The underdeveloped and "plain" Jane Eyre
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| Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbander save this adaptation from failing. |
It is a common sentiment that the movies are never as thorough as novels are - let it be in terms of their complexity, impact or details. Hence, it is unfair to judge a film adaptation on the literary standards, for a visual medium can only be an approximate version of what a novel is. And yet even with relaxed criteria, it is saddening that Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre fails to capture the very essence of the Charlotte Brontë's novel, let alone the details. The novel was about feminism, religion, righteousness and yes, romance too - but the film is merely an underdeveloped romance with scattered hints of feminism - everything else is forgotten into the oblivion.
It is probably the umpteenth adaptation of the celebrated classic. When a work has been translated so many times onscreen, you expect the latest attempt to bring something new to the already done-to-death analysis of the work. Unfortunately, Jane Eyre does not bring anything new. The plot is skimmed so much that the narrative becomes a sequence of bullet points of novel's key events. The themes are never fully exploited, the buildups never pay off. Clocking less than two hours, screenplay by Moira Buffini is sketchy and crude, often forsaking the intricacy of its source material for pace and simplicity.
Its lead actors, Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbander, thankfully embody the characters with flesh, blood and sweat. They are completely convincing in their portrayal and never once they have rung out of tune from their respective characters. Wasikowska shines with her expressive demeanor - even though the film lacks inner monologues that Jane had, her face speaks of many untold stories. Fassbander puts his own stamp on Mr. Rochester - he is brooding and sullen, yet he shelters a thrilling passion for Jane. Judi Dench plays an extended cameo as Mrs. Fairfax fittingly - though her character is expanded beyond the scope of the novel. Apart from this triad, everyone else is rendered trivial, rushed or as a side-note.
As a mainstream British production warrants, Jane Eyre is well-made. The set design, costumes, cinematography and a moody score by Dario Marianelli are worth mentioning. However, the actual problem lies with the script - a successful adaptation treads a thin line of altered sub-plots and a narrative encompassing the entire novel. Jane Eyre is too short to encompass the entire novel and pretty unaudacious to afford an altered version. Great adaptations achieve this aforementioned balance, the lesser one struggle. Jane Eyre falls into the latter category.
3/5
