Jane Eyre (Film)

There have been many film versions of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, but director Cary Fukunaga clearly felt there was more than enough relevant material in the Victorian novel for modern audiences.

The film opens as a horror-stricken Jane (Mia Wasikowska) runs across the Yorkshire moors. Those who know the novel may be confused by the grown-up protagonist, as the novel begins in childhood. But soon after she arrives at the home of St John Rivers, the movie switches to flashback mode, and Jane's sad tale is revealed.

The casting is unexpected, but spot-on. Jane is famously plain, and Wasikowska manages to dull down her interesting features, as much through the power of her expressions as her make-up.

She conveys Jane's firmly held morals without being prudish; rather, she comes across as highly principled - reflecting the feminism of the book - despite her passions.

Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester is just the right blend of sarcastic and smouldering, essential when you only have two hours to make Jane's feelings for him believable.

The film may not follow the book exactly, but you can't help feeling Bronte would have liked it.