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Jane Eyre

1996, Movie, PG, 112 mins

Jane Eyre: Review

Franco Zeffirelli doesn't have any new ideas about Jane Eyre, but since new ideas about classics often lead to the likes of Demi Moore in THE SCARLET LETTER, that's probably for the best. At any rate, Zeffirelli seems far more inspired by chandeliers and floral arrangements than Charlotte Bronte's prickly, gloomy novel. The assets: Charlotte Gainsbourg (the French-speaking daughter of '60s icon Jane Birkin) is a resilient, watchful Jane; Joan Plowright is a sweetly maternal housekeeper; and '70s sexpot Maria Schneider, of LAST TANGO IN PARIS fame, is an intriguing choice for mad Mrs. Rochester. But William Hurt is a vexatiously self-pitying Rochester -- his inner child needs a swift kick in the behind -- and Elle Macpherson is embarrassingly miscast as Blanche, the flirtatious twerp with her sights set on a good marriage. As for Anna Paquin -- well, she's a thoroughly modern, anachronistic brat who seems in dire need of a Discman, a Gameboy and maybe a roll of Mentos. leave a comment