| | | The passionate tale of forbidden secrets!
Features: DVD
Academy Award winner William Hurt (1985 Best Actor-Kiss Of the Spider Woman, Changing Lanes) leads an all-star cast in this story of passion and intrigue! Jane Eyre (Charlotte Cainsbourg) is a young woman whose will to overcome a life of hardship leads her into a passionate romance with a handsome--and mysterious-gentleman (Hurt). Swept up in the possibility of a happy new life, Jane is shattered when terrible, untold secrets from his past are revealed, threatening to tear her and her lover apart forever! Also featuring the talents of Anna Paquin (X-Men, The Piano), Joan Plowright (Tea With Mussolini) and sexy Elle Macpherson (The Edge), this enduring tale has captivated moviegoers everywhere, just as Charlotte Bronte's classic best-seller has entertained readers for generations!
"... touching, when it could have been recycled Gothic Lite." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Hurt is a master at portraying conflicted emotions..." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...strong performances all around..." Christine James, Box Office Magazine
Editor's Note
Charlotte Bronte's classic novel of Gothic romance gets the Zeffirelli treatment in this moving 1996 adaptation. Orphaned Jane Eyre (Charlotte Gainsbourg) grows into a strong-willed heroine after enduring a miserable childhood (where she's played by Anne Paquin). Things start looking better when she falls in love with the brooding Rochester (William Hurt), lord of the manor where she gets a job as governess. Unfortunately, Rochester's family skeletons threaten to sabotage their happy ending. Director Franco Zeffirelli (HAMLET, OTELLO) stays faithful to the book while stressing natural characters and landscapes over stylized gloom and mystery, with rewarding results.
Plot Summary
Franco Zeffirelli (THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, ROMEO & JULIET) once again proves himself a faithful custodian of the classics with this adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's 1847 masterpiece. Anna Paquin (following up her Oscar winning role in THE PIANO) plays the young Jane Eyre, orphaned forced to endure life at a harsh boarding school. She grows into an independent, strong-willed woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who takes a governess position at the remote Thornton Hall, where she falls in love with the brooding owner, Mr. Rochester (William Hurt). He loves her too, but his dark secrets and her own fears, stand in the way of their happiness. This is a lushly photographed and well-acted drama that stresses realism and emotional honesty over the gothic gloom associated with previous versions. Though abrupt in spots, the film stays true to Bronte's novel, and it's full of the natural beauty one expects from the work of this famed director.
| Features | All About Jane Special | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Theatrical Trailer | | Widescreen Version | | Audio: English Dolby Surround |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 1/4/2005 |
| Running Time: 116 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1996 | | Catalog ID: 28669 | | UPC: 00786936204407 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Jane and Hurt's ravaged good looks find the haunting essence of a classic story..." 05/02/1996 p.62Entertainment Weekly
"...Visual spendor and empathic intensity..." -- Rating: A- 11/08/1996 pp.80-1 Variety
"...JANE EYRE boasts solid craftsmanship and smart thesping from a stellar cast ably led by the vibrant Charlotte Gainsbourg..." 04/08/1996 Chicago Sun-Times
"...The movie creates the right visual atmosphere....This is a romance between two troubled, wounded people, and by playing it that way Zeffirelli makes it touching..." 04/12/1996 p.33 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
One of the best-loved of all the Victorian novels, Jane Eyre combines social commentary with gothic romance. This film, directed by Franco Zeffirelli (best known for his 1968 Oscar-nominated Romeo and Juliet), remains faithful to the original narrative in general, if not in all the particulars. - James Berardinelli
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