Silver Screenings

Well, we just watched the 1943 version of Jane Eyre, based on the 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë.

As you know, Jane Eyre (the character) is a strong-willed, free-thinking young woman in Victorian England who clashes with authority and potential suitors alike. She suffers no fools.

There have been dozens of film adaptations of Jane Eyre, the first of which was in 1910. The 1943 version, starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine, is often praised for its “gloomy”ambiance, and it appears on many “Best-Jane-Eyre-Movies” lists.

We wanted to love this movie, Dear Reader. Alas, we felt, in the end, it was kind of a rehash of another Joan Fontaine movie, Rebecca (1940).

Now, we realize page-to-screen adaptations are difficult. Much trimming is needed to squash a novel into an hour-and-a-half runtime, and sacrifices must be made – of which the 1943 Jane Eyre makes us painfully aware.

But before we put you off the thing completely, let’s look at the marvelous cast.

Orson Welles stars as Mr. Rochester, the unconventional lord of Thornfield Hall, a gruff, bossy man with whom Jane falls in love. Watch him stride across the screen, cape billowing in the wind, the embodiment of power and wealth.

(As an aside, Welles said he received negative reviews for his performance, which isn’t entirely unfair.)

A de-glammed Joan Fontaine is the titular Jane, playing exactly the same character she played in the aforementioned Rebecca. This was a surprise, because we were expecting the feisty Jane of the novel. Even so, Fontaine the actress does have a way of growing on you, and she looks fab in those 1840s’ fashions.

The supporting cast is stellar, including Agnes Moorehead, Margaret O’Brien, and (briefly) Elizabeth Taylor. They bring Brontë’s characters to life, and we wish they had more screen time. (Yes, we’re looking at you, Agnes Moorehead.)

The movie, like the book, begins with Jane as an orphaned child who lives with put-upon relatives. Her affluent aunt cannot stand Jane and makes life miserable for the poor kid.

Jane is soon sent away to Lowood Institution, a jail of a school that tries to break her spirit. You see, the young Jane of the Movie is just as sassy as the young Jane of the Novel.

But, when she reaches adulthood, most of Jane’s sass has been worn down, leaving behind a timid, meek soul. This is a character Fontaine plays well, yet it does a disservice to the relationship with Mr. Rochester. In the novel, Jane and Mr. Rochester spar as equals, each as smart as the other. In the movie, Mr. Rochester steamrolls over our unfortunate heroine.

Also, Novel Jane is hard working, resourceful, and industrious, qualities we don’t often see in Movie Jane.

These, however, are shortcomings of the script, and they do not take away from the excellent technical aspects. The sets are suitably gothic and, well, gloomy, and Bernard Hermann’s score helps create the film’s distinct atmosphere.

If you’ve seen this version of Jane Eyre, you’ve probably wondered if Welles directed some of the scenes. We wondered the same thing. Welles doesn’t have a directing credit, but there are shots so striking and innovative – in a Welles’ sort of way – we almost gasped out loud.

Sadly, there are too few of these scenes. As good a director as Robert Stevenson is, it would be interesting to see if Welles-as-director might have better glossed over the movie’s flaws.

There are at least three writers who worked to adapt this film to the screen, including director Stevenson, a former collaborator-cum-enemy of Welles (John Houseman), and novelist Aldous Huxley.

Given these three notable talents, the script can be astonishingly clumsy. For example, in one scene, Mr. Rochester remarks, “Fortune’s knocked me about, kneaded me with her knuckles, till I flatter myself I’m as hard and as tough as an India rubber ball.”

Whatever you say, Mr. Rochester.

This Jane Eyre project began when independent studio head David O. Selznick bought the screen rights, and signed Welles to play Rochester to Fontaine’s Jane. Then he sold it as a package to Twentieth Century-Fox.

IMDb says Selznick originally wanted to cast Vivien Leigh, so her daughter could play Jane as a child, which would have been intriguing. But Leigh’s ex-husband intervened and said No Way.

We recommend Jane Eyre (1943) only if you are a Welles or Fontaine completist. If you’re looking for a film adaptation that more closely aligns with the novel, we recommend looking elsewhere.

This post is part of THE 2026 CLASSIC LITERATURE ON FILM BLOGATHON, hosted by Silver Screen Classics.

Jane Eyre starring Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O’Brien. Directed by Robert Stevenson. Written by Aldous Huxley & Robert Stevenson. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1943, B&W, 97 mins.