The BBCs adaptation of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre was such good television that I just had to purchase the DVD and watch it again and again. I have not been that absorbed in a programme since the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in the mid 90s. Jane Eyre is set in Victorian times and tells the story of a young woman named Jane (Ruth Wilson). Jane has not been treated kindly by life. Her parents died when she was a child and she was sent to live with her cruel aunt, Mrs Reed (Tara Fitzgerald), who possessed no kind feelings for her and sent her to live at Lowood school for girls.

Abandoned by her family, Jane finds the only thing she can do is make the most of her education at Lowood School. She spends the next ten years of her life there and becomes knowledgeable in many different subjects.  By adverstising her skills in a local newspaper, she finally manages to escape the confines of the school and is offered a ‘Governess’ position at Thornfield Hall.

When Jane moves to Thornfield Hall, this is when the story becomes really interesting, as it is here that she meets the Master of the house, Mr Rochester. Mr Rochester is a fascinating complex character. Initially, he seems quite rude and hard-faced and actually throws insults at Jane and the child Adele, but the more you see of him, the more layers he reveals. He has clearly had some knocks in life and is quite cynical, but he is also extremely charismatic and capable of great kindness. He becomes particularly kind to Jane and clearly cares about her opinions and welfare. He respects her and treats her like an equal, even though in terms of social class, she is not his equal. It becomes clear that they have a connection and understand each other. However, Jane knows that she is plain and not considered by society to be a suitable match, so she doesn’t for a second presume that anything but friendship can occur between them. I’m sure i’m not giving too much away by revealing that a romance between them does occur, but as ‘Jane Eyre’ was essentially a gothic novel, the path to true romance does not run smoothly. Jane makes a shocking discovery about the man she loves and has to flee from him.

There are a lot of gothic elements in Jane Eyre. The setting at Thornfield Hall is quite bleak. When Jane first arrives there, everything is in darkness. The furniture in the house is covered with sheets because the Master is hardly ever at home, but it has the effect of making the house seem supernatual. Weather is used effectively to hint at future events. When Jane first sees Mr Rochester, they meet outside in extremely foggy weather and he falls off his horse and injures himself – a bad omen. Just after Mr Rochester declares his love to Jane, it starts to pour with rain and lightning strikes, which again indicates something terrible will happen.

Costumes are used to emphaise the emotions of the characters. Mr Rochester first appears in dark clothing, as his outlook on life is extremely bleak and cyncial. The more he gets to know Jane, the brighter his clothes become, as he is becoming more positive and hopeful about what life has to offer. Jane consistently wears dark clothing, largely because that is all she can afford, but it also indicates that she knows herself and society’s constraints and she will not easily be overwhelmed. When Mr Rochester tries to get her to travel in a fancy white carriage with him, she tells him ‘no’ and that she would much prefer a plain black carriage. She does not care about appearances, and this is partly why Mr Rochester falls for her, as he has never met a person as innocent and moral as Jane is.

The sexual chemistry between Mr Rochester and Jane is compelling in this adaptation. Although the chemistry is also apparent in the original novel, it is given more emphasis in this adaptation, as today’s viewers are more open-minded than victorian readers would have been. Jane and Rochester are both very sexual characters. Rochester doesn’t hide the fact that he has had many sexual conquests, and Jane is clearly attracted to him. She becomes flustered after speaking to him, and it is clear she is experiencing sensations unfamiliar to her. Although Jane is a very moral person and would not have sex before marriage, there is one very sexual scene between her and Rochester. It suggests Jane wants to give in to Rochester’s charms, but she knows she mustn’t, as it is her innocence and moral sense that sets her apart from other women Rochester has met.

This adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’ is brilliant and I recommend it to fans of period drama’s. Nothing important from the novel is missed out and the setting, costumes and casting are brilliant. Ruth Wilson is a great choice for Jane Eyre, as she is plain enough to suit the role of Jane, but she is attractive enough to make it believable that Rochester could fall for her. Toby Stephens is incredible as Mr Rochester and fully conveys the complexity of the character. He is convincingly angry and short-tempered one minute, and caring and soft-spoken the next, showing Rochester’s changeable nature. Fortunately, Toby Stephens is extremely charismatic in the role and it is easy to understand why Jane would fall for him. It’s a great version of the novel from start to finish.

Director: Susanna White

Starring: Toby Stephens, Ruth Wilson

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