Death by Adaptation: Jane Eyre (2011)
Focus FeaturesSince the beginning of cinema there have been adaptations of Jane Eyre, at least one every decade. In revisiting the most recent feature film version, directed by Cary Fukunaga in 2011, it proves to be one of the most emotionally faithful interpretations available to fans of Charlotte Brontë’s book.
Considering Fukunaga’s previous work, adapting a beloved romance novel was a deviation from what was expected of a young director. Before committing to Jane Eyre, he had shot short films and the critically acclaimed Sin Nombre, a Spanish-language film about teenagers trying to immigrate into the United States. While preparing for his next film he stated, “I’ve spent a lot of time rereading the book and trying to feel out what Charlotte Brontë was feeling when she was writing it.”
In that regard the film succeeds, capturing a moodiness and lyricism that rivals Jane Campion’s Bright Star, which was released two years earlier. The more gothic elements of the novel are left intact as well, as Jane (Mia Wasikowska) remains in the dark about the secret Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender) is keeping hidden within his estate. A sequence where Jane is left alone in a room and vulnerable to attack carries more weight and suspense compared with other adaptations. It encroaches on horror territory without losing the thread of her journey.
Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre strikes that difficult balance while remaining true to its source material. The entirety of Brontë’s book is informed by its heroine’s thoughts and interior feelings, so every adaptation faces the challenge of capturing them on film. This responsibility falls on Wasikowska’s shoulders but she makes it seem effortless, towing the line between her burgeoning emotions and the struggle to protect herself from exploitation or harm. Her scenes with Fassbender capture that push and pull – always keeping him at an arm’s length – until she confronts him with her feelings of love in a rush of righteous indignation.
As fans of the book well know, this leads to their union and one of the most shocking – and especially these days, problematic – plot twists in a book of its time. However, what remains indisputable about Jane Eyre’s power is that its titular heroine has a hunger for independence, the inner strength and – yes, the good luck – to shape a future on her own terms. Whether through dialogue or without words, Wasikowska captures this struggle beneath a cool exterior, slowly revealing her vulnerabilities as she finds her place in an uncertain world.
Likewise, the casting of supporting characters in this adaptation are pitch-perfect and at times surprising, from the younger Jane (Amelia Clarkson) and the loutish John Reed (Craig Roberts) to Mrs. Reed (Sally Hawkins), St. John Rivers (Jaime Bell) and Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench), who gives her scenes notes of warmth and compassion often missed from adaptations of the novel. It is also worth noting that others in the cast had already made an impression in other costume dramas, bringing experience and authenticity to portraying the times: Imogen Poots (Miss Austen Regrets), Holliday Grainger (The Tudors) and Tamzin Merchant (Pride & Prejudice).
A drawback to this verison of Eyre is how quickly the plot develops and resolves itself in comparison to the book, abridging the story to a trim two-hour runtime when it may have benefitted from expanding into a miniseries. Since Fukunaga went on to direct the ten-episode Maniac and a critically acclaimed season of True Detective, it’s tempting to think of what may have been. Nevertheless, his adaptation of this novel has definitely made an impression and provides some stiff competition to any further attempts. No one else has bothered for the past decade – which is not only an anomaly, but a sign he has left a high benchmark.