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Many books are adapted into different versions, the most popular of which being a film. Most likely the films are created to let a book be enjoyed by those who might not be inclined to read it. They are also created when a book is written to be descriptive and full of such intense imagery as to make the reader want to be able to see the plot and not just imagine it. However, in the process of turning a book into a film, the writers and directors have to adapt and modify the plot as to make it fit a film’s format. Because of this, even film adaptations of the same book can be different and portray ideas differently than presented in the book. Of the three Jane Eyre adaptations we watched in class each has its own faults and strengths in accurately portraying the novel.

The first film we watched was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, famous for his modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Though the film recognized the importance of Jane’s childhood, it added a few scenes to make it pass faster than it did in the book. Rather than a gradual building of a friendship with Helen and Jane, it forms almost instantly when Helen shares her music with Jane, something that was not present in the book. Also, this adaptation doesn’t have Jane as a teacher at Lowood, and Helen is the only girl who we see become ill, so the film suggests that the entirety of Jane’s time at Lowood was just suffering.

Like the first film, the BBC adaptation also begins in Jane’s childhood. However, rather than have the scene in the red room be a hallucination brought from child-like fear as it is presented in the book, this film shows it as possibly real. They have red light illuminating the entire room, and they have an actor for Mr Reed appear on the bed. During the proposal scene this film has Jane and Rochester talking during the day rather than at night as they were in the book, but it does include the ominous storm following their discussion. It even includes the foreshadowing of the lightning bolt striking the tree where Rochester had just proposed to her.

Unlike the other films, the Universal version does not follow the exact plot of the novel, instead starting at the moment when Jane is running from Rochester’s house. This has the viewer’s first impression of Jane to be different from the book. Instead of a rebellious girl fighting against unfair circumstances, Jane is first viewed as a weak, ill, and in fear of something from her past. This adds an element of mystery to the plot, as well as intrigue into Jane’s past rather than the book’s anticipation of the future.

Though the each film as approached the novel differently, they all display the key themes and events from the novel. Each has the heart wrenching moment of Jane’s only friend dying and the teachers at Lowood being unsympathetic towards it besides Miss Temple. They all also show Mrs Reed's favoritism for her children and Jane’s constant seclusion during childhood. Some create new scenes or have different approaches in their portrayals, but through these differences they show the same main ideas of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.