Jane Eyre (1943 film)

Jane Eyre
Original film poster
Directed by	Robert Stevenson
Produced by	William Goetz Kenneth Macgowan Orson Welles (uncredited)
Written by	John Houseman Aldous Huxley Henry Koster Robert Stevenson Charlotte Brontë (novel)
Starring	Orson Welles Joan Fontaine Margaret O'Brien Peggy Ann Garner John Sutton Sara Allgood Henry Daniell Agnes Moorehead
Music by	Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography	George Barnes
Editing by	Walter Thompson
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	24 December 1943 3 February 1944
Running time	97 min
Country	USA
Language	English

Jane Eyre (1943) is a classic film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by William Goetz, Kenneth Macgowan, and Orson Welles (uncredited). The screenplay was by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, Henry Koster, and Robert Stevenson, from the novel by Charlotte Brontë. The music score was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography by George Barnes.

The film stars Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O'Brien, Peggy Ann Garner, Sara Allgood, Henry Daniell, Agnes Moorehead, John Sutton, with Betta St. John and Elizabeth Taylor making early, uncredited appearances.

Production notes

• The film's screenplay was based on a radio adaptation of the novel by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on the Air, which John Houseman collaborated on.

• The film was acclaimed for its recreation of the Yorkshire Moors. It was actually filmed entirely in Hollywood on a heavily disguised sound stage. The long shadows and heavy fog, which added the air of a Gothic novel lacking in so many remakes, were rumored to have been the brainchild of Orson Welles. He was offered a producer's credit as thanks for his contribution but declined the offer, believing that a person who is not a director shouldn't be "just" a producer.

• This was the 7th film version of the novel.

• It was during his scoring of the film that Bernard Herrmann started working on his opera Wuthering Heights, based on the novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë's sister Emily. He quoted some themes from the Jane Eyre film score (and other of his earlier scores) in the opera.

• Herrmann was second choice for composer. Igor Stravinsky was originally approached by Orson Welles to compose the music for the film, and he even got so far as writing music for a hunting scene which he later used in his Ode.

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Cast

• Joan Fontaine - Jane Eyre
• Orson Welles - Edward Rochester
• Peggy Ann Garner - Jane Eyre as a child
• Elizabeth Taylor - Helen Burns (uncredited)
• Edith Barrett - Mrs. Alice Fairfax
• Agnes Moorehead - Mrs. Reed
• Margaret O'Brien - Adele
• Sara Allgood - Bessie
• Henry Daniell - Henry Brocklehurst
• Hillary Brooke - Blanche Ingram
• Alec Craig as Footman
• Charles Coleman as Guard on Coach
• David Clyde as Guard on Coach

Quotes

The film begins with a voice over from Jane Eyre (an original contribution by the screenwriters):

My name is Jane Eyre... I was born in 1820, a harsh time of change in England. Money and position seemed all that mattered. Charity was a cold and disagreeable word. Religion too often wore a mask of bigotry and cruelty. There was no place for the poor or the unfortunate. I had no father or mother, brother or sister. As a child I lived with my aunt, Mrs. Reed of Gateshead Hall. I do not remember that she ever spoke one kind word to me.

External links

• Jane Eyre at the Internet Movie Database
• The presence of Orson Welles in Robert Stevenson's Jane Eyre (1944)
• Jane Eyre (1944) review
• An Enthusiast's Guide to Jane Eyre Adaptations
• Rotten Tomatoes reviews
• Radio adaptation of Jane Eyre June 14, 1948 on Lux Radio Theatre; 42 minutes, with Ingrid Bergman and Robert Montgomery (MP3)