Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre is the story of a girl that goes through many trials, such as being an outcast, finding a friend, losing that friend, finding what she thinks is true love and being lied to by this love. She does what she thinks is best for her, regardless of losing a home, a job and a romance. She was a very brave character for this time period as jobs were lacking, especially for women.

Jane’s search for a stable relationship is a long and tedious process which always seems to fail. Orphaned as a child, she was sent to live with an aunt and cousins that despised her. Her relatives were very jealous of her which made this a failing relationship. Going on to a boarding school, sent with a bad reputation, she was outcast by the faculty and many of her peers. She developed a relationship with one girl that was also abused by the school staff. While lies fueled Jane’s reputation, her friends came from the false idea that she was vein. Leaving her long, beautiful hair down caused the faculty to become angry and accuse her falsely of vanity. Jane and Helen Burns share a burden of false accusation and mistreatment. Helen dies of lung disease in Jane’s arms, yet another failed relationship.

Jane moves from being an orphan in boarding school to a governess. Not only does she raise her social standing, but she develops a relationship with a child, with an older woman, as well as a romantic relationship with Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield. Mr. Rochester invites his socialite friends to Thornfield where Jane compares her social class to theirs. Jane’s physical and social traits in etiquette and academics were just as high in standard at these socialites; however she did not have the background to be considered to their level. Even though Rochester proclaims his love for her, she believes herself to be beneath him. She leaves Rochester, but continuing with social standing, she goes back to him after inheriting money from an uncle and in fact they live happily.

This film was well shot and the costumes were excellent. I definitely enjoyed this film.