Jane Eyre 1949 (the odd Heston TV one) Review

[@nicoleackerman205]

Charlton Heston was probably glad no really remembers that he did this movie

[@ClassicswithCourtney]

I was brought back to this review of yours because I am now watching Charlton Heston's 1950 tv movie or whatever of Wuthering Heights, it also has Mary Sinclair (actress who played Jane in the 49 tv JE) as Kathy. I already saw the 39 version of Wuthering Heights so looking forward to this one

[@Weiselberry]

Yeah, I think I saw that listed on Heston's filmography. I'd assume it's a very abridged adaptation, as these tv productions tend to be.

[@missioncodez]

I think I appreciated this mostly for introducing me to the history of Studio One in Hollywood productions. While it seems a fool's errand to adapt epic literature into (not even) an hour's worth of programming, I admire the live wire aspect of it all the same. So, with all the inherent limitations in mind, the fact that they were able to manage what they had was at least commendable. But, it's just not Jane Eyre. It's (barely) a daytime soap opera, with not enough time nor real estate to grow the characters and story properly. Charlton Heston is fine. I don't think I've ever seen him so young before. He has to rush through all these emotional states, rendering the performance completely meaningless, through no fault of his own. Mary Sinclair was perfectly acceptable as well. I did have an initial impression that if you have to take a pretty actress and "plain" her down, Sinclair's look fit the bill. As with Heston, she's not really given much to do, except work through the barest of script motivations. Never once did I feel any chemistry between our leads. That's a cardinal sin when you're talking about Jane Eyre. Random Observations..... - Granted, I am not far into these adaptations, but they need to dial it back with regard to Bertha's crazy laughter. So far, the laughter fits have been SO loud and over the top, carrying over the entire household in such a way to feel like an SNL skit at times. It makes me chuckle when Jane is always reassured that "Oh, that's just the help..". Yeah, sorry, if I heard insane cackling like that, reverberating throughout the house, I would be packing my things before even having to deal with the bad Rochester chemistry. Just, use a little subtlety, people. Make it to where Jane has to cock an ear to a neighboring wall. Anything is better than having the p.a. system blaring it... - Speaking of unintentional comedy, and this is definitely a product of the compressed set, but it was funny to focus on the wedding ceremony and then pan up, not even ten feet, to see Bertha leering out the window at the party below. Nobody noticed this crazy woman just a few feet above them? I get that it's more to do with the set limitations, but it brought a smile to my face, all the same. - There is a scene earlier in the presentation where we see Jane and Rochester conversing in the courtyard, and it then pans up to show Bertha observing and taking in what is obviously an intimate conversation between her husband and another woman. It did give me pause, cause it's the first time I've ever considered Bertha watching and being aware of Jane and her relationship to Rochester. It filled me with sadness, this potential alternative timeline where Bertha is still somewhat sane (perhaps in the midst of spiralling down) and seeing another woman taking her husband's attention away. Of course, every adaptation ends up having Bertha so utterly and completely bonkers (which you have to, ultimately), that it remains a gray area unexplored. I do recall seeing a mention somewhere of a Bertha-centric book, most likely centering around her life before the madness started setting in. I'll have to check that out. I think my particular take would be too dark. So, a lot of impressions from Bertha and not much of anything from the Jane/Rochester side this time. That pretty much sums up the overall effectiveness (or lack thereof), of this Studio One effort. They did it live, though. I'll give them that. Up next is the Jane Eyre I've been dreading.

[@Weiselberry]

Very interesting observations. I wasn't even expecting you to watch this one, so I'm impressed. :) I definitely agree that the more realistic reaction to hearing such mad laughter projected all over the house would be to start packing. But then we wouldn't have the rest of the story! I honestly don't remember much about Bertha from this version, so I'm surprised that most of your observations have to do with her. It's true, though: there's not so much to say about the leads in this one. You're correct about that Bertha-centric book (Wide Sargasso Sea) centering around her life before the crazy happened. But I'm not sure your take would be much darker than that one is. Personally, I'm not a fan of it, nor am I happy about the fact that a lot of people refer to it as the Jane Eyre prequel, as if it has Charlotte Bronte's official stamp of approval. I can't speak for the dead, but I suspect she wouldn't have liked it either if she could have lived another 100+ years and read it. Hm, the Jane Eyre you've been dreading. Are you referring to 1953 or 1957? If you're going to watch either of those, you really are determined. :)

[@missioncodez]

Yes, *Wide Sargasso Sea* was it, thank you! And, if getting to said Jean Rhys novel was already on my most distant back burner before hearing your take, it's now pretty much been taken off the stovetop altogether. Never say never, but there's so much more to get to on my Wish List before that anyway. Hold the dread! At least for a little while longer. Determined to go in as close to chronological order as possible for the television and film adaptations, I took for granted that your playlist would be ordered as such, as though you would have somehow magically acquired, viewed, reviewed, and posted all these adaptation videos in a perfect timeline. Not until your comment did I look further along your playlist to regain my senses and redo my list. And, yes, I really am determined, so you (now) know what's next... *Bonus Bertha!* Mrs. Fairfax, describing Bertha in her final moments: _"Her black hair was streaming against the flames..."._ Fine dialogue by itself, except that we just spent the entire production watching the actress, playing Bertha, clearly sporting blonde hair. C'mon people!

[@Weiselberry]

Haha, no, there were a few obscure adaptations that I either didn't know about or didn't know how to find when I first started reviewing Jane Eyres. I'm curious if you're going to be really hardcore and watch the foreign versions too... :P

[@missioncodez]

@@Weiselberry I can only imagine how many foreign versions there are! Not just traditional adaptations, but works inspired enough by *Jane Eyre* to the point of consideration as well. I would definitely be game for exploring the foreign versions down the road but, for now, I'm following your lead. : )

[@bobajames1]

It was quite a surprise to hear (not see) Rochester speaking to Jane and realize the voice was Charlton Heston.

[@PatriciaXara]

Wow! That was a different beggining. xD Cutting the meeting scene with the horse was inexcusable! The dialogues were hard to understand sometimes because of the sound quality. I had to go back to undo the optical illusion of the boot on her lap. xD I was also staring at the screen looking for something burned but then Mrs. Fairfax says it was only the West Wing that burned. They still live at Thornfield, so that part of the house is ok. The dialogues were a bit repetitive sometimes, like in the proposal scene. It was a bit theatrical but I liked the actors. A detail I liked that's different from the book was to hear Adele sing Au Clair de la Lune. :) I try not to repeat in my comments what you already said in your reviews because I usually agree with what you said. :D

[@Weiselberry]

I forget, do they end up staying at Thornfield at the end of this one? If only the West Wing was burned, they could technically stay as long as they wanted, but I would think they'd prefer to remove themselves from the bad memories and start a new life elsewhere. Oh, that's okay. I forget what I said and end up repeating myself in the comments. :D

[@PatriciaXara]

They are living in Thornfield when Jane arrives. That's the only set they have. xD No one knows what happens after she arrives and they reconnect because it ends there.

[@joyceday115]

I may be in the minority here but something about this version really appeals to me.

[@ursonate]

"do ya play on the spinet?" 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ClassicswithCourtney]

Which one do you think was better between this one and the 1934 version? I liked both but that's just me :)

[@Weiselberry]

Hmmm... The 1934 version has a lot of random comedy, which makes it more memorable, even if it's just in an eye-rolling kind of way. But since Jane Eyre isn't supposed to be so silly, that's usually not what I'm looking for. For a more authentic JE experience, 1949 would be the better option, but it's definitely lacking something. I don't know, I didn't love either of them, so it's awfully hard for me to rank one above the other.

[@ClassicswithCourtney]

Thanks for the reply. I think your answer is a very good point! I look forward to seeing more of your video's :)

[@Weiselberry]

You're welcome! I love getting comments, but responding to them can take me awhile. :)

[@ClassicswithCourtney]

Thats alright! I love getting comments too! :)