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Reviews
The Goldfinch (2019)
The critics are wrong about this one
Some of the subtleties of the book were list in this film, but overall it was a pretty faithful and well-done rendering. Cinematography breathtaking, acting excellent. The plot is complex but can be followed by anyone slightly more intelligent than a film critic.
Jane Eyre (2006)
Completely true to the spirit of the book
Critiques that this lovely version of Jane Eyre differs from the novel misses the point; what works in print often doesn't work the same in film. A case in point is the Timothy Dalton/Zelah Clarke version which some posts praise so highly; it is almost letter-perfect to the book but is cringe-inducing at many points because of that. Also, Dalton overplays Rochester's aggression and Clarke underplays Jane's feistiness to the point where the couple's relationship looks almost abusive.
Before I saw this version, I thought Jane was so deprived that she literally fell in love with the first man she'd ever known. The film made me see how much Rochester and Jane really had in common and why their connection made so much sense: they had both suffered deprived childhoods and been betrayed by their parents or parent-figures. They had both suffered deep humiliation. They were both insecure about their looks. They both looked at the world through a prism of idealism, fantasy, and love of nature (the film brilliantly incorporates Bronte's bird/nature metaphors into talk about the characters as well as action of the drama). They both had a delightfully cynical side. They were both deeply religious without being mindless fundamentalists.
Yes, Toby Stephens is the sex bomb of the decade, no question, but he brings so much more to the role that his smoldering beauty is almost beside the point. His Rochester is a vain, silly, spoiled brat ("my foot hurts like blazes,") with terrible taste in clothes and carriages, who can be unspeakably rude to people ("what do you really want, Blanche?"), but those drawbacks become positive charms in light of his consideration, chivalry, intelligence, and most of all his insight about and selfless love for Jane. Stephens lets you see the deeply touching vulnerability just behind the surface of Rochester's bluster, so you forgive him everything, just as Jane does.