Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Kimball
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
charmadu
Let me begin with the Gift from God known as Timothy Dalton. His vocal instrument and physique are breathtaking, absolutely mesmerizing. I could listen to him read the phone book. He brings Bronte's script to life as no one else has before or since. The miraculous irony is that although to most modern eyes, the man is almost blindingly handsome, in those days he would have been considered more of a "vulcan", and not so good looking - just as Bronte intended!I've seen the various versions of Jane Eyre- some are better than others but this is the one that will stand up in a hundred years. Zelah Clarke as Jane is also excellent and very believable. My sole quibble is that I wished there had been a wee bit more intimacy at the end, after all we've gone through to bring our leads back together again! Nevertheless, this version wins hands down for several reasons. It is the only one in which we get to see : 1) Mr. Rochester play the gypsy woman as he did in the book; 2) the serious damage done to Mr. Rochester's left hand and eyes after the fire, not just that he's blind; 3) the toll taken on Mr. Rochester from having to live with his "locked secret" for the past 10 years. 4) Jane forced to beg after she leaves Thornfield - which graphically reveals how truly alone and destitute she is at that point. 5) Did I mention Timothy Dalton?
Yass Lily
This version of Jane Eyre is the best ever and I do not think any other version of Jane Eyre will ever surpass its excellence. Everything is simply perfect. Timothy Dalton as the eccentric Mr Rochester gives it all he has and I think he never did a movie better than this one in all his career. It is because of his tantalizing performance in this miniseries that the audience gets hooked to it till the last minute of the series. Of course the main actor and actress' acting is very well matched too and one can feel the chemistry between the young and unearthly Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester right out of the screen! I highly recommend this miniseries to all Jane Eyre fans. It is a sin if you haven't watched it yet!
Mis_Lo
Yes, it has it's flaws: the camera work is bad, make-up too visible, bad lighting and sound, no fancy scenery and colors. Obviously, the budget was tight. But those are all small and unimportant details, because they all disappear once characters appear on the screen. Clarke and Dalton are the ultimate Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester for me, that's how I pictured them, when I read the book for the first time at the age of 11. And still do. They capture the essence of the book, the spirit and soul of the two main characters. When I look at them, I believe they are soul-mates, two pieces of one that have found each other. Also, I LOVE that they kept the dialogues, that is how Bronte wrote and meant them, and that is how they should be presented. The best adaptation ever made!
Matthew Kresal
After wanting to see this 1983 BBC production for some time, I've finally gotten to see this at last. Having never actually read the book I wasn't sure what I would make of the production, which had been recommended to me because of me being a fan of Timothy Dalton, who plays the role of Mister Edward Rochester. What I got was a fine production to say the least. It has a fine cast, fine production values which help to tell this atmospheric romance/drama in a fine fashion.The cast is fantastic to say the very least. Both Sian Pattenden (as the child) and Zelah Clarke (as the grown-up) both give fine performances in the title role of Jane Eyre, both are believable in their roles and come across as strong willed but all too human characters, which is especially true of Clarke as her relationship with her employer Mr. Rochester grows throughout the story. Speaking of Mr. Rochester, there is an absolutely brilliant performance by Timothy Dalton in the role. Dalton shows a huge range of emotions in the part and he shares some fine chemistry with Clarke and they really work well as a couple. There's also a fine supporting cast as well including Jean Harvey as Rochester's housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, Damien Thomas as Rochester's mysterious friend Richard Mason, Judy Cornwell as Jane's aunt Mrs. Reed, Mary Tamm as Rochester's love interest Blanche Ingram plus Elaine Donnelly, Morag Hood and Andrew Bicknell as the Rivers family amongst others. Also of mention is the performance of Joolia Cappleman as Bertha who, while not often seen, has a considerable influence over the story and lends it much of its atmosphere and mystery. Together they make for a fine cast of actors and actresses.There's also some fine production values as well. It was shot on both film (for exterior scenes) and videotape (for interiors) which some people have used against it as a way of calling this a cheap looking production. Nothing could be farther then the truth, which is that this was standard BBC policy at the time and virtually all of the programs made by the BBC (such as the original TV series of Doctor Who for one of many examples) were shot that way. Besides one shouldn't judge the production based on that, in my opinion anyway. Instead it should be judged based on the costumes and sets used. Both of those categories are successes as the BBC was more then capable on making fantastic period sets and costumes. Both the interiors and the exterior scenes are well shot and lit, which help to evoke both the moodiness of the story and the atmosphere of the period as well as seen in any of the scenes (interior or exterior) at Thornfield Hall for example. There's also some fine make-up work as well, especially in episode eleven which should be seen as not to spoil the story for anyone. There is also the music of composer Paul Reade who produced a fine piece of music for the titles sequences and the sporadic, but well made and used, pieces heard throughout the production as well. Once one looks past how the production was shot (which shouldn't really even be and issue), there are plenty of things in the costumes, set, make-up and music to admire about this production.Last, but not least, is the script which was written by Alexander Baron from the novel by Charlotte Brontë. Having never read the novel, I am unable to judge how faithful the script is to the original novel though, from what I've read from other reviews, the script adheres to the novel rather faithfully. Judging it then from the point of view of the writing alone it is a well constructed story which goes from Jane as a girl to her becoming the governess for Rochester's ward and beyond. There is a steady build-up of tension once Jane arrives as a mysterious laughter can be heard along with unexplained occurrences and Jane's growing feelings for Rochester. Especially since it is told across eleven half-hour episodes which each ending, cliffhanger like, at a point that brings the viewer back to see what happens next (especially someone like me who hasn't read the novel). This may be down to the novel, I don't know, but even if it is there is much credit to be given to Baron for being able to bring it to this production.All in all this 1983 BBC production of Jane Eyre is a fine example of BBC costume drama. Meaning that has some really fine performances from its large cast (especially Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton), fine costumes and sets and a well written script. It is a moving human drama that is nonetheless atmospheric and tense. While I can not judge this production to the novel it is based on, I feel confident in saying that this is a fine drama that will prove enjoyable to those who have or haven't read the novel.
