I think I must have seen all the screen incarnations of my favorite book now - and this one is as good as it gets. I never believed the 1983 version with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke could be beaten, but it will now have to share the spotlight with the BBC's latest gem.
Toby Stephens, one of the most gifted actors of his generation, turns in another flawless performance here - he makes you love him, pity him and then he breaks your heart with the vulnerability he endows his character with. The book tells the reader that Rochester 'became dangerous when he lost her (Jane) and that the servants of Thornfield Hall had 'never seen a man so much in love as he'...and in this version you believe that utterly.
Ruth Wilson is an enchanting Jane. Seeming at once very young and innocent and yet also wise beyond her years. Her on-screen chemistry with Toby Stephens is electric, making her departure from Rochester all the more heartbreaking. Although the screenplay definitely modernizes the language of the book, and takes some small liberties with minor characters and plot, the true nature of the main characters and the story of their love, has a never been brought more vividly to life.
Toby Stephens, one of the most gifted actors of his generation, turns in another flawless performance here - he makes you love him, pity him and then he breaks your heart with the vulnerability he endows his character with. The book tells the reader that Rochester 'became dangerous when he lost her (Jane) and that the servants of Thornfield Hall had 'never seen a man so much in love as he'...and in this version you believe that utterly.
Ruth Wilson is an enchanting Jane. Seeming at once very young and innocent and yet also wise beyond her years. Her on-screen chemistry with Toby Stephens is electric, making her departure from Rochester all the more heartbreaking. Although the screenplay definitely modernizes the language of the book, and takes some small liberties with minor characters and plot, the true nature of the main characters and the story of their love, has a never been brought more vividly to life.