Jane Eyre - DVD Review

★★★

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins and Simon McBurney.
Directed by Cary Fukunaka.

Somehow I've made it this far in life without ever reading or seeing a filmed version of Jane Eyre. (I hear the musical's good.) But now I have.

It begins and ends with Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) as Jane, and she does amazing work here. There are times her face blanks out and she is truly plain Jane. And then we can see her heart breaking by the smallest twitch of the lip or blush of the cheek.

I enjoyed getting enveloped in the foggy moors of 19th century England in Bronte-land, where everything's restrained and proper, but underneath, there's those pesky emotions dying to get out. Jane has the typical Dickensian childhood. Orphaned, abandoned, raised in a strict and heartless school, but once free as an adult, she acquires valuable employment as a governess for the wealthy Mr. Rochester.

Something felt missing, and my wife explained how the movie trimmed most of God out. Jane's faith is what sustains her, what motivates her, what drives her, at least on the page. The movie gives Jane that solid character; it just doesn't clarify where it comes from. She's Jane Eyre. Enough said. Regardless, I found it a fine introduction to the story, which is understandably classic.

Random Entertainment News 7/13/11

- Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Christian Slater, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Holt McCallany will star in an action thriller for director Walter Hill. Based on the book "Bullet to the Head," it's about a hitman and cop teaming up for revenge after two gruesome murders throw them together.

- Matthew Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) is joining At Swim-Two-Birds, about a 19-year-old playwright who starts seeing his fictional creation interactioning with real people in his life. Brenda Gleeson will direct and co-star. It also stars Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy and Gabriel Byrne.

- Johnny Depp might play Paul Revere in an upcoming movie. He also has plans to star in the big-screen adaptation of The Night Stalker. Depp also has The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows on his plate, as well as, possibly, Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

- Tobey Maguire has dropped out of The Paperboy, and John Cusack has replaced him. He'd play a death-row inmate that a woman (Nicole Kidman) and two brothers (Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey) are trying to save. Lee Daniels (Precious) writes and directs.

- Walton Goggins (Justified) will play Ohio congressman Wells A. Hutchins in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln biopic, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field.

- Ted Danson has joined the cast of CBS's CSI, replacing the departing Laurence Fishburne.