"Impertinent and, uhm... pretty!" "And very intelligent." "Ah hah!"
By request, here are two more clips from the first talkie film adaptation of Jane Eyre from 1934, and starring Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive. Ms. Bruce has almost incandescent blond hair, Mr. Clive is better known as the classics Victor Frankenstein! (Appropriate for a Hallowe'en post!).
This first clip has almost nothing to do with Jane Eyre other than it is from an adaptation of the novel. Adele manages to get herself stuck up a tree, fall and hurt her knee, fall into a vase (while singing 'My Bonny Lies over the Ocean'), and make fun off all of the party guests- all in 10 minutes! One bit of clarification here: in this version Mr Rochester was intending to marry Blanche Ingram until he met Jane. After the fire, he goes to London and realises there that he's in love with Jane.
But this clip is certainly the most interesting. The proposal is marked off for us by the cute lullaby music (the theme music for the film is an actual lullaby). And you know that rather plain woman, the one in black quaker-like dress, and piling loving words on Mr Rochester? That would be Bertha. She seems to be mad because she is going to be separated from her 'dear Edward.' Jane's dilema is odd... Mr Rochester is having his marriage anulled. The final papers will be arriving any minute. But she leaves anyway.
8 comments:
Okay, so I'm pretty much dying of laughter... Highlights:
"My foot is stuck!"
"Her foot is stuck!"
"Her foot is stuck!"
Adele's Nancy Kerrigan moment: "MY KNEE!!! WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
I now understand what you meant by Jane's somewhat domineering quality. She certainly does walk all over Rochester (who simply adores children?).
HEH! Thanks for sharing!
It is a beautiful thing, is it not?
You haven't seen domineering yet. She almost kills John Reed. Mr Rochester doesn't look particularly glad when she turns up at the end either!
Do you have any more clips? I only saw it once and had forgotten just how hilarious this one is... The scene with Bertha and "Dear Edward" is beyond words. Too bad my local video rentals don't have it!
Do you have any more clips? I only saw it once and had forgotten just how hilarious this one is... The scene with Bertha and "Dear Edward" is beyond words. Too bad my local video rentals don't have it!
I wondered about that very funny "ah ha..." So odd but then again,so is the entire production. Why does Jane seem to know that Adele is about to recommend Jane as Rochester's wife in the scene with the tree....or am I misreading it? Or am I overthinking an adaptation that really does not require it...
to lost in translation:
I'm making these clips myself. Are there any scenes you would like to see in particular?
to chrisv:
I cannot explain what is happening in that scene. Perhaps Adele's obvious side looks at Jane have let Jane know what she's up to. There's never been a scene where Adele seems to realise that Jane loves her uncle Edward.
Oh, anything you deem worthy... I just can't get over Jane trying on the jewelry for the "prospective Mrs Rochester" and the scene where the "mad wife in the attic" comes in to be with her "dear Edward". Like I said, I only saw the movie once and have very little recollection of it. Since this Rochester dude is going after an "annulment" (are they Catholics?) what makes this Jane leave? what moral scruples can those be?
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