Seeing it on the Sunday night PBS schedule, left me simultaneously fearful and hopeful. Masterpiece Theater was presenting an adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I was fearful, because I had already seen the first half sometime this past fall and found myself irritated at the number of important early scenes not included in this production. I was hopeful, because I believed that it still might be salvageable. Many years ago, I would have been in raptures, hungry to see one of my favorite novels brought alive., but the years and a procession of lackluster, butchered and irritating productions have left me scarred and jaded.
I won’t bore you with my blow-to-blow assessment of each adaptation that I’ve seen. Suffice it to say that I have never seen one title sliced and diced so many different ways. Can’t anyone just follow the plot? I’m not saying you have to film every word, but you can’t cut away chapters and substitute cinematography and music. The results are awful. The only possibly worse move is to miscast Edward Rochester or Jane Eyre. For instance, the casting of Rochester with William Hurt in the 1996 movie release bordered on the ridiculous.
In the end, the version presented by Masterpiece Theater, faired no better then the others. There are strong Christian themes running through Jane Eyre that were ignored, watered down, or presented on a sort of New Age metaphysical level. What an injustice to a masterpiece! This book is all about truth, grace, sacrifice, sin, atonement and redemption.
Truth be told, there are a hundred ways to ruin an adaptation. But do they have to try to use them all on poor Jane Eyre?
I’ve been told that there exists an A & E production from their early days that is very good. Unfortunately I have had no access to it so far, but a girl can dream..
"D"
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