"JANE EYRE" (1970) Review
"JANE EYRE" (1970) Review
I have viewed my share of adaptations of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, "Jane Eyre", over the years. In fact, I doubt I could count the number of adaptations I have seen. And just when I thought I have seen them all, I stumbled across a movie adaptation, which had been released in movie theaters and television over fifty years ago.
Released in 1970 and directed by Delbert Mann, "JANE EYRE" starred Susannah York in the title role and George C. Scott. The movie had been released in theaters in Great Britain, but aired on the NBC channel in the U.S. in 1971. Unlike other adaptations, this "JANE EYRE" began with an orphan named Jane Eyre being shipped to Lowood Institution, a charity school for girls, by her Aunt Reed, who had been emotionally abusive. Lowood proved to be an even more abusive atmosphere for Jane, where she and her fellow students are cruelly treated more like inmates in a prison, instead of students at a girls' school. Jane's new best friend, a student named Helen Burns, has been targeted specifically by one teacher. It is not long before Helen, who suffers from tuberculosis, dies one day after being forced to stand in the rain as punishment. Years pass and Jane becomes a teacher at Lowood. She eventually leaves the school to take up the position of governess to a French girl named Adèle Varens at Thornfield Hall. Adèle turns out to be the ward of Jane's employer and Thornfield's owner, Edward Rochester. Jane and Mr. Rochester eventually falls in love, but a major pitfall threatens to ruin any future happiness.
I noticed that this is the only "Jane Eyre" adaptation I have seen . . . so far, in which the story began with Jane leaving Gateshead, the family seat of the Reed family. In other words, screenwriter Jack Pulman and director Delmar Mann deprived movie and television audiences of Jane's experiences with the Reed family. It seemed as if they were more interested in Jane's experiences at Lowood Institute This movie's version of Lowood seemed more like a horror story, in compare to the other adaptations I have seen. I have noticed other elements missing from the movie's narrative:
*Jane never returned to Gateshead for a final meeting with her Aunt Reed. *Jane never learned that her wealthy uncle John Eyre was looking for her, hence she never inherited his fortune. *Jane immediately revealed her true name to the Rivers family after they gave her refuge.
In fact, the subplots revolving around Jane's families - both the Rivers family and John Eyre - had more or less been erased from the film's narrative. I suspect this was done for the sake of the film's running time and budget. Did these deletions affect the movie's adaptation of Brontë's novel? I do not believe so. But I do believe by removing the subplots regarding the protagonist's families may have increased the story's pacing a bit too fast for my tastes. To the point that time may have gone just a little too fast between Richard Mason's first visit to Thornfield Hall and Jane's departure after the doomed wedding ceremony. If I must be frank, the movie also suffered from the occasional clunky editing by Peter Boita. Hollywood legend John Williams had composed the film's score and earned an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Music Composition for a Series category. To be honest, I have no memories of Williams' score.
I certainly had no problems with Anthony Mendleson's costume designs. I thought he did an excellent job of creating costumes that conveyed the film's characters, but also its setting of the early Victorian era. If I had a problem, and it is a minor one, it was Eileen Warwick's hairstyle for Susannah York, which seemed to reflect the beehive style of the late 1960s and early 1970s, instead of the early 1840s. At least in some scenes. Not only did Mendleson's costumes reflect the film's 1830s to 1840s setting, but so did Alex Vetchinsky's art direction and Martin Atkinson's set decorations. I almost loved how Paul Beeson's photography captured the sweeping landscape of North Yorkshire, the film's location. However, I was not that fond of the photography's slightly darker hue. Perhaps Beeson had been trying to infuse a Gothic atmosphere in the movie. But all he did was slightly annoy me with his darker photography.
Both Susannah York and George C. Scott had earned Emmy nominations for their portrayals of Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester. And I believe they had deserved this acclaim, especially Scott. I thought York did an excellent job of conveying both Jane's reserved manner and the passion that bubbled underneath her cool manner, especially in the famous scene in which Jane confesses her love for Rochester. At least eight American actors have portrayed Edward Rochester in the movie theaters or on television. George C. Scott marked the third American I have seen portrayed the role. To be frank, I thought he gave a superb performance as Jane's moody, yet intelligent employer. Granted, his British accent was not perfect, but I honestly did not care. I was too busy being impressed by his performance. If I had one major complaint about York and Scott, I believe both were too old for their roles. Both leads ended up portraying roles that were at least a decade younger than themselves. And no amount of acting could hide this.
Another cast member who proved to be too old was Ian Bannen, who portrayed St. John Rivers. Do not get me wrong. I thought he was excellent in the role of the domineering, yet severe clergyman who provides refuge and employment to Jane, following her flight from Thornfield Hall. However, Bannen was roughly a decade-and-a-half older than the literary St. John. As for the rest of the cast, I have no problems with their ages or performances. I was especially impressed by Jack Hawkins as the odious Reverend Brocklehurst, Rosalyn Landor as Helen Burns, Rachel Kempson as Mrs. Fairfax, Nyree Dawn Porter as Blanche Ingram, Kenneth Griffin as Ricard Mason, Michele Dotrice as Mary Rivers and Jean Marsh. The latter portrayed the mentally unstable Bertha Mason Rochester a year before she shot to stardom in the ITV series, "UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS".
I would never regard "JANE EYRE" as one of the better adaptations of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel. Jack Pulman's screenplay left out certain scenes that focused on the protagonist's arc with her Reed cousins, her Aunt Reed and her uncle John Eyre. These deletions led to a pacing that struck me as a bit too fast for the movie. And yes, three of the major cast members struck me as being too old for the roles they had portrayed. But Pulman's screenplay, along with Delbert Mann's direction still managed to hit the main beats of Brontë's novel. The movie also featured first-rate performances from the cast . . . especially Emmy nominees Susannah York and George C. Scott. In the end, I was not disappointed.
