troubled childhood of young Jane (Anna Paquin) and her mistreatment by a cruel aunt (Fiona Shaw). The bulk of the film centers on Jane as an adult (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a prim governess who accepts a position at Thornfield Hall caring for the young Adele (Josephine Serre). There Jane also must deal with the estate's head, Edward Rochester (William Hurt), a mysteriously brooding yet oddly alluring older man. She finds herself drawn to Rochester, but their potential romance is threatened by Jane's fears and Rochester's internal torment. Rather than the spooky visuals of earlier adaptations, Zeffirelli and cinematographer David Watkins opt for a subdued gloominess, placing emphasis on Gainsbourg's and Hurt's wounded portrayals. Fans of the gothic will likely find Zeffirelli's interpretation anemic in comparison to the passionate 1944 version with Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles, though others may appreciate the more naturalistic and faithful approach. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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65% liked it

10,002 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

27 critics

PG, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli

Release Date: April 12, 1996

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DVD Release Date: February 4, 2003

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Stats: 508 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (508)

  • ScoopOnline
    January 14, 2010
    ScoopOnline
    The passionate tale of forbidden secrets! This Movie totally stole my Heart. Very intense and a great Love Story.
    It is based upon a book but I m glad that they are so Kind to make the Movies

    Shadows are just as important as the light.
  • jennifxu
    December 3, 2009
    jennifxu
    Whoa, way to take a feminist classic and make it as humanly boring and awkward as possible.
  • thmtsang
    March 14, 2009
    thmtsang
    Based on Charlotte Bronte's book, this is a story of a young girl who has a terrible unbringing in a home. She goes to work as a governess for a little girl and falls for the master.
  • ileo
    December 26, 2007
    ileo
    A personal favorite.
  • uk2ga
    September 17, 2010
    uk2ga
    There have been a number of attempts to turn Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre into a film but to date there has yet to be a wholly successful one. This is because there inevitably have to be some significant storytelling changes made to fit the running time and events become compacte... read mored. Some stories can survive abridgment but Jane Eyre is not one of them as its plot points are linked to its themes and sense of style. Remove plot points and those themes disappear too.

    Franco Zeffirelli's version of the story does just that but as with the Orson Welles version from the 1940s, it is the better film for it, even though that weakens it as a straightforward adaptation.

    While the Welles version heavily leaned on the novel's gothic imagery, Zeffirelli presents a romanticized English landscape with a stirring classical score. With the romance between Jane and Rochester at its core, Zeffirelli cuts Jane's wandering sequence after she leaves Thornfield and almost all of their playful banter and teasing.

    The result is a more melancholy, simple love story about two awkward people (one of whom has a secret that will lead them to do a bad thing).

    William Hurt's take on Rochester is one of the blander interpretations of the character but given that he has comparatively little time on screen it makes sense that he is much more straightforward than the Rochester of the novel.

    Charlotte Gainsbourg is better and definitely fits the visual image of Jane while she manages to show us both a soft, fragile side and a harder, resilient side to the character. Other pairings have had stronger chemistry but each handle their scenes well and are believable as the characters.

    The rest of the cast is relatively star-studded with a young Anna Paquin playing Jane as a child, FIona Shaw as her uncaring Aunt Reed and Joan Plowright as the housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax.

    Overall, while this may not be the most faithful adaptation to the text of the novel (that would probably be the 73 or 83 BBC television adaptations), it ends up making for a very pleasing and beautifully filmed romance.
  • Dragon2Vampire2Phoenix2
    February 4, 2010
    Dragon2Vampire2Phoenix2
    It was very good on its own for a movie, but reading the book before the movie seemed to be to fast paced.
  • blaznasian29
    June 20, 2009
    blaznasian29
    This film adaptation does absolutely no justice for Charlotte Brontė's novel. I dislike the idea of screenwriters taking the liberty to change so much of a bestselling novel to suit their own tastes. I believe that part of the reason why a bestselling novel is a bestseller is bec... read moreause of what happens inside the book; to change that would be ill-advised.

    Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jane Eyre was a solid choice for an outward appearance; she portrayed the idea of Jane being very plain and homely, but this movie changes everything around that a watcher is deprived of all the emotions, destitution, and defiance that was the basis of Jane Eyre's character.

    To watch this movie fall short of the novel's standards is heartbreaking. I would recommend just reading the novel. Charlotte Brontė's ability to describe scenes and emotions so beautifully and in-depth creates no need for voices and movies; it will trump this film any day.
  • lavenderfields
    November 17, 2008
    lavenderfields
    I want so much to read this book again, but I still haven't finished Wuthering Heights. What a torturous life these people led. So sad!
  • laney33
    July 8, 2008
    laney33
    I didn't much care for William Hurt in this role. I had trouble understanding Charlotte Gainsbourg. But it did follow the book. I like the book better.
  • shelerella
    June 15, 2007
    shelerella
    I had a hard time getting through this movie..The pace was excruciating...but the story was very romantic and meaningful

View All Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Jane Eyre with William Hurt as Rochester sounds dicey enough, but the last thing you expect from Zeffirelli's latest is a Jane without juice.

Audrey Rock-Richardson
June 30, 2004
Audrey Rock-Richardson, Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

All the literary elements are here, but it's lacking in emotion.

Dan Lybarger
February 23, 2004
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

Interestingly low-key take on the classic. By underplaying Rochester, Hurt manages to make him just a little bit creepier.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 27, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Convincing and mesmerizing interpretation of this literary classic by Charlotte Bronte. Full Review

James Sanford
July 29, 2002
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

an O.K. adaptation, most notable for Hurt's performance

Lisa Schwarzbaum
September 7, 2011
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Travers
March 11, 2011
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Click to read the article Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
March 10, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Godfrey Cheshire
December 25, 2008
Godfrey Cheshire, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

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Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre Trivia

  • Which of the following actresses has NOT played Jane Eyre in a film version of Charlotte Bronte's novel?  Answer »
  • Who played Jane Eyre in the 1944 version of Charlotte Bronte's novel? (Orson Welles played Mr. Rochester.)   Answer »
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