Jane Eyre

This is a very good adaptation of Charlotte Brontes timeless classic. Even though it doesn't really work as a movie, because the dialog in the book is reproduced more or less verbatim, which is great to read but different when you watch. However, it doesn't really have any movie pretensions, so I will not judge it as a movie.

This is a very fine production and I like it very much. The dialog is kept very clean (by which I mean not mutilated or modernized) and all of the humour that Rochester and Jane share is kept in, which is something that most other adaptations tend to lose somehow. The production values aren't great, but I did not mind that too much. However, the difference in picture quality between indoor and outdoor scenes is noticeable. A couple of things however are not so good. Jane narrates the story throughout, which I usually think is very helpful for people who are unfamiliar with the book. However, Janes running commentary during scenes where she speaks is distracting at times and not really helpful at all. It's not necessary to narrate "I smiled" while you can see her smiling on screen. Also, I found it quite weird that – since Jane is supposed to be tiny – Michael Jayston who plays Rochester is just an inch or so taller than Sorcha Cusack who plays Jane… I just could not get used to that, it bothered me every time they had a scene together. Also the makeup department went rather heavy on the eyeliner. With Ms Cusack it doesn't matter so much, but on Michael Jayston it just looks ridiculous.

Michael Jayston is a brilliant Rochester. The age is right and he can work wonders with his face to express emotions. I also like Sorcha Cusack, she is suitably plain, though the acting she does is limited (however, that might be due to the running commentary). Some reviewers have commented that the actors lack chemistry and I can see what they mean. It's very subtle but I thought there was some, just enough to support the story nicely. Another thing that was wrong though was St. John Rivers. He is supposed to be 30 in the book, however the actor looks at least 45… but he is brilliantly pious and unlikeable, just as he should be. Everything else however is just right and very true to the novel which I always approve of. All in all, I enjoyed this version very much and will watch it again but I will give slight deductions for the distracting commentary and the eyeliner

I'm bursting with repletion: I don't care if they never make another version or if they make a hundred versions of "Jane Eyre." I'll watch this one for the rest of my life. I got my very own copy of it in the mail today. I'm glad I hadn't been aware of its existence until two months ago. I don't think I would have survived without it for 35 years. It is the only version that truly respects the genius in Charlotte Bronte's writing, and doesn't presume to improve or interpret it.

Other reviewers have already used the very words I wanted to use to describe this brilliant dramatization. Michael Jayston is the only actor who seems to have taken the trouble to read the book and all its finer points: his portrayal displays all the moods and traits in just the right tone and force of feeling. Sorcha Cusack is adorable and dignified; the language of her eyes is easily interpreted by Jayston's Rochester. All the other actors are also perfect impersonations. If only we could give them a charm or a philter to make them look young again - we would make them re-film the complete dialogues.

Admittedly, I didn't at first take to this version. The script is faithful to the book (as I soon found by re-reading all the scenes), but I deemed the acting too theatrical, the outdoor sets too one-dimensional; and Michael Jayston's looks were not to my taste. On second viewing I found that the acting matched exactly Charlotte Bronte's narrative. The third viewing proved that a loving eye is all the charm needed to endear Rochester's looks to me. (I have now copied a picture of Jayston's Rochester as a computer background, and I look out for his appearance in re-runs of "Darling Buds of May" and "Foyle's War.")

Most importantly, this is the effect the superb interpretation of this version had on me: it re-transformed me from India-rubber back to flesh. Over the years of my mid-life crisis I ceased to believe in any form of love. Humanity, to me, seemed one mass of bad, hard-hearted individuals. JE 73 has opened new meaning and deepened my understanding of what Charlotte Bronte had really wanted to say in her novel. I had always considered her book to be my manifesto since teenage years - now it has become a revelation to me, has opened the doors of the soul's cell.

No other film version of "Jane Eyre" can touch this one for fidelity to the book and excellence of performance. Michael Jayston is the perfect Mr. Rochester - he looks the part, attractive yet not too pretty, and able to convince us of his hidden good qualities under a rough and abrasive exterior. Sorcha Cusack is wonderful as Jane - exactly what Charlotte Bronte set out to create, a plain, retiring heroine whose personality blazes through and captivates us. This version gives us the ENTIRE story, from Jane's deprived childhood and years at Lowood School to her life at Thornfield with Mr. Rochester. It even treats seriously the interlude with her cousins, St. John Rivers and his sisters, something film versions of the novel usually try to minimize or alter completely. Paradoxically, this actually works and makes sense, although it is an interruption in the more interesting Jane-Rochester story. The dialogue and narration are often taken directly from the novel, with just some abbreviation. I wish this version would appear on video - it is FAR superior to any of the others made for TV or the big screen. If you see it being broadcast (it turns up on Canadian TV sometimes) don't miss it.

This BBC TV miniseries version is, without a doubt, the best screen adaptation of the timeless novel. The storyline is as close to the book as could be expected, without major omissions. The language is carefully preserved, and when spoken by the excellent actors Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston, the book does come alive. What a tribute to Charlotte Bronte! Why, oh why, has it still not been released on video?!

I have seen many versions of Jane Eyre, and this version is at the top of my list. When I get the urge for some terrific acting and a bit of romance, I pop in the videotape and sit back to enjoy. Michael Jayston gives an incredible performance as Mr. Rochester, just amazing. Sorcha Cusack and the rest of the cast turn in equally good performances, but I felt that Jayston was the best Rochester I have ever seen! It is a lengthly production, but the length is needed to tell the story--other productions, 2 hour movies, have not been able to do nearly as good a job. But again, Michael Jayston's masterful performance is the best part of this already first-rate production!