"Jane Eyre" (2006) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Susanna White

Writers:

Charlotte Brontë (book)
Sandy Welch (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

21 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The T.V. adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is about a young woman who becomes governess to the ward of Mr...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Insanity | Atmospheric | Governess | Period Piece

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Ruth Wilson	...	Jane Eyre (4 episodes, 2006)
Toby Stephens	...	Edward Fairfax Rochester (4 episodes, 2006)
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Mrs. Fairfax (4 episodes, 2006)
Pam Ferris	...	Grace Poole (4 episodes, 2006)
Ned Irish	...	George (4 episodes, 2006)
Cosima Littlewood	...	Adele (4 episodes, 2006)
Elsa Mollien	...	Sophie (3 episodes, 2006)
Rebekah Staton	...	Bessie (3 episodes, 2006)
Aidan McArdle	...	John Eshton (2 episodes, 2006)
Francesca Annis	...	Lady Ingram (2 episodes, 2006)
Christina Cole	...	Blanche Ingram (2 episodes, 2006)
Claudia Coulter	...	Bertha (2 episodes, 2006)
Arthur Cox	...	Colonel Dent (2 episodes, 2006)
Bethany Gill	...	Eliza Reed / ... (2 episodes, 2006)
Tim Goodman	...	Sir George Lynn (2 episodes, 2006)
Georgie Henley	...	Young Jane Eyre (2 episodes, 2006)
Sam Hoare	...	Lynn Brother (2 episodes, 2006)
Cara Horgan	...	Eliza Reed (2 episodes, 2006)
Hester Odgers	...	Helen Burns (2 episodes, 2006)
Daniel Pirrie	...	Richard Mason (2 episodes, 2006)
Amy Steel	...	Dent Twin (2 episodes, 2006)
Beth Steel	...	Dent Twin (2 episodes, 2006)
Charlotte West-Oram	...	Mrs. Dent (2 episodes, 2006)

Runtime:

Finland:202 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Belton House, Belton, Lincolnshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The lavender dress Jane wears when she prepares for Mary and Diana's return is the same dress Esther Summerson wears in 2005's "Bleak House" (2005). In “Jane Eyre” it is worn without a lace collar.

Goofs:

Continuity: The view from Jane's bedroom changes several times.

Quotes:

Edward Fairfax Rochester: So this St. John person you've been mentioning so often. What of him?
Jane Eyre: Well, he's tall. He has blue eyes and a Grecian profile.
Edward Fairfax Rochester: He's handsome then, compared to me.
Jane Eyre: Oh, he's much more handsome than you. And he's a far better Christian of course than you ever were.
Edward Fairfax Rochester: Well I thanked God last night for your sudden reappearance. The other night I cried out to Him in my despair. Called your name too. What about his brain this Rivers fellow? Find yourself getting bored when he speaks?
Jane Eyre: He doesn't say very much, but what he says is to the point. His brain is first rate.
Edward Fairfax Rochester: Did he study much? Taught you things?
Jane Eyre: Oh yes, he taught me languages.
Edward Fairfax Rochester: [frustrated] All right, why did he do that?
Jane Eyre: He wanted me to go with him to Africa.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards (2007) (TV)

Jane Eyre, finally on screen

Jane Eyre is a tough adaptation. You need a host of competent actors for the minor roles, good child actors and a brooding, fiery Bronte hero for Rochester, capable of attaching a variety of women and inspiring devotion in one of literature's great heroines.

There have been plenty of great Rochesters, George C Scott and Ciaran Hinds to name but two, and Toby Stephens may be another. The ladies certainly seem to think so.

But in Ruth Wilson we may finally have a memorable Jane Eyre. An actress who is strikingly beautiful but not superficially pretty. Who can look dour and empty, who is believably dull and innocent and yet simultaneously contains the fire for a great love story. She has fabulous poise and control. Only the smallest alterations of expression are required to communicate changing emotions bubbling below the surface. One of the reasons it fits so well into four hours is that Ruth can do 10 pages of prose with one change of expression. Adorable.

It goes along at a fair old pace. Jane is into and out of Lowood in the first 10 minutes. But the texture is right. The two central characters have sparked on and off each other very convincingly.

Will it be the one?

(After the Final Episode) There's no doubt. It is THE one. Started extremely well and got better and better. There are so many outstanding moments between the two leads and not just in the big scenes. Watch Ruth Wilson's incredible acting in the stairwell as she summons up the courage to enter the tower room to nurse Mason, balanced by Toby's concern followed by his wordless decision to trust her. Or his petulance as he welcomes her return from Gateshead, turning to delight in Jane's pleasure in coming home. The last episode is unforgettable. As good as television gets.

Magnificent.