Jane Eyre Through Film

Interpreting a novel into a cinematic production is often difficult and easily judged. However, it is clear that all three films had workers that wanted to portray the novel as best as they could in their production. Since Jane Eyre can be interpreted in a variety of ways and make connections for some that it doesn't for others, the depiction of this novel in film can be vastly different. Although the three films were created during different time frames and had their own unique and creative twist, they all have redeeming qualities that make them stand out and be successful.
In the 1996 production by Zeffirelli, the scene in which Jane walks outside to take a break from teaching Adele is exactly how I pictured it. There is an emphasis on the beauty and elegance of nature which was also present in the book. The film creators did a good job portraying this importance of nature. However, other aspects of the movie were not carried out as well as the other films and did not follow the book. For example, Jane woke up next to Helen when she was dead in her bed, however, in the book she was removed from the bed before she woke up. This was not accurate or aligned with the novel. In addition, when Jane met Rochester in the movie, it was a overcast day. In the novel, it was nighttime when they met and it was cold, dark, and icy. Lastly, the marriage proposal scene was very awkward in this film and seemed forced and uncomfortable. This film was my least favorite because most of the scenes, characters, and settings did not look or seem like they did while I was reading the novel.
In the 2006 production by White, Lowood is exactly how I pictured the school to look and the relationships that Jane has with the people there and with the Reed's are portrayed very well and are in line with the novel. This film does a very good job at portraying Jane and how she feels regarding different experiences in her life. One thing that happens incorrectly in this film is Jane waking up next to Helen after she has died; in the novel, Jane is removed from the bed before waking up. Aside from this, this version of the film portrays characters and scenes just as I pictured them from the novel. The proposal scene seemed quite accurate and natural unlike the previous film. This version was definitely my favorite out of the three.
The 2011 production by Fukunaga was quite different than the other two versions. This film had flashbacks taking place which added a new element to telling the story of Jane and her life. In addition, this film seemed to have more accuracy when comparing it to the book. For example, the scene in which Jane wakes up from sleeping next to Helen is portrayed correctly in that Jane is removed from the bed before she wakes up so she doesn't see Helen dead. One inaccuracy, however, was that the proposal scene took place during the day and not at night like it did in the novel. Despite this, the proposal scene in this film seemed the most realistic and had the best acting. Overall, this movie rated somewhere in between the other two for me personally.
Watching all three of these films and seeing both the subtle and obvious differences was very interesting and beneficial to further my interpretations and understandings of the novel itself. It was good to be shown other people's interpretations of the text and understand how others may relate to the story. My favorite film version would be the 2006 BBC production by Susanna White, however, I would not mind watching any one of the films in their entirety.