Who Has More Passion ?

The three different interpretations of the novel Jane Eyre differ immensely.  From the actors to the setting all of them depict the same scenes, events, and relationships in different ways.  Each film evokes a different emotional response from viewers thus leading viewers to different opinions of each.  Of the three interpretations I did not enjoy Franco Zeffirelli's 1996 interpretation very much at all, but enjoyed aspects of both Susanna White's 2006 interpretation and Cary Fukunaga.

Overall, I did not enjoy Zeffirelli's interpretation.  There were many aspects of the film that broke away from what actually happened in the novel.  For example, Jane wakes up next to Helen Burns' dead body instead of being carried away before waking.  This bothered me because I feel as though waking up next to the body of your best friend would have some serious psychological effects on a young girl.  Due to the fact that this did not actually happen in the book, I do not think that the director should have made it a part of the movie.  Additionally, in this version I did not get the sense that Jane and Rochester passionately loved each other.  They seemed a bit more cold to each other and the way they kissed was very strange and lacked passion.

There were different aspects that I enjoyed about both White and Fukunaga's interpretations of the film.  White's version included many physical details that really enhanced the viewing experience. For example, the depiction of Adele in this version is very accurate and detailed.  The done up curly hair and ostentatious dress is exactly what I would have expected from the book's description of Adele.  I liked that in this interpretation Adele sang and danced in the exact way in which I pictured in the book.  Additionally, the proposal scene includes much more emotion and passion than the first film. I appreciated this because it feels more accurate.  I got the feeling that Jane and Rochester genuinely loved each other and actually wanted to be together.  There were many aspects of Fukunaga's interpretation that I also enjoyed.

Fukunaga's interpretation included my favorite Jane.  Although she had strawberry blonde hair, I thought she did the best job at conveying Jane's passionate personality that is evident in the novel. Another aspect I liked about this version was the fact that it flashed back and forth between Jane at St. John's and Jane at different points in the book.  I thought that this was a nice cinematic touch as it builds suspense and keeps viewers engaged.  The proposal scene in this version was by far the most passionate.  I felt the raw emotions of both Jane and Rochester through the words they said to each other and I really enjoyed that feeling.  Overall, I thought that this version was the most unique and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Each interpretation of the original novel was unique.  Each made me think about the book differently and made me appreciate the story even more.  It was interesting to see the different interpretations pinned up against one another.