Jane Eyre parents guide

Jane Eyre Parent Guide

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this film is Mia Wasikowska's performance and style. Presented as Plain Jane to perfection, she drives home many of her scenes with sublime confidence.

Overall A-

Charlotte Brontë's well-known governess comes to the big screen once again in a new film adaptation. Hoping to leave memories of her unhappy childhood behind, Jane (Mia Wasikowska) thinks she has found love when she begins to have feelings for her new employer (Michael Fassbender)…until she discovers he has a secret.

Release date April 1, 2011

Violence B
Sexual Content B+
Profanity A
Substance Use B-

Why is Jane Eyre rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Jane Eyre PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.

Run Time: 119 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

I have a certain respect for a moviemaker who dares to make yet another version of a novel that has already been put to celluloid many times. I can’t find a complete count, but it’s safe to say the story’s famous line would be better voiced, "Viewer, I married him."

Yet director Cary Fukunaga, with relatively few titles in his portfolio, has not only managed to refresh this 19th Century novel, but has created a film that aptly carries itself from middle, to beginning to end. Yes, starting from the middle where Jane (Mia Wasikowska) arrives at the Rivers’ home (for those of you who are familiar with the book) shifts the focus and allows the production to cut far more rapidly to the love story. Flashbacks still fill in the necessary details of Jane’s tortured childhood (we see her and another girl paddled and caned) and her eventual "graduation" from an orphanage. These sequences also show her employment at Thornfield Hall as a governess to Adele Varens (Romy Settbon Moore), who is the charge of the mansion’s usually absent owner, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender).

The script skips along quickly until the fateful moment when Jane, apparently hard of hearing, doesn’t notice a horse approaching at full gallop. Perhaps one of the more renowned romantic meetings, the arrogant (and as yet not introduced) Rochester hits the ground and must rely on little Jane to assist with reseating him on his mount. From this point the plot slows, allowing us a few moments to linger and perhaps wonder why sweet Jane would be so forgiving of her gruff boss. After all, he is a man she describes as ugly, who teases her with a visit from another woman of interest, and has more than a skeleton in his closet.

Families looking for an opportunity to interest kids in classic literature should be pleased with this choice. Content concerns are relatively minor considering the MPAA’s (Motion Picture Association of America) award of a PG-13 rating. Young viewers may find Jane’s treatment at the orphanage troubling, especially at the hand of a religious figure. In a later scene a bloody wound is shown in detail. And then there’s the mentally ill character that has an affinity for arson. Finally, for those wondering about the "nude image" mentioned in the MPAA’s rating descriptor, it refers to a fascination young Jane has for a painting of a reclining nude woman (the work of art is seen in close-up).

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this film is Mia Wasikowska’s performance and style. Presented as Plain Jane to perfection, she drives home many of her scenes with sublime confidence. Added to that is the interesting English scenery (and there’s a lot of it to enjoy here). However, unless your kids have a particular penchant for this genre, this quiet tale may send them running—especially once they sense there is love in the Eyre.

Release Date: 11 March 2011 (USA Limited), 1 April 2011(Canada)

Directed by Cary Fukunaga . Starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell. Running time: 119 minutes. Theatrical release April 1, 2011. Updated

Jane Eyre
Rating & Content Info

Why is Jane Eyre rated PG-13? Jane Eyre is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.

Violence: Young girls in a 19th Century orphanage are paddled, caned and verbally abused while under supervision by a man with religious authority. Portrayals of bullying. A young boy hits a young girl with a book, causing her face to bleed. A child is unjustly chastised by her aunt. A bloody wound is briefly seen in detail. A man falls from a horse and is mildly injured. A woman suffering from insanity is kept in a locked room. Verbal references to suicide are made. Characters are threatened by fire.

Sexual Content: A classical painting of a nude female is shown. A man attempts to commit bigamy. A couple exchanges some passionate kisses.

Language: Name-calling.

Drugs/Alcohol: Cigar smoking is shown on a few occasions. Social drinking and the medicinal use of alcohol is depicted.

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Jane Eyre Parents' Guide

What do you see as Jane’s motivations for falling in love with Mr. Rochester? Does he deserve her forgiveness? Would the situation be different if it took place in the present?

How does starting the narrative in the middle of the story change the focus of the plot? Do you like this creative decision?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Jane Eyre movie is August 16, 2011. Here are some details…

Jane Eyre releases to DVD and Blu-Ray on August 16, 2011, with the following bonus extras:

- Feature commentary with director Cary Fukunaga

- A Look Inside Jane Eyre

- To Score Jane Eyre: Cary Fukunaga and Dario Marianelli Team Up

- The Mysterious Light of Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre on Blu-Ray also includes:

- My Scenes

- Pocket Blu

Related home video titles:

Another famous, female author has also had her life and works made into film. Becoming Jane stars Anne Hathaway as a young Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park are movie adaptations of Austen’s novels. The Jane Austen Book Club brings together a group of readers who find solace and advice in the author’s writings.