When this version of Jane Eyre is good, it is very good. But that is not the case in every respect.The opening sequence of Jane's miserable childhood is well done: curtailed, certainly, but it gives us enough misery to make its point.Joan Fontaine is an excellent adult Jane. Orson Welles, however, I'm not so sure about. Rochester is supposed to be brooding, but with a soulful centre which enables Jane to see his good heart. Welles, however, is all booming thyroidal presence in a performance of minimal subtlety.I would rather have seen some location work rather than all gothic interiors, even the exteriors!

Having seen the most recent remake of Jane Eyre I was not sure what to expect. However, I was very impressed with Welles work in this film. Orson Welles does a remarkable job depicting the intensity of this film. Joan Fontaine's performance as Jane Eyre is amazing. The music in this film adds to the effect of the movie and fits with every scene very well. The cinematography is perfect for every scene. The way that the camera shows Jane as she talks makes you believe in her. The dark light that is used whenever the camera is inside the school, adds to the gloomy and scary feel of it. However, the light that shines while the girls are outside is symbolic to the freedom they feel when they are outside of those walls.

Jane Eyre (1943) *** (out of 4)Good telling of the classic novel has the orphaned Jane Eyre (Joan Fontaine) finally escaping from a brutal school where she accepts a governess job for the mysterious Edward Rochester (Orson Welles). Once on the job Jane soon discovers that the mysteries surrounding Edward might come back to haunt both of them.JANE EYRE is an incredibly popular novel that has been turned into countless movies. While I certainly haven't seen them all, this here is considered by many experts to be one of the best versions out there. There's certainly a lot to like about this film thanks in large part to some nice direction, a terrific atmosphere and of course the legendary stars but the film is still far from perfect in a few other areas. With that said, fans of the novel or this period of Hollywood are still going to find this rewarding.Director Robert Stevenson does a pretty good job directing the film as he's able to bring some nice style as well as create a very good atmosphere. There are some fairly dark moments here that will almost remind people of what would follow in film noir but the darkness here is quite effective. The use of shadows inside the castle are also put to good use. I will say that I thought the flow of the story could have been handled better as it really did seem like a lot of stuff just happened way too fast. I say this because it just seemed the final third of the film was rushed including the ending, which is a tad bit forced. The screenplay's story structure could have also been handled better.With that said, the stars certainly shine here with Fontaine doing an excellent job in her role. I thought the actress fit the role perfectly and she also made you believe everything that this young woman was afraid of. I thought she played the scared victim quite well. As for Welles, he too comes across extremely good and especially the way he manages to be mysterious with just a few cracks of humanity, which of course is seen by Eyre. Margaret O'Brien is good in her supporting part as is John Sutton as a kind doctor and Henry Daniell as the religious nut. Peggy Ann Garner also deserves a special mention as she's terrific in the role of Eyre as a child.JANE EYRE certainly has a lot going for it even with the flaws that are scattered throughout. While the film is far from perfect, the atmosphere and the two leads make this worth watching.

"Jane Eyre" starring Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, and Margaret O'Brien is a gret film. It is a very powerful film and shows how poorly Jane is treated her whole life. I really enjoyed the cinematography and thought that this movie displayed that pretty well.Joan Fontaine played an exceptionally well role in the movie as Jane Eyre. She played the role of a girl who was treated poorly and had a bad life because back then that's how society was. I really enjoyed this movie because at first it seemed like it was going to be a bad movie and then it becomes a sweet and romantic movie and that really surprised me.