The orphan Jane (Mia Wasikowska) survives a childhood of abuse and religious fundamentalism to become governess at Thornfield Hall, home of the enigmatic Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). More reviews are available online at – – –ĭirector Cary Joji Fukunaga’s adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel, though faithful, nonetheless ramps up the gothic and scary elements of the plot. McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - adults. The film contains adult themes, some intense scenes of nonsexual child abuse, and an artistic nude image. Possibly acceptable for mature teens, despite the elements listed below. The mood is appropriately claustrophobic as Jane struggles against the stiff customs and propriety of the age, all the while keeping her faith in God and upholding her moral code. The moors are misty, the rain is drenching, and the wind howls, while the manor houses are forbiddingly grand and the ladies’ corsets tight. But fate, of course, has other things in store for these star-crossed lovers.ĭirector Cary Joji Fukunaga (“Sin Nombre”) makes the most of the English settings and, especially, the gloomy weather. Soon Rochester’s bedroom is on fire, and Jane saves his life - and melts his heart. Watch out for things that go bump in the night - and who’s making all that racket in the attic? Thornfield Hall makes the Haunted Mansion look like child’s play.
Fairfax (Judi Dench, who nearly steals the film). Her guide and confidante is the busybody housekeeper Mrs. Jane focuses on her work, teaching Adele Varens (Romy Settbon Moore), a young French girl in Rochester’s care, while trying to understand the eccentricities of her spiritually tormented employer. But it’s hardly love at first sight, since Rochester harbors demons that are gradually revealed in due course. He falls for Jane quite literally, tumbling off his bewitched horse when he first encounters her on a country lane. Jane endures until she is old enough to take a position as governess at Thornfield Hall, home of the enigmatic Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). But Jane’s faith never wavers, focusing on God himself, not on his whip-wielding minister. Needless to say, the prevailing Protestant Christianity is depicted as more repressive than uplifting. Jane is sent to a religious boarding school, where the mistreatment continues it’s a fire-and-brimstone place where frequent mortifications are seen as the way to purge the body of sin. Told in flashback, the film opens to find young Jane (Amelia Clarkson) a 10-year-old orphan consigned to the “care” of her uncle’s family where she’s abused and unloved.īut Jane is no pushover, and her independent streak, strong character, and personal piety sustain her through the multiple miseries that are to come. Mia Wasikowska, recently seen in the role of Alice wandering aimlessly through Wonderland, plays another lost soul in a strange place as the title character here. Creepiness aside, this is a well-acted film that recreates a bygone era when individuality took a back seat to convention, and the weather was very wet indeed. NEW YORK (CNS) - Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel gets the horror film treatment in “Jane Eyre” (Focus), an adaptation that remains true to the original story but ramps up the gothic and scary elements.