Jane Eyre (1996)

Jane Eyre is an orphan cast out as a young girl by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and sent to be raised in a harsh charity school for girls. There she learns to be come a teacher and eventually seeks... See full summary »

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

Charlotte Brontë (novel), Hugh Whitemore (screenplay),

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Nic Knight, Charlotte Gainsbourg

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Paquin	...	Young Jane Eyre
Nic Knight	...	John Reed
Nicola Howard	...	Eliza Reed
Sasha Graff	...	Georgiana Reed
Fiona Shaw	...	Mrs. Reed
John Wood	...	Mr. Brocklehurst
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Miss Scatcherd
Amanda Root	...	Miss Temple
Leanne Rowe	...	Helen Burns
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Jane Eyre
Richard Warwick	...	John
Judith Parker	...	Leah
Joan Plowright	...	Mrs. Fairfax
Joséphine Serre	...	Adele (as Josephine Serre)
Billie Whitelaw	...	Grace Poole

Storyline

Jane Eyre is an orphan cast out as a young girl by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and sent to be raised in a harsh charity school for girls. There she learns to be come a teacher and eventually seeks employment outside the school. Her advertisement is answered by the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall, Mrs. Fairfax.

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Plot Keywords:

aunt | teacher | boarding school | love | governess | 

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Taglines:

The passionate tale of forbidden secrets!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief violence

Details

Country:

France Italy UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Filming Locations:

Brimham Rocks, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$23,860 (USA) (19 July 1996)

Gross:

$5,173,860 (USA) (19 July 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineritino S.r.L., Flach Film, Mediaset

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the late scene in which the wind blows St John Rivers's hat off, the trees in the background are being blown in the opposite direction. In the following shot in which he chases his hat, all trees are entirely still.

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Quotes

Jane Eyre: I received a letter this morning. If you please, sir, I want leave of absence.
Mr. Rochester: Why?
Jane Eyre: Because of an old lady who is sick.
Mr. Rochester: What old lady?
Jane Eyre: Her name is Mrs. Reed. She is my aunt.
Mr. Rochester: I thought you said you didn't have any relatives.
Jane Eyre: None that would own me, sir. Mrs. Reed cast me off when I was a child.
Mr. Rochester: Then why must you go rushing off to see her?
Jane Eyre: She's dying. I can't ignore her dying wish.
Mr. Rochester: [pause] You won't be persuaded to stay?
[...]

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Connections

Version of Jane Eyre (1943)

User Reviews

Great story, great actors, mismatched.

I've seen 3 versions of this movie after having read Charlotte Bronte's book. The first was with Orson Wells as Mr. Rochester, the second with Ciaran Hinds, followed by William Hurt's version. Hurt's Rochester is the only one who didn't bring tears to my eyes. He is a wonderful actor, but it's as if this part was not suited to him. Mr. Rochester is a man of passion, pain, and jealousy; none of which were reflected in this story. The story is great, the actors are great, but story and actors are mismatched in this film. Another disservice is the failure of the movie to maintain the integrity of the book. Jane leaves Thornefield twice; once on the death of her aunt, and once again when left at the alter. In Bronte's book, Jane's travels and subsequent proposal of marriage after being left at the alter are somewhat cumbersome, but necessary to support her final return to Rochester, being willing to be with him under any terms. Unfortunately, these adventures are apparently difficult to incorporate into a film. Charlotte Gainsbourg's performance is the only one I've seen, and I'm anxious to follow her career. She seems to have the ability to well play suppressed emotion.