A solid (and temporary) end to theatricals

For my last theatrical film for an undetermined amount of time, where else would I go but my local arthouse? Everytime I go to the arthouse, I think I want to come back every week – I don’t, but I should. It reminds me that film as a medium is so much bigger than the multiplex and even bigger than Netflix. I always see at least one trailer of I film I didn’t know but now want to see. (In this case it’s “Beginners” with Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor.) The crowds are older and more respectful. There may not be cell service. In this particular theater, you take an escalator up just to get to the ushers. It’s the home of my favorite studio – Focus Features.

Speaking of Focus Features, the film I saw was the remake of “Jane Eyre”. Even sitting in the third or fourth row of an almost sold out theater, the film was great. It was exactly what I wanted, and a bit more than I expected.

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never read the book – although I do want to change that soon. (I added it to my growing book queue.) This means that I didn’t know the story, and that puts me at a big of a disadvantage given the out of order storytelling. But this is the literature of the Brontes and Austen, so it’s not THAT hard to follow along.

The best thing about the film is the performance of Mia Wasikowska. With each role young Mia takes, she seems to be becoming a better actress. Although most people know her as “Alice” from Burton’s recent version, she’ll always be Sophie from “In Treatment” to me. I remember thinking at the time that, if she made the right choices in roles and in life, she’d be one to watch. She’s rapidly confiming my opinion.

For me, there’s a charm to these English period pieces – the many remakes of “Pride and Prejudice”, “Wuthering Heights”, “Sense and Sensibility” et cetera that updated stories just can’t match. Yes, I know that Jane will end up with Rochester, and that Elizabeth will find security and equality with Mr. Darcy, but that doesn’t matter. I fully believe and wallow in their trials and tribulations (which should be an Austen book as well). Perhaps it’s because those characters all have a sense of individuality and intelligence sorely missing from modern stereotypical romances. And as an added bonus, people keep their clothes on!

I also appreciated the dialogue. Again, having not read the book, I’m sure that Jane’s barbs were quite sharp, but not quite as sharp as this version would entail. I believe that it’s the combination of all of these things that make the contemporary remake hold up just as well to any other version.

Side Note – I’d still like to see Jane Eyre/Rochester take on Elizabeth Bennett/Darcy in a literary tag team match to see who is the strongest couple. Or maybe I’m just watching too much WWE, which is just as mind-numbing as what passes for