"Jane Eyre (1996)" does a good job of telling Bronte's oft told tale. The film's two central characters avoid the usual inclinations toward schmaltz and melodrama which romantic films often use to capitalize on the market potential of the mindless masses. Instead, Eyre is rigid and unemotional while Rochester is anything but urbane and most of the romance is understood as opposed to demonstrated. Those who appreciate such fidelity to the period will likely appreciate this version of "Jane Eyre". The film is well shot, costumed, cast, scripted, and acted thought it does lurch through time periodically. Not a chick flick but an earnest retelling of a wonderful old gothic tale.
