Jane Eyre: Cary Fukunaga's Haunted Film

[zalena]

Cary Fukunaga's adaptation finally came to town. I went to see it Friday, not expecting it to throw me sideways. This word for the film is 'haunted.' Not just 'haunting' --- though it is that, too --- but haunted by people, places, and experiences that refuse to lay quiet in the past. It seems appropriate that the film be haunted, after all, this

Comments

[ashfae]

Supernatural elements are not at all required for a gothic novel; it's all about the atmosphere, and an air of gloom and/or mystery. Though that said, while I've applied the adjective to both the book and this movie adaption in particular, I'd still use it as an description rather than a classification.

I too really liked the post-realization confrontation seen between Jane and Rochester; it's one of the main reasons I'm recommending it to people. That and I think no filmed version of Jane Eyre will ever capture the book, but each has a different piece that it displays well.

This is a very powerful review.

[zalena]

Thanks. I agree that what I liked most about this film is the acknowledgement that what happened between Jane & Rochester was fundamentally *not* okay. It seemed more prescient, more immediate, like it wasn't just a historical 'animal husband' fable (Jane Eyre is a very Beauty & the Beast kind of tale), but speaks to the way we conduct our relationships here and now.

[borbor_chan]

I always thought Jane Eyre was super duper ultra boring (everything I hate about 19th-cent. chick lit.!), but this version does sound a bit interesting.

If you want to go to a screening where the audience is involved, go to a theater full of black people. (Back in Kansas City or NOLA the audience was sometimes more entertaining than the movies, particularly at slasher flicks.)

[borbor_chan]

...although "Wide Sargasso Sea" was worse

[zalena]

NYC audiences were also vocal, regardless of color. I will never forget the moment in Episode Two when Anikin is telling Amidala, "I have these feelings... and I just don't know what to do with them..." Someone from the audience yells, "Use the Force!" and from then on it was a free-for-all.