Memo to the folks handling “The King’s Speech” at TWC: this is how you rustle up a poster for a period prestige pic. Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” — the first since Franco Zeffirelli’s Charlotte Gainsbourg-starring attempt in 1996 — is one of my most curiously awaited films of 2011. The novel, a personal favorite, has been filmed multiple times, with no screen version quite hitting the jackpot: I’m intrigued, then, to see what fresh insight the young director of “Sin Nombre” will bring to the material. (Here’s hoping the corsets don’t constrict his personality the way they did the similarly indie-based Jean-Marc Vallée’s in “The Young Victoria.”)
With Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender playing Brontë’s tortured lovers, the film couldn’t be more ideally cast — in addition to the above-the-title names, Sally Hawkins also features — and this sleek, elegant poster (just unveiled by Focus, and picked up on by The Playlist) does promise a certain modernity. We’ll find out in the spring.
Comments
34 responses to “‘Jane Eyre’ poster”
As an aspiring artist, this is a wonderful poster. I mean, it actually has a concept and an idea behind it and it doesn’t look like a shoddy photoshop job – imagine!
Oh, and Guy, no love for Robert Stevenson’s 1944 Orson Welles/Joan Fontaine version? I don’t think it’s great, but there’s certainly an Welles-ian approach to the production and Fontaine is wonderful.
I’ve never read Jane Eyre, but that’s an excellent poster. Maybe I’ll read the book before the film comes out.
By the way, does this site do a “Top Movie Posters (of the year)” article? Might be something fun near year’s end.
Chase: Like I said, no jackpot. I like a lot of things about Stevenson’s version (and even a few things about Zeffirelli’s more confused version), but neither feels definitive to me.
Michael Fassbender is right on the verge. Along with this next year he has movies coming out from Soderbergh and Cronenberg.
Guy, I am having ahard time reconciling the fact that “Jane Eyre” is one of your favorites with you considering the movie “ideally cast”. I’ll give you Fassbender as Mr. Rochester but Mia as Jane?
Come on! There have got to be more daring choices out there. Jane is supposed to be Unattractive. Instead, and poster makes it doubly clear, we seem to be getting another variation on the old “Plain Jane” routine. That’s one of the reasons why as, a fan of the novel, I am not as high on the poster as you are (could they have made Fassbender look any more like Lawrence Olivier?).
Gorgeous poster.
There are certainly more daring choices they could have made, yes. But given their understandable commercial concerns, I’m happy to settle for a star with chops. And for me, Wasikowska has the right kind of nervous physicality and quiet intelligence for the part. I’m interested to see what she does.
And let’s face it, Joan Fontaine and Charlotte Gainsbourg weren’t exactly dogs either.
Beautiful poster. One of the few original one’s we’ve seen lately.
I’ve read the book this year and while I found it enjoyable, I didn’t see anything THAT special about it.
The casting of Mia scared me at first, because if anything Jane is not meant to be a beautiful girl, but seeing the poster I’m glad they didn’t fall into the temptation of “dolling” her up, on the contrary which I appreciate.
on the other hand, Fassbender is such an attractive man, I doubt they’ll stay faithful to the character from the book, who as I remember was very manly, but also intensely unattractive.
I don’t follow your line of reasoning at all. What commercial concerns? This is “Jane Eyre” not “Notting Hill”. The audience should be drawn
Guy, think of what made the novel endearing. Why should those same aspects not help make the movie version more commercial as opposed to less. And it’s not like I am suggesting Jane should be grotesque. Well, maybe a little.
Understand that this has nothing to do with Mia’s acting chops. I just don’t think the poster matches up with what I consider to be “ideal casting”. And that to say nothing of Judy Dench’s presence (I love the woman but must she be in every single period british film ever made?)
Moreover, now that I had some time to think about this, wasn’t there a penquin edition of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice that had a more or less the same profile pircture of its heroine?
Love it! I’m really looking forward to this.
Oh, lovely.
I think Mia would have been a brilliant Helen Burns.
She’s not the way I pictured Jane at all, but hey, if she pulls it off, I couldn’t care less what she looks like.
We need another film adaptation of Jane Eyre like we need one of Wuthering Heights.
What’s with the Jane ire, daveylow?
~ducks from tomatoes~
Wow, fantastic poster!
And nice to see Michael Fassbender again, especially because I was lucky enough to see both “Hunger” and “Fish Tank” during the past couple of months. Both great, touching movies and intimate performances by Fassbender.
Well I’m curious about the person or company responsible for this one sheet.
Even I rolled my eyes when I heard that Fassbender was going to play Mr. Rochester. It’s as if the producers didn’t even try to find a regular looking actor to play this role. Even Toby Stevens in the Masterpiece Theater version of 2006 was sexy… in a constipated way, but still sexy. Mia is a lovely girl, but she looks passable as ‘plain’ in this fine movie poster.
I can’t wait to see it! of course. ;)
Love this poster. Very well done.
Im sorry but the comments about the leads not being unattractive enough is just plain stupid. I’ve read (and loved) the book and would much rather have some pretty people actually portray the characters with the delicacy and dignity they deserve instead of untalented, unattractive people.
Fassbender’s got a monster 2011 coming up…nice poster
“We need another film adaptation of Jane Eyre like we need one of Wuthering Heights.”
Funny you should say that, since Andrea Arnold’s next project is, uh… an adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
“Sin Nombre” is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen so I’m up for anything from this guy…is Marcelo Zarvos working with Fukunaga again and doing the music here? that would be awesome.
” would much rather have some pretty people actually portray the characters with the delicacy and dignity they deserve instead of untalented, unattractive people.”
Matthew, so just because someone is unattractive means they also undiginified and untalented? Moreover, you use of the word “deserve” as used in regard to fictional characters in the same sentence that puts down real people isn’t just “stupid”, it’s messed up.
Ahhh Jane. My favorite book of all time, read at least once a year when I was in my childhood and pre-teens. My favorite versions include the television drama with George C. Scott and Susannah York., or 1940’s film version starring Margaret O’Brien as young Jane and Joan Fontaine as the grown woman.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this new version, especially after seeing this poster. Thanks!!
It’s a stunning, yet simple, poster. Just goes to show you don’t need to be bland and reject all aspects of personality and design when working with a project filled with period costumes and dainty hair stylings.
Andrea Arnold does Wuthering Heights? As a historical film? That should be interesting.
The JE poster looks wonderful and I like Mia Wasikowska quite a bit. Maybe I should grab the book some time soon. And I need to watch Sin Nombre. Gosh…
Yeah, so uh…what about my idea about a late-December piece on the best movie posters of the year? You guys seem to be fond of showcasing new posters here. And what avaid cinephile doesn’t love making lists of things?
avid, that is
It’s a good idea, Keil. Kris usually gives a Best Poster mention in his year-end roundup, but I’ll give some thought to an individual post on the subject closer to the time.
Ah, okay. I’m pretty new to this site. Thanks for the response.
This easily makes my list of must-see films for next year. The novel is also one of my favorite novels ever, and I’m curious to see how this one will be adapted. I must say, casting Fassbender and Bell for their roles is quite inspired.
Just saw the trailer. The actors do look good but the whole thing just reeks of the same costume drama earnestness that has been done to death. I do want to see Fassbinder but wish it were based on a lesser known book.