I was very excited after viewing the first two hour segment of Jane Eyre. Very few liberties were taken with Bronte's wonderful story and compelling dialogue. The actors captured the essence of the characters and one could not help seeing why they would fall in love.
The second two hour segment, however, skipped important parts of the story and changed both dialogue and story. Spoiler alert - If you are not familiar with the story, you may wish to stop here. Two of the most compelling parts of the book are when Rochester and Jane bear their souls to each other after the wedding scene. This is almost nonexistent in the movie and what little there is is not true to the book. Spoiler Alert - In the movie, rather than demanding Jane become his mistress as in the book, Rochester asks her to live with him as brother and sister. The second omission is when Jane returns to Rochester. The dialogue is completely changed and most of the heart breaking discussion is eliminated. The final faults are relatively minor, but nonetheless annoying. All references to religion, redemption and God's vengeance are gone. In addition, Rochester still has his left hand, although it has what appears to be a bandage and no mention is made that he regains sight in one eye in the book.
While the first two hours was thoroughly enjoyable, I was frustrated and disappointed with the thoughtless changes to the story in the second half.
The second two hour segment, however, skipped important parts of the story and changed both dialogue and story. Spoiler alert - If you are not familiar with the story, you may wish to stop here. Two of the most compelling parts of the book are when Rochester and Jane bear their souls to each other after the wedding scene. This is almost nonexistent in the movie and what little there is is not true to the book. Spoiler Alert - In the movie, rather than demanding Jane become his mistress as in the book, Rochester asks her to live with him as brother and sister. The second omission is when Jane returns to Rochester. The dialogue is completely changed and most of the heart breaking discussion is eliminated. The final faults are relatively minor, but nonetheless annoying. All references to religion, redemption and God's vengeance are gone. In addition, Rochester still has his left hand, although it has what appears to be a bandage and no mention is made that he regains sight in one eye in the book.
While the first two hours was thoroughly enjoyable, I was frustrated and disappointed with the thoughtless changes to the story in the second half.