MovieChat Forums > Jane Eyre (1996) Discussion > One of the worst adaptations

One of the worst adaptations

posted 20 years ago by sweet_fanny_adams
17 replies | jump to latest

Unbelievably bad casting and script. William Hurst acted like a spoilt brat and disclosed all his feelings too quickly (he wasn't brooding or mysterious enough). Charlotte Gainsbourg had as much emotion as a glass of water (she also resembles - in the nicest possible way - the actress who plays the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. I don't mean she's ugly, she just resembles her). Elle McPhearson (sorry don't know how to spell it) playing Blanche Ingram?! Pah!
Funnily enough, Bertha Rochester (who's supposed to be quite ugly) is actually pretty - she looks like Siobhan Fahey from Bananarama fame!

Everything is disclosed too quickly in this adaptation. The book is fantastic (it stayed with me for years!). I think the best adaptation so far is the 1997 ITV version starring Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds. Samantha's not so good, but Ciaran is great!

[–] lulumary123 9 years ago

So far I've seen a few adaptations and this one was AWFUL - all that whiny music constantly playing in the background, William Hurt was just sort of bewildered and mumbly. The best one I've seen is the miniseries with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke, his Rochester is kind of loony and wild and unpredictable and uber charming. And Clarke is much more "plain Jane", much more appropriate for the role. The costumes in that version also made her look dumpy and when Rochester starts falling in love with her and she him its all you can do to want to scream at them to remove that horrible armor that is their clothes!

I thought Charlotte Gainsboug was too pretty and not fiery enough under the surface to be like the book Jane. You have to really feel the something that draws these people together, who can't express their true selves but in the presence of each other. Otherwise its just sort of soapy, with period-ish outfits.

The miniseries shows that really well, but I also think that's party because there were 10 episodes to tell the story. You get much more of Jane's horrid early life, the orphanage, and also life with the parson and his sisters, it really befits the novel.

I much prefer to watch series or miniseries, especially when they're book adaptations. Sometimes This story just can't be told effectively in two hours!

"A sword is useless in the hands of a coward" - Nichiren Daishonin