Change Your Image
kenzie2
Reviews
Jane Eyre (1973)
What a wonderful adaptation
I first read Jane Eyre the novel many years ago and have since watched various adaptations of it but never really found one that I thought captured the essence of the book and portrayed the characters as I imagined them. That was until I was lucky enough to see the 1973 version. This one is perfect, exactly what I had been looking for. The 2 main characters are wonderful, Michael Jayston and Sorcha Cusack simply are Rochester and Jane. They bring the novel alive and every scene they are in sizzles! There is so much to enjoy in every scene, you never tire of watching it. This is far, far superior to the 1983 version with Timothy Dalton, it goes to show that newer versions are not always better. It's simply a classic!
Jane Eyre (1983)
Inferior to the 1973 version
I'm afraid after seeing the 1973 adaptation with Michael Jayston and Sorcha Cusack, this is a poor alternative. Firstly, what a cheat to put a handsome, young actor in the part of Rochester. Obviously everyone is going to love him but the fact that he is the exact opposite of the way Rochester is described in the book seems really strange when watching the adaptation. Zelah Clark does her best but there is no real chemistry between her and Dalton, it just doesn't sizzle like the 1973 version. Zelah is just a bit too mousy for me, where's the fire and quirky character, where's the humour between the 2 characters which is so prevalent in the '73 version? And the after the fire scene is a real disappointment. Watchable once but dull!