And so it begins...

I have an outline. Thus begins the Jane Eyre adaptation MA thesis. I'm very excited about finally getting to work on this piece which has been at least a year or two in the making. Thanks to my many minions and un-paid research assistants I have a ridiclously huge number of Jane Eyre adaptations to choose from. This thesis can only be the size of a small book, so I've had to leave out a few dozen adaptations, notably all of the radio adaptations and audiobooks, foreign works, and novels, paintings, illustrations, squirky spin-offs and a large amount of etcetera.

The winning adaptations are as follows:

1857:
Mad, mad, mad, and dancing farmers. Wohoo!

1934:
Slightly less mad, slap-stick, and 'uncle Edward.'

1944:
The classic. Highly aestheticised.

1952-62:
Westinghouse elecronic clarifiers and Charleton Heston.

1957:
Letchery, kinkiness, and more letchery- and Patrick MacNee.

1970:
Rather bizarre, aesthetic and restrained.

1973:
Perfection.

1982:
Kinda perfection and 'the handsome Mr Rochester.'

1996:
Very aesthetic, unusual interpretation.

1997:
Barking mad Mr Rochester- literally.

1996-2000:
Jane (and everyone else) sings!

2006:
Very aesthetic, fanfic-y.

One last note. I hope to get around to answering the increasing backlog of emails. Now that I'm settled in here I feel much better, more myself and less like a soul-less drudge. Ahem. I'll also try to get to answer all of the comments from the previous posts.

ps. Before I get any hate mail, bear in mind that I am only kidding and that it's almost 2:30 AM.

Actors on Playing Jane and Rochester

Another good thing about a new adaptation is that it brings out all of the previous ones! The Daily Mail posts this survey of mini-interviews with Janes and Edwards past (thanks to siansaska!) Also, the images from this post are from the internet and not my archive so this explains why some are tiny while others are huge:

"Unknown actress Ruth Wilson has shot to fame as Jane Eyre in the BBC’s current adaptation of the classic novel. The series, one would assume, would guarantee her a glittering thespian future. Costume dramas are often a springboard to fame and fortune for young actors: Samantha Morton was 20 when she played Jane in 1997 and then went on to star in Minority Report with Tom Cruise and Enduring Love opposite Daniel Craig. But they can also be a one-way ticket to professional oblivion. Here, we find out what happened to previous Janes and Mr Rochesters, and why they now look at the role as a double-edged sword.


SUSANNAH YORK starred with George C. Scott in the 1970 version of the film. Susannah, 64, is starring in a touring production of The Wings Of The Dove next year. As well as acting, she also writes film scripts. She recalls: At the time I was asked to play the role of Jane, I was quite hot, so to speak. Offers were coming fast and furious, so I was delighted when I got the part. I loved the book and it was a part I had always wanted. I was bewildered and upset, however, when people said I was too pretty to play a plain governess. I have always thought of myself as a character actress and I longed to be noted for my acting ability and hated it when people paid attention to my appearance.

I’ve never thought of myself as pretty and truly felt I was Jane. She’s not a showy character, but she is still passionate, and that’s what I liked about her. People are also saying that Ruth Wilson is too pretty. But I think she has just the right qualities and seems to have the same view and feel of, and feeling for, Jane that I did.

My co-star, George, was a big, craggy, gruff creature, and he was great for a chat. But our approach to filming was totally different. I liked to rehearse, but he would do a scene in one take then go back to playing backgammon. I thought he made a pretty good Rochester, though, as he had a real presence — although he was perhaps a bit too old. I must confess that I have yet to see my perfect Mr Rochester. Even Toby Stephens in the current adaptation, while a great actor, is not the Rochester of the book as he’s a bit too young.

I wouldn’t say I was typecast, but people tended to see me as a more serious actor afterwards. As a result, although I refuse to accept it when people put limitations on me, I’ll admit that it hasn’t always been easy to get roles since.

I don’t regret playing Jane, though. It was a brilliant part. Usually I curl up with embarrassment when I watch my performances, but when I watched my version of Jane Eyre, it seemed to me that I had struck the right note.



MICHAEL JAYSTON played Mr Rochester to Sorcha Cusack’s Jane in the 1973 BBC miniseries of Jane Eyre. Michael, 70, currently on tour with the play Heroes, says: I landed the role of Rochester as a result of a practical joke. My then wife, Heather, sent a funny letter to the director, Joan Craft, saying, ‘It’s about time Michael played Rochester’, and we used to think that I got the part as a result.Looking back, though, I was on a roll at the time. I’d just come from playing several highprofile roles such as Tsar Nicholas II in Nicholas And Alexandra, and A Bequest To The Nation opposite Glenda Jackson. And here was the ultimate romantic part.

Sorcha was only 23 and I was 37. People said there was an electrifying chemistry between us, which was true. I did find her attractive, but we kept things quite jokey on the set to alleviate the intensity. It’s not that romantic performing love scenes on a cold morning at 8am, with a props guy holding a hot fan right next to you to stop your lips freezing. Professionally, playing Rochester didn’t do me much good. I never played a romantic part on TV after that. I was baffled because when it was shown on TV, I received the biggest fan mail I’ve ever had.



SORCHA CUSACK, 57, never made the big time after playing Jane Eyre, but has had roles in such shows as Morse, Casualty and North And South. She is currently starring in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo And Juliet. She says: Jane Eyre was my first TV job and, to be honest, I felt I was rather hopeless. With no major roles under my belt, my performance was flat. I was very lucky to get the role in the first place and I think I got the part because I’m plain-looking and, because I was born and bred in Ireland, I was ten years behind other girls in terms of sophistication. Both were key ingredients to the character.

As a child, people were always saying, ‘Isn’t Sinead [her actress sister] gorgeous?’ But my look was perfect for Jane. Rochester, Michael Jayston, said, ‘After this you’ll be huge,’ and, while we were filming, I did go to my bank manager and say, ‘I won’t need the overdraft any more.’ But I did need it as I didn’t get any big breaks afterwards. There was plenty of work, but not a role that changed the course of my career.Lots of theatre work followed, but several years after playing Jane, I put my career on hold for a while to return to Ireland to care for my late mother, who had heart problems. It’s nice looking back on the whole Jane Eyre period, and it’s lovely that I still get letters saying, ‘You’ll always be my Jane.’



ZELAH CLARKE starred in the lavish 1983 BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre opposite Timothy Dalton, who was said to be too handsome to play the brooding Rochester. Zelah, 52, says: Jane Eyre is the ultimate poisoned chalice. Everyone remembers the Rochesters, but no one recalls the Janes. I hoped the role might be a springboard — I never thought it would force me to retire. Before Jane Eyre I had done lots of TV costume dramas, but not a lead role, so I was thrilled when I got the part. Tim Dalton wasn’t a superstar then — in fact, I had more TV experience than him.

It was depressing when things suddenly stopped after Jane Eyre, especially as I had no idea why. But then I got married and my life changed. There is something undignified about old actors scraping around for work. I would never go back into the theatre; it ruins your social life and breaks up families. If I hadn’t done Jane Eyre, perhaps I’d have felt that I hadn’t proved myself. But I did and I have. Now, looking at the series, it seems old-fashioned, but I was pleased with my performance. Between roles I became interested in art, so perhaps I didn’t have such a desire to be a famous actress after all."

Dredging out the Archive

I confess, I enjoyed the third episode of Jane Eyre 2006 but I felt the passion was a bit flat. I knew I had a clip from the BBC's 1973 version somewhere, so I went looking for it (my DVD isn't working properly on my laptop!). I didn't find the clip but I did find these other interesting items!

In the name of harmony and world peace (at least among those who admire BBC dramas), here are Mr Rochester and Mr Darcy dancing together at last! (There is in fact a finer clip of Rochester dancing- actually he strips off his skirt, swirls it around like a matador cape and leaps off a chair...).

Can you guess what this is?



That's right. Colin Firth did play Mr Rochester but his scene ended up being cut from Saturday Night Live. They eventually replaced him with Jude Law (and NO I do not have any footage of Colin Firth as Mr Rochester!).

And lastly, I believe Bronteana reader chrisv wanted some proofs of my artistic talents. Here is my 'illustrated Rochester is love' bar (sorry I had to shrink it to fit the blogger page but if you click on it it will enlarge)*:

*Actually, it is no use. Just click here.

From left: 1980s RD edition, my (in)famous Jane Eyre comic book, two donations from a friend in Australia, detail from an india ink sketch by me, another detail from an india ink sketch by me, and that last one- my favourite- flying stickman Mr Rochester from a comic strip my friend Kristin created over a year ago. In it I heard that there was going to be a new adaptation of Jane Eyre starring Arnold Swartzenegger. He kidnapped Jane from the novel in a foul plot to 'crush their dreams like daisies.' Anyway, long story short I met a flying Rochester. Here he is flying into my arms! Look at how happy and sparkly he is! He's also naked, but radiating pink sparkles (everyone was naked, actually, except for Jane which was odd and probably caused a lot of brooding).

All Your Tea Are Belong to Bronteana

It has been quite awhile since I posted about studying the Brontes. Long time readers will remember my distress when I received an acceptance from an excellent school I could not afford to attend. Well, I'm there! Thank God for the government of Canada and surprise scholarships! I've been here for over two weeks now. I believe I chose wisely. I spent the first week exploring. I could not ask for a more beautiful campus: on the first day I walked down the hill to the ocean, later I discovered a marsh on campus complete with a family of ravens, and there are plently of lovely spots to sit under an oak and write. The dinning hall is in a Victorian hall. I was let into the library which was precisely like a gentleman's study, except for the stained glass window of 'poetry and prose' inspiring a young woman to write. I even heard someone singing a 19th century art song to accompiament on the piano forte yesterday!

And there are actually books about adaptations of Jane Eyre- in the main library which has its own waterfall... I was able to compile a working bibliography of twelve sources! (An article I came across regarding the musical gave me a chuckle for how patronising it is to those who attend music theatre rather than opera). My work is off to a great start, but there are difficulties. Last night I discovered to my horror that I cannot play all of the 1973 BBC mini-series on my laptop! My first reaction was: how will I cope with not watching the repartee all year? And then I realised I also needed it for my thesis. I hauled out the other DVDs and they all work fine. This is simply one of those cruel turns of fate- I know it is.

But I hear my mother is sending me a care package with 300 bags of tea. (I was sick this past week). I also have a new text to guide my efforts to create a hypertext Bronte resource: Scholarly Editing in the Computer Age. Very exciting!

More genuinely exciting... one more hour until the BFI screening of Jane Eyre 2006!

Plunder...

Okay, so this morning, when the website for the new Jane Eyre series went up, I was too excited to eat breakfast so I spent the morning plundering the website for information and pictures. I didn't know that it was only a work-in-progress, but since then I haven't mentioned what isn't there at the moment (aside from the WSS comment in the previous post). A quick online search shows how futile this is- most of these are already splashed all over message boards online. So, here are some images from the site which will be reappearing there shortly anyway...

Click on the images below to view them full-sized.











*

And I had time to write to my friends as well... Yes, so I have notes of what I found astonishing about the production. Some of these things already came up in the comments to the original post (I think it was Liz?). So, I will fill in some gaps in a way which shouldn't spoil anything. (I have heard that people WANT spoilers in order to turn off the purist mode ahead of time. Turn it off anyway, but you won't get spoilers here.

So, as someone who might have seen more adaptations of Jane Eyre than what is probably healthy, I am delighted to say that I have been surprised at every turn today. If anything else, this will be, in my opinion, the most original adaptation of the novel- ever, of all time. If you want the 1983 or 1973 BBC versions, watch them but don't expect them to be reproduced. The language is different, other things are changed but there have been some fantastic expansions of other elements in the book which have been completely ignored before. Do I sound excited?

Some things I read this morning pleased my purist heart, and other things thrilled the scholar that I am. When I had an 'oh, so that's why-' moment it was immediately followed by a 'but what's that?' moment (Questions. Shiny things!). I wouldn't be keeping this blog if I didn't think the novel was special, but an adaptation is a text of its own- it isn't Jane Eyre. I'm sensitive to sensationalism when I view an adaptation or I edit a manuscript. Perhaps it is too soon to stake my claim here, but I really am not getting that feeling- despite the changes made. It seems like a genuinely inspired approach.

So, my advice is to visit that website after the episodes air (starting on the 24th) and read the producer's diary.

Only one comment I will make about the later section of the diary is about WSS since I already mentioned it. There is going to be an interesting connection between this new version of Jane Eyre and the BBCs new adaptation of Wide Sargasso Sea. If I read the entry correctly, footage from Jane Eyre will be used somehow in the production of WSS.

*a few more pictures will be added shortly.
ETA:

Janian Media Presentations

I am overwhelmed by the amount of media handed to me this week, mostly thanks to Thisbeciel. Since my earlier post about the Doyle/Harris musical I have been offered a DVD of the production- so watch out for a review of that sometime later. Off the top of my head, there are the two television films from 1957 and 1949 with Patrick McNee and Joan Ilan, and Charleton Heston and Mary Sinclair. There's the renown Bloom/Quayle audiobook, an opera, a Romanian audiobook (perfect for a family friend...), perhaps a dozen radio adaptations? One of these features Ingrid Bergman as Jane, another has Michael York as Mr. Rochester. On top of this, there's the BBC radio adaptations of Wuthering Heights, Villette, The Professor, Shirley, and Jane Eyre (with Sophie Thompson and Ciaran Hinds).

Phew.

And that's just what is relevant to Bronte studies. In addition, there's this Multimedia Presentation for the BBC's 1973 mini-series. It is described as a 'teaser' of sorts. I have not seen it yet, since I am still on the old dial-up connection but others have complimented it. From the same site there are also three video clips from the 1944 Jane Eyre with Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles here.

A Preview, of Sorts...


Until I can once more provide clips of Megwyn Owen's work in Jane Eyre, I thought I should share some of her work from soon afterwards, which is similar. My apologies to anyone already familiar with Megwyn Owen's work, and with 'Upstairs, Downstairs' but this is totally new to me and, although only tangentially related to Bronte studies, I feel it would be of interest to some of my readers for me to post a little about Meg's role as Hazel Forrest Bellamy.

Megwyn Owen plays Jane Eyre in a 1972 radio adaptation from the BBC, and turns in such a marvellous performance (the finest in the role, in my honest opinion). In 1973-74 she played Hazel in the BBC series Upstairs, Downstairs, which is something like a historical docudrama set in the Edwardian period showing the 'upstairs' life of the English aristocracy and the 'downstairs' life of the servants who live with them. In the picture above, she is sitting in the centre with her husband to her right and her father-in-law to her left.

Without spoiling too much, she begins as the typist of the master of the family, then marries his son. Like Jane, Hazel is very principled, and unconventional- despite claims to the contrary. She rightly sees herself as 'an ordinary person with ordinary feelings' but her unwillingness to adopt the practices of her new class bring down the anger of her husband and her father-in-law:

In this clip, her father-in-law (Richard Bellamy) and former employer reproaches her for 'meddling in a man's affairs.' I still am not able to post clips from Jane Eyre for comparison but there is a slight similarity to how she plays Jane and Hazel. Hazel is bolder, however. And in this clip, her husband (James Bellamy) reproaches her for cooking 'like a scullery maid' instead of running the house from 'upstairs.' That last clip contains a definate spoiler at the very end, so you might want to stop it just after she says 'If you can't understand that...'

Clips and images courtesy of http://www.updown.org.uk

Jane Eyre 1973 Available from Netflix

You can now rent the BBC mini series with Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston from Netflix.

This BBC adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel stars Sorcha Cusack as the plucky Jane Eyre, an orphan who muddles through harsh conditions to find love in the arms of her moody employer (Michael Jayston). After being raised by an abusive aunt, young Jane survives six years in a strict, humorless school and later becomes a governess. But within the walls of her new home at Thornfield Hall, a strange and terrible secret lies in wait.

I highly recomend it.

The BBC Has Been Holding Out on Us

Just like I told you! There are more pictures from Jane Eyre 1973. Bronteana reader Thisbeciel stumbled across this one today- it is not included in the photo gallery on the recently released DVD:



The 1973 series was evidently very popular at the time as I have come across no less than three books which use stills from it as cover art, and one (which I have at home) is illustrated with stills as well. Some of these stills were also not included in the photo gallery (which is only available on the region 2 DVD). I believe, all of the stills Thisbeciel and I have gathered over the years are available on her website here.

Bronteana is a Year Old!

The internet's first Bronte blog began on this site one year ago today. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this blog so much over the past year, and to my readers especially. Thanks to Thisbeciel, Kristin, Monica, Biedroneczka, Thais, Alisa, Aidan Brack, Lousie in Manchester, Vaire, Lillieoz for the many tips and files you have sent in as well as helping with uploading links- my computer is notoriously slow. Thanks also Paul Gordon, composer of Jane Eyre: The Musical for allowing me to pester him from time to time.

Now, the story of Bronteana! A little more than a year ago a friend of mine started a Classics blog on blogger (Classics as in Homer, Classical Greece and Rome etc.). You will notice it is the only non-Bronte-related link on this entire site: Glaukôpidos: An Anachronism in Modernity. I keep a personal blog, and often felt that the Bronte content had long ago taken over so I decided to follow her lead. At first I had no idea what I was doing. I thought I would try some literary criticism but I couldn't come up with something every day! There are also early illustrated posts- such as Edward Bulwer Lytton in Petticoats. Eventually I discovered the wonders of google and other search engines. So there's news and a bit of everything besides debating and sharing my huge collection of... well, Bronteana. Which brings me to the name. Glaukopidos wanted me to name this blog 'BronteBlog', but I didn't like the name (no offense to BronteBlog ;).

This year has been incredible, very interesting and a lot of fun. Within the first few months I had emails from some very interesting people, including someone who believed they are a direct descendent of Constantin Heger, and someone who really is a cousin of the Brontes. Writers have written in, publishers have sent me their manuscripts (I got to see a preview of Branwell- which I reviewed unfavourably, much to the publisher's annoyance...). I enjoy hearing from my readers, because it lets me know that you are having as much fun as I am. I am gratified also, that my efforts caught the attention of the Bronte Society Gazette early this year. It has been a most wonderful year!

And now, the apology. I meant to have a lot of fun stuff prepared for this occasion but nothing has come through. The archives are still a horrendous mess, I have not been able to finish moving the resource site to Dalhousie, and the media files I meant to post are not uploaded... even this post is almost an hour late.

For the future. Well, the first post was a demand to the BBC that it release its 1973 production of Jane Eyre. That came to pass in the fullness of time (ie, this past spring/early summer) so, I think I'll start demanding their 1970 production of Villette!

Bronte News and Update on BBC Search
Last Sunday Kenneth Griffith, Mr Mason in the 1970 production of Jane Eyre with Susannah York and George C. Scott, died at the age of 84. Thanks to peridramnews for the notice.

Well, now we have this article from the Guardian about the limited re-release of Daphne duMaurier's Rebecca. In passing this painfully psychoanalytic article suggests that all romances are paedophilic.

Whether it's Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Bridget Jones's Diary or any old Mills and Boon novel, the grist that feeds the fantasy mill is the same.

Several Bronteana readers have sent in some info which should be helpful in tracking down some of these remaining adaptations which are not currently available. Liz, who wrote to the BBC about the Villette mini series sends the whole text of their email reply which certainly suggests that the series exists but that copyright arrangements prevent distribution of copies- thus, the letter writing compaign mentioned earlier.

Also, Biedroneczka sends along a list she found of BBC productions of Jane Eyre from a site connected to the BBC archives. This is the list (programmes denote episodes):

6 programmes in 1956
6 programmes in 1963
5 programmes in 1972 (radio)
5 programmes in 1973
11 programmes in 1983
3 programmes in 1990 (radio)
4 programmes in 1994 (radio)
15 programmes in 2004 (radio)

In my travels I came across one source claiming there had been productions in the 1940s as well. It is possible that they were mistaken, or perhaps this list is of those versions extant. The 1972 radio adaptation must be the Megwynn Owen/Patrick Allen series. And possibly the 1994 version is the one with Sophie Thompson and Ciaran Hinds. I have not heard the 1990 and 2004 versions yet (15 episodes?!).

Villette BBC 1970

Bronteana reader Liz has been writing to the BBC regarding their 1970 mini series of Villette, featured in this old Bronteana post (including photos of the actors who played Lucy Snowe and Monsieur Paul Emmanuel). She infers that the production still exists from their comment that it is 'not commercially available' and the recomendation that she write to BBC Worldwide to have it released. So, then, the hundreds of you out there who read my posts each day, this is the only adaptation of Villette. If it still exists, it should be available. If you feel as I do, send a polite note to BBC Worldwide and hopefully it will not take 30 years as Jane Eyre 1973 did!

BBC Worldwide. Commissioning Editor, BBC Worldwide Ltd, Woodlands, 80 Wood Lane, London, W12 0TT

A Housekeeping Notice and some Odds and Ends

I have been tinkering away behind the scenes here. The resource branch of the site, which is currently here, is not meeting the needs of this blog. Thankfully, the lovely people at Dalhousie University have given me webspace! So, as soon as I can find the time to imput the code, I should have a lovely new site that will be much easier on the eyes and easier to get around as well. (Having three pages for Jane Eyre illustrations is just silly, and I haven't even started posting items from my personal collection yet!) As always, contributions will be most welcome. I am hoping that copyright and storage quotas will also allow me to find some stable homes for the tons of radio, film, and audio adaptations I have been reposting ad nauseum. There's hope.

Also, I have already set up a forum for extended discussion. I hope to get that up and running with the website. The archives, are still in a terrible mess and I apologise for not making more progress in indexing everything.

While I am at it, I have to messages for my readers in general. First, a lot of my readers have been sending me their stories lately. I would like to hear more of them! You can find my email address through my profile. Also, I have the constant problem of links expiring. If you have had this problem and you want to have a file reposted it is best to email me directly. I often find it difficult to find which program, song, or file you mean when your message is only left in the comments.

Now, for some news!

Bronteblog has found a few more names for the supporting cast of Jane Eyre 2006.

Speaking of Jane Eyre 2006, I am sorry to say that the BBC has blundered... Following the lead of imdb, who despite my warnings did not fix the error on their page in time, the BBC have linked to the wrong Ruth Wilson. I must make this clear, since it is actually confusing some people... Jane Eyre is being played by the 24 year old Ruth Wilson and not the one who is 48. This is a mistake. I have written again, but by the time they catch it we might have our DVDs of the series already! (now, there's a happy thought!) (To make matters even more interesting, we now have THREE, three, count 'em three Ruth Wilsons!) I have already written to the BBC to point out the mistake.

One more bit of news... I am in anticipation that there will be something fun and surprising for those readers who admire the BBC's 1973 production of Jane Eyre, in the coming weeks- I hope. It may all come to nothing, but we'll see.

Bronte News

News about the Brontes has truly dried up this weekend. Everything is either repetitive or not at all interesting. I did save up some articles to share, so we do have something to discuss today.

Firstly, a production of Jane Eyre will be playing in Salt Lake:

The Riverton Arts Council will be performing "Jane Eyre" on June 30, July 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 at the Riverton Civic Center's Sandra Newman Lloyd Auditorium. "Jane Eyre" is a haunting retelling of the Charlotte Bronte classic about an orphan girl who grows up to become a governess of Thornfield Hall. Tickets will be available after June 17 at Peterson's Marketplace and at the door on performance nights. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for children and seniors.

From google blog search, there are a few interesting articles:

This is a brief citation of Charlotte's The Professor in the context of, I suppose, Marxism?

The Conneticut Post has a post from Jane Freeman who wrote for the Bronte Society Gazette. She reprints her essays on Jane Eyre, starting with Jane Eyre and the Symbolic Landscape. She starts off her post with a brief plug for the BBC's 1973 Jane Eyre- which is always nice.

And Chris Saliba, draws my attention to Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

My favourite character was Mr Mybug, an author who is working on a biography of Branwell Bronte. His theory is that it was the sisters who were drunks, and not Branwell.

UK Edition Extras for BBC Jane Eyre 1973

I have had confirmation that the UK edition does have a small photo gallery. For those of us who bought the US edition, the pictures are available here, thanks to Siansaska and Thisbeciel! A few of them are screencaps but two or three are new. One of them is clearly computer wallpaper material:

Jane Eyre 1973 Available for Pre-Order from Amazon

You can now pre-order the DVD of the BBC's 1973 mini-series of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston at amazon.com, and amazon.co.uk. The region one edition will not be available at amazon.com until July 25th, but it is cheaper than other online stores including Acorn from whom you can order a copy right now, and get it sooner than expected (their shipping is really fast). The release date for the UK is still June 5th.

I came across some interesting technical specifications for this production for anyone who is interested.

When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 247m 18s. This work was passed with no cuts made. Note that since February 2001 the BBFC has measured each component separately, but older works may not have the exact details, only a list of titles. 00:49:22:02 JANE EYRE - PART ONE00:47:35:14 JANE EYRE - PART TWO00:49:55:02 JANE EYRE - PART THREE00:49:53:03 JANE EYRE - PART FOUR00:50:31:24 JANE EYRE - PART FIVE Details are likely to be more complete and accurate for the version submitted most recently.When a film is transferred to video the running time will be shorter by approximately 4% due to the differing number of frames per second. This does not mean that the video version has been cut or re-edited.

The series recieved a PG rating for "mild violence and distress."

The Folly of Adaptation?

Still enjoying the bliss. I asked a favour of Thisbeciel, and it was granted. She has provided this screencap of the filmographies main screen, featuring a great moment from the volume 1 DVD of the BBC's Jane Eyre 1973:


Only now did I realise that unfortunately, it looks like they have grafted Mr Rochester's head onto Lord Ingram's body... just behind Blanche. Oh dear.

So far the folk reviews of the production are very positive. We have young men 'enthralled', older married gentlemen in tears, older ladies in giggles (my mom responding to the repartee, which she had me play over again), and several young ladies in stages of excitement and joy (myself included).

In my search for more news on Jane Eyre 2006 today I came across several very interesting discussion threads. When it first became definate that there would be a new production, the reaction was largely positive with only a slight inital disappointment that it wasn't one of the other novels, one which has not been adapted yet- like Shirley- or one whose adaptation will probably never again see the light of day- such as Villette. I would like to know, now, what you think. How do you feel about another remake of Jane Eyre? Secondly, one of the opinions I came across was not in favour of another adaptation on the grounds that the novel had 'long since outlived its time' meaning the modern world has moved on in some way, that Jane Eyre no longer works or speaks to modern human beings. What are your thoughts on this?

JE '73 Scans

I've scanned the covers and an insert from the US edition DVDs of Jane Eyre 1973 for you all. It is much easier for me than transcribing it, for on the back of each case there is a synopsis for each episode. The synopses are amusing because it is clear they are trying very hard to avoid letting several important plot points out. This leads to some strange wording such as this from episodes 2 and 3:

Part Two: Jane discovers that the prickly fallen horseman she helped on the road is none other than the master of the house. She thinks him even stranger after he quizzes her bluntly and blames her for spooking his horse. But strangest of all, Jane begins to hear maniac laughter and scratching noises that seem to be coming from the upper recesses of the house.

Part Three: Jane awakens the morning after the fire...

Wait, fire? What fire? ;) If you click on the images in this post you can see them full-sized and read each for yourself.

On the cover design: My first thought was that I know some people won't even buy this because it looks like Jane has red hair. This is ridiculous, but I think some of my readers know what I am talking about. In any case, Sorcha Cusack doesn't have red hair either, but they've decided to play with the saturation levels on her image for some reason (although Michael Jayston is as he should be). The power of this piece is still working its charm in my house. My mother, who refuses to read the book, and finds all of the adaptations difficult to concentrate on came over to watch some of it during the first episode. When John Reed confronts Jane she turned from across the room and kept saying: "What did he do? What is he doing?"

The inset images are of Jane meeting Mr Brocklehurst, Jane trying to sneak away before Mr Rochester sees her in the garden, and Jane with St. John Rivers.

Ma boite! Ma boite!

My copy of Jane Eyre 1973 has finally arrived- and much sooner than anticipated! Maybe the company is aware of how much business I send their way. ;) I have not looked at the programme yet, but I have the full back cover synopsis for you all:

Faithfulness to the novel and a perfect cast make this BBC adaptation the ONE

AFTER A CHILDHOOD THAT WOULD HAVE BROKEN WEAKER GIRLS, Jane Eyre finds a respectable position as governess to the ward of the enigmatic Mr. Rochester. Twenty years her senior, brusque, and hardened by loss, Mr. Rochester finds his spirited new employee strangely bewitching. Despite the social chasm that divides them, they are drawn to each other as equals and contemplate true happiness at last. But there is an impediment to their love that tests Jane's integrity and strength almost beyond endurance.
Considered by many to be the best adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's romantic classics, this BBC miniseries is true to the original story, with dialogue taken directly from the novel. Best of all is the perfect casting and chemistry of the unlikely lovers, with Sorcha Cusack (Casualty) as Jane and Michael Jayston (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) as Mr. Rochester.

DVD Special Features Include bio of Charlotte Brontë and cast filmographies.
Approx. 248 min. 4:3 full screen
color British Drama

Due to the age of these programs and the improved resolution that DVD provides, you may notice occasional flaws in the image and audio on this DVD presentation that were beyond our our ability to correct from the original materials.

Thisbeciel, who has already seen her copy, notes that the biography of Charlotte was taken from the Brontë Parsonage Website (hopefully credited!)

This is the US edition. The UK edition may also include a picture gallery. The US edition may be ordered from Acorn Media, the UK edition is available for preorders from the BBC as well as Play.com, sendit.com, and Choices Direct.

Additional note: Some readers may have noticed changes to the index on the sidebar. I am still working on completing organisation of the archives but this is taking a long time. Please be patient in the meantime.

"Faithfulness to the novel and a perfect cast make this BBC adaptation the ONE"

-From the DVD for Jane Eyre 1973.

About a dozen readers have now recieved their copies of the BBC's 1973 Jane Eyre out on DVD. This is the American edition, of course, although the UK edition should be along shortly. I think we have answers to all of our questions now. The slight time difference might be the result of there being no photo gallery in the US edition. The 'lost' first episode, however, is all there. This is all coming in now from reader reports, since my copy is probably on a nice week-long trip to Toronto at the moment. The smaller edits also have been restored, so those who saw the tape which was run in Canada and New York will still have a treat seeing these deleted bits, like the slightly extended Hay Lane scene.

Thisbeciel has made screencaps from the DVD's filmographies. It looks beautiful! If you click on the images you can see them full-sized.*

*I have removed the images because the demand was so great that Thisbeciel's website crashed a few times today.