“They may not admire my person but I assure you, they dote on my purse.”

Sometimes I struggle with my looks.. I am used to that.. Sometimes I struggle with the looks of Hollywoodstars - especially when they are supposed to be ugly - and still look gorgeous.. - or when the make-up-department changes some familiar and usually very distinctive faces - e.g. look at this nose:

This, dear friends, is your hint for the film I am going to talk about.. Any ideas yet?

Hm.. ok...

Then I'll go on:

Once upon a time.. ..Charlotte Brontë wrote a book which became a beloved classic and which was adapted for the big screen several times – one time it was rewritten by the great Aldous Huxley, John Houseman and Robert Stevenson, who was a member of the Brontë-society - and who also directed the film, which was brought to you by 20th Century Fox. You might know it:

JANE EYRE (1943)

hm.. this film poster seems to give the wrong oomph!pression..

not much better.. Still floating hair and a naked shoulder?? Please! This isn't Brontë-porn, folks!

aah - yes, that's the kind of image that fits it at least a bit better...

In a nutshell:

Jane Eyre (Peggy Ann Garner) is an orphan. Because her aunt by marriage Sarah Reed (Agnes Moorehead) wants to get rid of the rebellious child she sends it to Lowood – a school headed by rigid Mr. Brocklehurst (Henry Daniell) whose very strict rules lead to the death of Jane’s only friend Helen (Elizabeth Taylor).

Years later the grown up – but still a bit stubborn - Jane (Joan Fontaine) starts to work as a governess for Adèle (Margaret O’Brien - speaking with a very cute French accent) at Thornfield Manor. Little Adèle is the ward of Mr. Edward Rochester (someone who resembles and sounds like Orson Welles .. ;"p .. ) – owner of Thornfield Manor and a bit uneasy to be with.

Nevertheless he and Jane go very well with each other and finally fall in love – but there are some obstacles: like the very pretty heiress Blanche (Hillary Brooke) who is after Mr. Rochester and there is also a dark secret in Mr. Rochester’s past, which might be related to the strange screams at night and the accident which almost burned Mr. Rochester during his sleep…

~ you think this is the final scene? Ha! You have no idea... ~

Watch out for:

• Elizabeth Taylor as Helen - her appearance is rather short and she is just sweet and not very much Martha of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?-ish. (->1966)
  
  
• Star of silent movies Mae Marsh as Leah.
  
  
• Hillary Brooks performance as Blanche Ingram - nasty lady that blonde.. Just btw - though she spoke through her whole career with an English accent - Miss Brooks actually hailed from Astoria, New York - she just wanted to have kind of a trade mark.. - isn't that simply marvellous?
  
  



• Agnes Moorehead – as always excellent – and I adore her saying “wicked”.. ;”)
  
  
• Henry Daniell as Mr. Brocklehurst – I love to hate that man! Honest: I think he is always great when he is mean!!

Schmooze:

• Though you might get the impression while watching this film: the beginning which is read from the pages of a book called JANE EYRE (I wonder why..) – it is not the original beginning of the novel - so please don't try to impress someone by memorizing this as the novel's beginning.. ;")

• There are some relations with Daphne Du Maurier’s REBECCA (which is apparently loosely based on JANE EYRE): a plain looking and kind of mousy heroine, a hero who is a bit uneasy, dark secrets in his past, the very similar end.. – well, and Joan Fontaine played the heroine in JANE EYRE (1943) as well as in REBECCA (1940).
  
  
• This was Elizabeth Taylor’s third appearance in a movie - the 7th flick for Peggy Ann Garner and the 8th film Margaret O'Brien did.
  
  

~ Look: other females have hairstyles
-

Peggy Ann Garner and yours Irene just have hair.. ~

• Joan Fontaine’s sister Olivia de Havilland played Charlotte Brontë in DEVOTION (1946).

• The German title is DIE WAISE VON LOWOOD (= The orphan of Lowood) and it was released in Germany in 1947 - which is comparatively early: e.g. THE THIN MAN SERIES weren't released here till 1969..

• Edith Barret who personated Mrs. Fairfax – a lady of “a certain” age – was actually 36 – just ten years older than Miss Fontaine..

~ this, dear friends, is the Hollywood idea of a plain looking female.. *sigh* anyone carpooling with me to a plastic surgeon?? - maybe we'll get a group discount.. ~

Let’s face the music:

Bernard Herrmann who wrote the score for this film also used parts of this for the opera he started to write – WUTHERING HEIGHTS after the novel of Charlotte Brontë’s younger sister Emily…

You should watch this film if you..

• .. wish to know the story (well the main part..) of a classic novel – without fighting your way through a bit dull passages (yeah – I said it: There are passages in JANE EYRE that I found actually dull to read.. the whole passage about several chapters what Jane lives through after she left Thornfield Manor.. that really gave me a hard time.. I was very fine with the Rochester and gothic atmosphere parts though.. but after all I am more of a WUTHERING HEIGHTS girl.. )
  
  
• .. like your main characters not too lovely.
  
  
• .. want to see each and every movie in which little girls talk with phony French accents and try to make grownups watch them dancing.. (Yes, I am talking to you Miss O'Brien! Go to your room!! )
  

~ awww... look at all these fluffy frills.. Somewhere in there is a child - I am pretty sure of that..~

• .. have a soft spot for mad women.
  
  
• .. like mystery gothic romances.

Quotes corner:

Maybe one of the best-known-literary-children-quotes ever - when asked how to avoid to end in hell little Jane Eyre answers:

“I must keep in good health and not die.”

No more questions, your honor...

Never ending story:

There are soo many adaptations of this novel - I just learned that I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) is losely based on it, too.. Great idea for a double feature show, isn't it?

Let's have a look:

~Don’t you just adore that girl in the beginning of the clip – and all those novels?? I love that! ~

Uhm.. ok. I got to confess that – not caring about what you will be thinking of me..: I am mesmerized by Orson Welles' fake nose in this film! I am frequently staring at him..

Anyway: I love this story. I love that the heroine shouldn’t be overwhelming beautiful.

Yeah – it’s Joan Fontaine – not quite an unattractive woman.. that’s true.. but they at least tried to make her look a bit more boring.. Problem is: Joan Fontaine has a beautiful face! That lady looks like an angel!!

~ oh my gosh! This woman is incredibly ugly! Quick - lets give her an paper back to hide that grotesque face..

?!?!?

Yeah, sure... ~

The hero is supposed to be unattractive – which actually means: very attractive to yours Irene.. Yeah, ok.. Orson Welles isn’t really my cup of anything.. I am struggling with myself whether I do like him or not.. – but he doesn't look like Orson Welles and it's Rochester and it's mighty dark in the halls of Thornfield Manor.. – anyway: it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?

I love the scene in which Jane is thinking that she hears Mr. Rochester calling for her in the thunderstorm – actually it makes me always a bit chuckling.. which can be related to the pathos in it.. And I simply adore Mr. Rochester’s Great Dane Pilot.

And though this film has with Joan Fontaine, Elizabeth Taylor and Agnes Moorehead three of my favourite actresses and I love it – I still must confess, that this isn’t my favourite version of JANE EYRE – that would be the 1996 version with Ciarán Hinds as Mr. Rochester..

..well, till now that is.. – because the 2011 version will released in Germany not before December – it was aired in the USA in March.. (!!! – IN FRIGGIN MARCH!!! .. ~ curse you, German cinemas!!! ~) anyway - this could change everything:

Because Mr. Rochester is personated by one of my modern favourites: Michael Fassbender – plus one of my favourite modern actresses Sally Hawkins is in it, too – yeah.. a great cast beside them with Judi Dench, Jamie Bell and Mia Wasikowska – but: aren’t you listening?? Michael Fassbender!! Blimey.. Hm.. I think I know one film I will write about in December – in case it will be actually in German cinemas then.. Oh! Woe is me..

Well, till then I still can watch this very cute version of JANE EYRE with such a beautiful cast - and so many great talents. Maybe woe isn't that much me..

~ Don't you just love this picture? Looks like Orson Welles told Joan Fontaine a dirty joke - and she is not amused.. ~

The End? - Wait and watch..

Thank you very much for listening!

Yours (very well and ) truly

Irene

- not even plain looking in a Joan Fontaine way..