FILM

UK/USA 2011 121 mins Dir: Cary Fukanaga Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jamie Bell, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench

It's easy to be cynical about the 5-10-year remake cycle for 19th century bonnet literature, in which TV mini-series alternate with lavish Hollywood productions. All too often, the latter feel like vehicles for the starlet of the moment to demonstrate some Proper Acting - i.e. poncing about in a National Trust property wearing a corset. Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' is right up there with the most bankable Austens, having been milked for two telly series (ITV and BBC) and one film (Franco Zeffirelli) in the last 15 years. So it's a relief to report that this latest version of the venerable gothic romance is one of the best, and certainly the most visually impressive, despite taking purist-enraging liberties with the narrative.

The fresh approach of 'Sin Nombre' director Cary Fukanaga plunges us into the story as adult Jane (Wasikowska - Alice in Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland') flees across the foggy, windswept moors, filmed from above as she reaches a symbolic crossroads. Eventually, she arrives exhausted on the doorstep of clergyman St. John Rivers (a solemn, mutton-chopped Jamie Bell). In a series of lengthening flashbacks that underline how she's haunted by her past, we learn of her unfortunate upbringing. Starved of love by uncaring aunt Sarah Reed (an unrecognisable Sally Hawkins) and dumped in the Dickensian Lowood School for Girls, she finally winds up as governess at the suitably gloomy and foreboding Thornfield Hall under kindly Mrs Fairfax (Dench, below stairs for a change). Enter tormented, Byronic master of the house Edward Rochester (Fassbender)…

Moira Buffini's script not only kicks off three-quarters of the way through the novel but also pares back the early years that are usually presented chronologically and clips the ending, so the bulk of the drama unfolds at Thornfield (actually Haddon Hall in Derbyshire). Aided by excellent cinematography and set design, Fukanaga emphasises the gothic, depicting the place as a classic Old Dark House that might, and (spoiler alert!) indeed does, conceal dark secrets within its walls. Sans make-up, hair pulled back severely, and looking much younger than her 21 years, slight Australian Mia Wasikowska appears suitably vulnerable as the "poor, obscure and plain" Jane next to Michael Fassbender's forceful, mercurial Rochester, while also investing her character with the tenacity and moral courage the role demands. (Robin Askew)

Website http://focusfeatures.com/jane_eyre

Opens: September 9

Copyright Robin Askew 2011