Customer Reviews

Jane Eyre [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Compared to the 40's version, this TV movie is very faithful to the book. George Scott is excellent for Rochester,and Miss York is just born to be Jane Eyre. She makes Jane a spirited, intelligent, independent young lady, which you can't found in Fontaine's performance. The music in the movie is so wonderful.It captures the essence of the story, exceptionally evocative and touching. I highly recommended this version to anyone who loved Charlotte Bronte's novel.It is well worth tracking down.

In this lovely adaptation of "Jane Eyre", George C. Scott and Susannah York make an excellent pairing, and both have strong and attractive features without the "Hollywood handsome" look, which fits in well with the story. There is some powerful chemistry between them, and Scott just might be the best Edward Rochester on film; he followed his Oscar winning role as "Patton" with this British TV drama, which received theatrical release in Europe, but was only seen on the small screen in the US.

With tragedy upon tragedy, there is little joy and light to temper the plot, and even the love of Jane and Edward at its height is always overshadowed by the "mystery in the attic" of the dark and gloomy Thornfield castle. Of all the films in this genre, this is probably the saddest, but worth seeing for its often poetic language, and in the case of this production, the wonderful performances and fine direction by Delbert Mann. Supporting Scott and York in the cast are: Ian Bannen (St. John Rivers), Jack Hawkins (Mr. Brocklehurst), Nyree Dawn Porter (Blanche), and Jean Marsh as Mrs. Rochester.

The atmospheric score by John Williams is one of his best, and the cinematography by Paul Beeson, of marvelous landscapes in Yorkshire is beautiful (some of the locations include Dawnholme Church, Brimham Rocks, and Ripley Castle).

BUYER BEWARE: there are many versions of this film on the market, from cheap, grainy Extended Play VHS tapes to what I understand is a dreadful edit of it on DVD. Perhaps it is better to see it on the regular Standard Play VHS and steer clear of the rest; total running time is 110 minutes.

I have always enjoyed this version of Jane Eyre. George C. Scott is superb as Rochester, and while Susannah York is a bit old to be playing Jane she does a fine job. Great visuals, atmosphere and casting of other characters makes this one of the better versions.

This DVD, however is atrocious. The cover claims the film has been digitally remastered, yet we are presented with a washed-out picture filled with scratches. Far worse, ALMOST AN ENTIRE SCENE IS MISSING--the film jumps from the end of one scene to almost the end of another (cadeaux scene). And last, the cover uses a picture of Scott from an entirely different film (Murders in the Rue Morgue, I think).

Oh, come on y'all...I admit I did not read all 29 other reviews, but this is NOT the worst movie ever made. I recently bought this DVD. The last time I saw this was on TV in 1971, I think it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame production? Anyway I remembered loving it and when I saw it again I still loved it. Has there ever been a plain Jane? of course not. Scott's Mr. Rochester came across as a man who has seen a lot of wear and tear in his efforts to forget his problems. Here he gradually wakes up to the possibility of a new life. He is reluctant, conflicted but unable to resist trying somehow to win Jane and begin again.
The script dealt very well with the made-for-TV constraints. The writer did not have the luxury of using big chunks of dialogue stright from the book, as the BBC might do (there is a wonderful Timothy Dalton/Zelah Clarke version that does just that) but zips along with great concision, hitting the high points with economy and clarity. This version tries to recast the characters' concern in modern terms and I think succeeds without seeming too dated thirty years on.
An the music is beautiful. It's like another character - the theme stayed with me all these years and it is as pretty and haunting as I remember.
And yeah, it was a nice production but the quality of the DVD is not very good. But not bad enough to keep me from enjoying it.

Delbert Mann's direction is somewhat pedestrian but the cast and visuals more than compensate his static approach. George C. Scott is wonderful as Rochester while Susannah York is capable and satisfactory in the title role (Jane Eyre) yet she seems to lack some passion either from an inward or outward perspective. Jack Hawkins is brilliant as the malevolent headmaster. However, the motivations for his hideous nature are left unexplored. This version of JANE EYRE is beautifully photographed and richly textured and very compelling. John William's score is very British and appropriately composed to augment the visuals. In all this is a well intentioned and splendid production but seems to lack some of the mysterious and enigmatic qualities of earlier versions. Yet it is still very enthralling.

I've seen all the versions of "Jane Eyre" made to date, and this remains my favorite, primarily because George C. Scott is the perfect Rochester (though Scott's biographer, W. A Harbinson, dismissed the film as ordinary). Both he and Susannah York invest their characters with passion without resorting to histrionics. The score by John Williams is one of his early efforts before he attained fame, and it remains one of my favorites.

The movie was filmed in Yorkshire, and on its original telecast the beauty of the Yorkshire moors was evident. Subsequent transfers to VHS and DVD have been atrocious and resulted in a dark, grainy film. Nevertheless, I return to this again and again for its superior performances.

Of all the actresses who have attempted this role, belated congratulations to Miss Susannah York for alone understanding "Jane" to the core, a knowledge absolutely necessary to render the character in a manner that Miss Bronte herself would assuredly recognize and approve.

No other film actress has achieved Jane's self possession, self reliance, modesty, and self control in a way that consistently points to the novel itself, rather than some film director's misguided attempts to deliver a trivialized cartoon cut out. And it is these attributes that render Miss York's treatment of Jane's deeply held emotions all the more affecting, since they are kept under lock and key.

In short, Miss York appears to have read the novel.

Some other actresses have come somewhat close, (Joan Fontaine) while others have evidently had no conception of what on earth they were doing (Virginia Bruce).

Suffice it to say that up to now, Susannah York has bested all others. As Mr. Roderick, George C. Scott is too old, but turns in a serviceable performance otherwise.

Plaudits also to the cinematography for achieving a truly romantic bleakness comparable the paintings of Caspar David Friederich. Delbert Mann understood the importance of landscape to this story, (another key attribute jettisoned in other versions) and for this he is to be congratulated.

Finally, the sumptuous and unforgettable score of John Williams. Forget hackneyed "Star Wars"--for this is a score of genuine musical achievement, richly romantic, stirring and melancholic all at the same time, not to mention being eminently listenable on its own terms.

Three cheers to all concerned in this A-1 production.

While other renditions of this story may be more faithful to the book in completeness, this one captures the spirit and Passion of the book better than any of the other major productions I've seen. The British versions, while competently acted and longer, are a little flat. I have to alert you, however, to the DVD version of this George C. Scott and Suzanna York movie. At least 2 new copies that I've had to return to Amazon are missing over 4 minutes of crucial dialogue between Rochester and Jane in their second conversation by the fireside (about 30 minutes into the DVD). There may be a limited number of these flawed DVD's, but I was not willing to take a third chance. The VHS version does not have this problem.

I saw this version of Jane Eyre in China when I was a teenager in early 80's. I had read the book by then and was overwhelmed by the great performance of George Scott and Susannah York. I felt that they played Rochester and Jane just as exactly as I imagined. The music score was great throughout and it truly expressed the spirit of the characters and the story. I have never forgot the main theme for the past twenty some years. This is one of my all time favorite films.
However, I have to say that the DVD quality is terrible. At least two scenes are missing in the DVD version. The pictures are too dark and blurred. What a pity!
But, no matter what, I still love this version of Jane Eyre.

This version of Jane Eyre is marked by good performances, and a great music score by John Williams. If it had been longer, I think it might have been the definitive version, but at under 2 hours, it cannot come close to the Timothy Dalton BBC version which was several hours long, took dialogue straight out of the book in most scenes, etc. But George C. Scott was a more realistic Rochester. Timothy Dalton acted well, but was far too pretty, and Rochester was supposed to be a rather ugly man physically, to match Jane's plainess. Susannah York had the right sweetness to play Jane, but again far too beautiful. I haven't seen a real plain Jane yet in any filmed version, except for the William Hurt version, which I actively disliked. (Worst was the A&E version, I threw pillows at my tv screen, it was so bad).