Jane Eyre
Short description
Cary Joji Fukunaga directed this 2011 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel, his second feature after Sin Nombre and the film that came before Beasts of No Nation and No Time to Die. Moira Buffini wrote the screenplay, and Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits produced. Mia Wasikowska plays Jane Eyre, an orphan raised in hardship who takes a post as governess at Thornfield Hall, where she is to teach a young girl in the care of the estate's owner. Michael Fassbender is Edward Rochester, the abrupt and withdrawn master whose manner unsettles her; Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins, Simon McBurney and Valentina Cervi appear in supporting roles.
Jane and Rochester gradually form a bond that turns into love, though his reserve and the strange atmosphere of the isolated house trouble her, and something in his past stands between them. The production, a British and American co-production, cost around 13 million dollars and returned roughly 35 million worldwide, a solid multiple of its budget. It runs two hours.
Audience response has been strong and consistent across platforms: 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from about 97,000 votes, and 7.2 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller base of 1,602 votes. The critics' rating of 7.4 out of 10, drawn from 167 reviews, sits slightly above both audience scores, indicating broad approval rather than a divided reception.
What's left behind the scenes
- Cary Joji Fukunaga wanted to show how strongly the presence of Edward Rochester affects the lives of the inhabitants of Thornfield Hall, and he wrote a scene in which the heroines played by Judi Dench, Mia Wasikowska, and Romie Settbon Moore try to have a conversation while Rochester is shooting outside the window. This scene is not in the novel. In the film commentary, Fukunaga says that this is the only scene written specifically for the film.
- The protagonist's house (played by actress Mia Wasikowska) was located in a remote area where even cell phones had no signal. One of the crew members had to constantly be stationed in a phone booth with a walkie-talkie in case anything was needed for filming. Locals constantly brought him tea and various treats.
- During the filming of the post-wedding scene with Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester (played by Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender), filming was repeatedly interrupted because Fassbender's suspenders kept breaking.
- Romie Settbon Moore got the role of Adèle because she spoke fluent French. Cary Joji Fukunaga organized a screening at a local bilingual school to find a girl who could convincingly play a Frenchwoman and understand his instructions.
- To create a gothic atmosphere, many scenes were filmed by firelight or candlelight.
- Cary Joji Fukunaga chose not to film the burning of Thornfield Hall, as he wanted to remain faithful to the book, where everything is told from Jane's perspective. In the book, Jane is not present during the fire.
- Elliot Page (formerly known as Ellen Page) was initially considered for the lead role but later declined the project.
- A significant part of the novel on which the film is based takes place in the 1830s, but director Cary Joji Fukunaga altered the timeline, and the film's action takes place a decade later. The reason was that the clothing of that period was rather unattractive, and the director wanted Mrs. Reed, played by Sally Hawkins, rather than Jane Eyre, to be filmed in such attire.
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