Australia-Jane Eyre Theatrical release

http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2011/07/18/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte-australian-fans-await-new-film/

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë : Australian fans await new film.
Posted on July 18, 2011 by Booktopia

The new film of Jane Eyre is being released in Australia on 11th August 2011 (a few days later it’s available on DVD in the UK!)

In a bold new feature version of Jane Eyre, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) infuse a contemporary immediacy into Charlotte Brontë’s timeless, classic story. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) star in the iconic lead roles of the romantic drama, the heroine of which continues to inspire new generations of devoted readers and viewers.

In the 19th Century-set story, Jane Eyre (played by Ms. Wasikowska) suddenly flees Thornfield Hall, the vast and isolated estate where she works as a governess for Adèle Varens, a child under the custody of Thornfield’s brooding master, Edward Rochester (Mr. Fassbender). The imposing residence – and Rochester’s own imposing nature – have sorely tested her resilience. With nowhere else to go, she is extended a helping hand by clergyman St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell of Focus Features’ The Eagle) and his family. As she recuperates in the Rivers’ Moor House and looks back upon the tumultuous events that led to her escape, Jane wonders if the past is ever truly past…

Aged 10, the orphaned Jane (played by Amelia Clarkson) is mistreated and then cast out of her childhood home Gateshead by her cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed (Golden Globe Award winner Sally Hawkins). Consigned to the charity school Lowood, Jane encounters further harsh treatment but receives an education and meets Helen Burns (Freya Parks), a poor child who impresses Jane as a soulful and contented person. The two become firm friends. When Helen falls fatally ill, the loss devastates Jane, yet strengthens her resolve to stand up for herself and make the just choices in life.

As a teenager, Jane arrives at Thornfield. She is treated with kindness and respect by housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Academy Award winner Judi Dench). Jane’s interest is piqued by Rochester, who engages her in games of wit and storytelling, and divulges to her some of his innermost thoughts. But his dark moods are troubling to Jane, as are strange goings-on in the house – especially the off-limits attic. She dares to intuit a deep connection with Rochester, and she is not wrong; but once she uncovers the terrible secret that he had hoped to hide from her forever, she flees, finding a home with the Rivers family. When St. John Rivers makes Jane a surprising proposal, she realizes that she must return to Thornfield – to secure her own future and finally, to conquer what haunts both her and Rochester.

Apparently it was a book first:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, where she endures loneliness and cruelty, and at a charity school with a harsh regime.

This troubled childhood strengthens Jane’s natural independence and spirit – which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves?

A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre (1847) dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman’s search for equality and freedom.

Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Currer Bell, the book heralded a new kind of heroine-one whose virtuous integrity, keen intellect, and tireless perseverance broke through class barriers to win equal stature with the man she loved.

Hailed by William Makepeace Thackeray as ‘The Masterwork of a Great Genius,’ Jane Eyre is still regarded, over a century later, as one of the finest novels in English Literature.

About the Author

Charlotte Bronte was born at Thornton, Yorkshire, in 1816. Her mother died in 1821, and Charlotte, her four sisters, Maria, Elizabeth, Emily and Anne, and her brother Branwell were left in the care of their aunt, Elizabeth Branwell. Left to pursue their education mainly at home, all the Bronte children became involved in a rich fantasy life and Charlotte and Branwell collaborated in the invention of the imaginary kingdom of Angria.

In 1824 Charlotte went with Maria, Elizabeth and Emily to a school for daughters of the clergy; her experiences there are fictionalized in the Lowood section of Jane Eyre (1847; written under the pseudonym of Cutter Bell). She wrote three other novels, Shirley (1849) Villette (1853) and The Professor (published posthumously in 1857). She also made occasional visits to London where she became known to various writers, including William Thackeray and Elizabeth Gaskell. In 1854 Charlotte finally overcame her father’s objections and married, but unfortunately she was to die in the following year.

http://www.thecapebretoner.ca/?p=11619

Film Series – Jane Eyre
By
Kenzie
Published: September 22, 2011Posted in: In The News, Top Stories
Film Series – Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte’s celebrated Gothic novel has seen upwards of 20 big- and small-screen adaptations. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) shoots this one in available light, giving the film a gorgeously gloomy cast offset by Fukunaga’s snappy pacing. Mia Wasikowska, whom we saw last fall in THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, is a sure-fire Oscar nominee.

After her parents die of typhus, Jane Eyre (first Amelia Clarkson, then Wasikowska) falls under the care of her heartless and duplicitous aunt Sarah (Sally Hawkins), who ships her off to a brutal boarding school run with lavish Christian hypocrisy.

Jane finally fetches up as a governess in Thornfield Hall, a remote house in the Yorkshire Peak District, teaching precocious Adle Varens (Romy Settbon Moore), ward of Thornfield’s master, Edward Fairfax Rochester (Michael Fassbender).

Young Adle quickly warms to Jane, and the charming Rochester, too, falls under her luminous spell. On what was supposed to be the happiest day of Jane’s life, however, a scandalous secret spills out, and the emotionally shattered governess takes flight.

JANE EYRE plays one show only, 7 p.m., Thursday, September 22, at the Empire Theatres Studio 10, 325 Prince Street, Sydney. Admission $11, students $7, or by a season pass to the remaining 11 fall films for $80.