Jane Eyre

Programme Outline

Programme 3 Jane Eyre

The programme, presented by Angie Errigo, looks at the plot and theme of the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, and examines the potential of the text for the screen, highlighting the relationship between the original text and the adaptations.

A summary of the plot of the novel is given and discussion focuses on the effect of the writer’s environment and experiences on her work, the concerns of Victorian society and how these feature in the novel, the role of women and their relationship with men and the convention of coincidence in the plot.

Discussion of the different screen adaptations focus on how the central female and male characters are depicted with particular reference to the concept of the plain heroine, how screen copes with the first person narration of the novel, and the ways in which film can create atmosphere and mood.

Clips are shown from Jane Eyre (Dir. Franco Zeffirelli/Miramax, Rochester Films, 1996); Jane Eyre (Dir. Julian Amyes/BBC, 1984); Jane Eyre (Dir. Robert Stevenson/Twentieth Century Fox, 1943) and Jane Eyre (Dir. Delbert Mann, 1970).

Interviewees include Jane Sellers, director of the Brontë Museum; Joan Bakewell, broadcaster; Lizzie Franke, film critic; Beryl Bainbridge, writer; Susannah York, actress.