Macbeth trailer

To be honest I'd kind of forgotten this was coming (which begs the question, how do I, a Shakespeare/Michael Fassbender loving person forget something like this?!), but it looks fantastic!!

I actually DID get Fassbender for my birthday...

He was just a few days late. :) (Thanks Kaye!)

happy birthday to me

So. Today's my birthday (shameless self-promotion, I know!). One of my birthday greetings on Facebook was the following:

happy birthday! HOPE YOU FIND A CUPCAKKKKEEEE!!! and a FASSBENDER! MAYBE A FASSBENDER HOLDING A CUPCAKKKKE!

So basically what that means when you're me is that you do some creative googling on your lunch hour and come up with gems like THIS:

Things which of course, need to be shared here. :) Toast is a poor cupcake substitute but it will have to do...

Bring Michael Fassbender Home! (Yes, really!)

Re: the blog title - I WISH. *wink* I have to give full credit for the blog post title to Heroes & Heartbreakers. :)

Yes, people, in case you forgot, today is the day you can bring Jane Eyre home with you for your very own on DVD - the film that inspired glowing accolades from yours truly and a record-setting comment thread the likes of which this blog had never seen! :)

You can read my review of Jane Eyre HERE. If you missed this film when it was in theaters earlier this year, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on it! :)

Click the above icon to read all of the fun Jane Eyre-related posts that have appeared on Booktalk & More.

Team Rochester

Traxy at The Squeee is in the middle of hosting a "Wuthering Week" blog event (you may remember Traxy's name from her All Things Jane guest post a couple months ago). After a Team Rochester vs. Team Heathcliff guest post, Traxy posted links to a whole slew of wonderfully fun Team Rochester badges she created, free for anyone to download!

I just had to share a couple of my favorites:

Michael Fassbender - I know ya'll aren't really surprised. :)

Toby Stephens - no surprise here, either, I'm sure. :)

To check out the rest of Traxy's creations, click here. She's got a badge for just about every incarnation of Rochester in existence!

"you transfix me quite"

We haven't talked about Jane Eyre in far too long, my friends. The above image is the recently released poster for the UK release of Jane Eyre - isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? I love the juxtaposition of the warm pink hues in the Jane half of the poster, contrasted to the frosty shade of blue in the Rochester portion. Blue works for Michael Fassbender, no? *wink*

While UK Bronte fans are looking forward to the theatrical release of Jane Eyre (seriously, I don't know how they've survived this long - j/k), North American Jane Eyre fans will see the release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray August 16th.

AUGUST 16TH.

That's less than two months from now, people! Happiness!! :)

Here's some info on the DVD extras (excuse me while I swoon, again, but isn't the DVD artwork LOVELY? *sigh*):

• A Look Inside Jane Eyre
• To Score Jane Eyre: Director Cary Fukunaga and Composer Dario Marianelli Team Up
• The Mysterious Light of Jane Eyre
• Director’s Commentary with Director Cary Fukunaga
• Deleted scenes

I'm especially excited about the deleted scenes. More Rochester/Jane please? :)

Here's the trailer for the UK release of Jane - I highly approve of all the Rochester scenes, don't you?

And, because it's Friday, and because this blog has been a veritable Jane Eyre-wasteland for far too long, here are some clips of Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska being brilliant and swoon-worthy as Rochester and Jane. (Thanks to Rachel for going on a Jane Eyre clip-posting spree on Facebook last night.)

"I would do anything"

"Why must you leave"

I couldn't resist. :)

X-Men: First Class

As promised, I saw X-Men: First Class yesterday with Kaye and Liz, and I am happy to report this movie lived up to my ridiculously high expectations. It was all about Fassbender, and since I was all about Fassbender, that's pretty much a recipe for cinematic bliss.

I'm strictly an X-Men movie fan, so I have no real grasp of the group's comic book lore - and frankly, any time I have looked up a film character and started reading about their comic book counterpart's history, I just end up getting confused. So, going into First Class, I was particularly interested in seeing how characters like Magneto, Professor X, and Mystique got their start - and what events happened that set them on the paths we see in X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand.

First Class opens with an excellent recreation of the concentration camp scene from the first X-Men, where a young Erik (Bill Milner) reveals his ability to control metal with his mind. The re-created scene is expanded with a brief shot introducing the evil scientist, Sebastian Shaw (a scene-stealing Kevin Bacon), who wants to exploit Erik's abilities. In the previous film, it was left to the imagination what horrors Erik endured in the camps, but now we witness his terror when he can't "perform" his metal trick on command, leading to his mother's murder, and the subsequent mental abuse and manipulation that's inflicted on his mind by a repulsively giddy Shaw. Raised to believe he's the only one of his kind, after the war (when Erik-as-Michael Fassbender comes on the scene) Erik makes it his mission to hunt down and destroy the monsters who wrecked his life, particularly Shaw. In a way, Erik's twisted father/son/creator/experiment relationship with Shaw mirrors Wolverine's history with Stryker. Both mutants suffered horribly at the hands of men who wanted to control and manipulate their powers and abilities, and both are faced with a choice of how they allow their pasts to influence their futures.

Charles Xavier's (James McAvoy) beginnings stand in sharp contrast to Erik's - raised in the comfort of wealth and privilege, Charles goes on to university and makes a name for himself studying human genetic mutation. His childhood friend Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) is the only one who knows he's a telepath. This close history between Charles and Raven, a.k.a. Mystique, is a fascinating beginning for these two characters, given their later film history as passionate rivals on opposite sides of the mutant vs. human debate. Now, I love James McAvoy, but frankly he stood no chance of standing up to Fassbender's on-screen magnetism (no character pun intended). He was a good choice to play the high-minded idealist to Erik's hardened survival-minded pragmatism. And his delivery of mutant-themed pick-up lines was hilarious.

For someone like Charles whose as interested in helping mutants cope in society, at this point in his life it's interesting to see how even he exhibited a distinct lack of understanding toward mutants like Mystique whose abilities resulted in physical "abnormalities" instead of strictly internal mutations like his own telepathy. Now, I'm not familiar with Lawrence's previous film work, but I thought she did a fantastic job as the young Raven - she's completely believable as a young woman who simply wants to fit in, and struggles with the blue skin and scales that are exhibited when her mutation is fully exhibited. Raven is super-sweet here, but hurt and frustrated enough with Charles's (her first crush?) inability to accept her atypical beauty that the progression to the hardened, human-hating warrior Mystique later becomes is an understandbly slippery slope. I thought the set-up for Raven's fascination with Erik was extremely well-played. Given his history, Erik whole-heartedly affirms Raven's mutation as her own brand of unique beauty - and with lines like that delivered by a mesmerizing guy with Fassbender's looks, Raven's fascination with Erik is easy to understand.

Speaking of Erik, he is the linchpin on which the entire film rests, and Fassbender carries the burden with a debonair, dangerous sort of grace. As my friend Rachel so astutely pointed out on Facebook, when you think about it, Magneto is really just the Rochester of the mutant world - and I couldn't agree more. Erik is the character I long to see redeemed and understood. I want him to find peace, to let go of his rage and channel that into building a future for himself instead of allowing his past to define his future. Fassbender gives Erik a breath-taking intensity and focus, whenever he's on-screen that is where your focus will lie. Since I love studying World War II-era history, I thought the scenes prior to Erik and Charles's meeting were especially fascinating. The man was a one-man crew bent on hunting down the Nazis who destroyed his family and delivering his own special brand of justice. And not that I'm an advocate of vigilantism, but I'm not gonna lie, I loved watching Erik's quest.

There's this brief shining moment, when Erik finds a friend in Charles, that a part of me wished that the subsequent X-Men films hadn't been made yet - that we have this whole glorious history of their friendship to watch unfold, with no predetermined end in sight. Fassbender and McAvoy have a wonderful on-screen chemistry together. Two sides of the same coin, Erik is the lean and hunger tiger, poised to pounce, while Charles is the calmer, more measured - but equally passionate - flip side. When they're both on the same page, recruiting mutants for a cover CIA op, that was so much fun. Those scenes were great little snapshots of the whole movie's "swinging sixties" vibe. Erik and Charles, on a mission to change the world, the future wide open with limitless possibilities - and Fassbender allows Erik to look completely happy and at ease for the first time in the movie, which will drive you nuts if you let it when you start thinking about Magneto's future.

I read a couple of reviews that likened the feel of this movie to a Sean Connery-era James Bond caper - and that description is completely right on the money. Director Matthew Vaughn delivers a wildly entertaining, globe-spanning adventure, and in the best Bond tradition the action spans the globe, from France to Argentina (didn't Fassbender look divine in white? *g*) to Las Vegas. With colorful, exotic locales, a few instances of women dressed in their best go-go girls "outfits," Vaughn tops it all off by resurrecting the Russians, a sixties-era tried-and-true villain. *wink* As Shaw, Kevin Bacon positively chews the scenery in the best Ernst Blofeld villain tradition, complete with a luxury ship (rather reminscent of Thunderball). There's even the requisite, loves to show off her cleavage female sidekick, Emma Frost, played by the horribly HORRIBLY cast January Jones. Now, I get that a character named Frost, whose mutant ability is transforming into a living diamond, is supposed to have a sort of "ice queen" vibe, but Jones just comes off as so vapid. I definitely preferred the Emma Frost we briefly met in Wolverine (that was one of the more interesting jumps in continuity IMO).

Another interesting continuity jump involves the character of Moira MacTaggart, here played by Rose Byrne and introduced as a potential love interest for Charles. In The Last Stand, Taggart is briefly introduced as an actual doctor and long-time colleage of Xavier's, played by Olivia Williams. So, that was an interesting career change. *wink* I thought Byrne's chemistory with McAvoy was pretty non-existent, but she did the whole passionate advocate for mutants with the CIA thing fairly well. And I did love the scene at the end of the film, where she promises Charles that she'll never reveal the location of his school - and in a moment of heart-rending nobility like only James McAvoy can play, Charles wipes her memory. Poor woman, never to kiss McAvoy again? Tragic.

While this movie was all about Erik (thank you Fassbender), with Xavier a distant second, I want to mention a few other mutants. Jason Flemyng, my darling Danny in Primeval, plays the evil, demon-like shapeshifter Azazel. And while it was great to see a favorite on the big screen, am I ever going to get the chance to see Flemyng play a marginally (at least) heroic character in a big-screen flick? Please? :) On the side of the good guys, I really enjoyed Caleb Landry Jones's role as Sean Cassidy/Banshee, but I have to ask, was anyone else completely distracted by the guy's uncanny resemblance to Rupert Grint and the Weasleys?! Somebody call Mr. Weasley, I've found his missing American son.

Nicholas Hoult was fantastic as Hank McCoy/Beast. His early crush on Raven is adorable, and his result of his well-intentioned efforts to "cure" his early mutation (just big animal-like feet), is really quite wrenching to witness. Hoult, I think, bears an uncanny resemblance to James Marsden, the later screen incarnation of Scott Summers/Cyclops. He really could be Marsden's younger brother at the least, especially when you first meet Scott in X-Men. Hoult's similarity to Marsden distracted me from Lucas Till as Alex Summers/Havok - who, if the film keeps up with comic book lore, is actually Scott's brother (the two can generate the same type of destructive, laser-like power). Oh, I though he's not a mutant, I can't forget to mention how much fun it was to see Oliver Platt, one of the CIA suits whose expertise happens to be mutant research.

I absolutely loved the way the climax of the film is set around the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Tying a super hero movie into a real-world historical event like that is just rife with fascinating possibilities, and this movie delivers with explosions and destroyed subs and barely averted war galore. And John F. Kennedy acquitted himself really well in this movie, I've got to say. *wink*

The emotional heart of the climax is when Erik goes after Shaw - did their confrontation remind anyone but me of Luke and Vader in The Empire Strikes Back? Or am I just that geeky of a fangirl? (I'm guessing the latter, but I thought I'd ask anyway.) :) I was half expecting Shaw to go all "Erik, I am you father!" Anyways, Star Wars references aside, I thought Fassbender played Erik's turmoil during this sequence brilliantly. Up to this point he's been on Charles's side, and while there's genuine friendship and camraderie between them, Fassbender always has Erik hold something in reserve. That something is what's unleashed when he shuts Xavier out and kills Shaw. The irony of this all is that while he rejects Charles's worldview, it's only thanks to his friend's help that he's finally able to control his power and become the focused, driven Magneto we know from the later films.

Now, I understand in the comics Xavier becomes crippled in a fight with an alien. However, First Class suggests an alternate origin for Xavier's injury, one rich with implications for the Xavier/Erik friendship. When Erik goes completely out of control and attempts to kill the Russian and American soldiers, Moira tries to shoot him. Erik deflects the bullets and one strikes Charles, severing his spine. Having Erik responsible for crippling his only friend, the one who knows his darkest secrets and deepest fears is heart-breaking. It adds whole new layers of depth to the relationship we see between the older Charles and Magneto. The history and experiences the two share in this film, and the genuineness and depth of their friendship, is gloriously well-played by Fassbender and McAvoy. I absolutely loved seeing the bond of friendship develop between Charles and Erik, and I really think only actors of Fassbender and McAvoy's caliber could sell the connection between them, make a friendship and understanding that transcends such polar-oppsite worldviews heartbreakingly believable.

X-Men: First Class is top-notch entertainment from start to finish. Vaughn directs the scene changes and large cast with aplomb, and makes one care (or revile, depending on their personality) about each character. Henry Jackman delivers a rousing score that does a decent job of echoing the slickly produced sixties action pictures that this movie owes so much to in tone and style. I desperately hope Vaughn & company get to make a sequel to First Class - this set-up and core cast have so much possibility. And yes, I confess, I want further opportunity to see Fassbender put his unique spin on the Magneto character. He owns this movie, and his tour-de-force performance as the tortured Erik deserves a second outing. Pretty please?

So...I'll end this ridiculously long post with a few gratuitious Michael Fassbender-as-Erik pictures, because I can. :)

Oh, yes, that's nice. Very nice. :)

So, if you've seen First Class I'd love to hear your thoughts - and if you're not an X-Men fan, might I suggest this is an excellent place to start?

For the love of FASSBENDER!

Tomorrow's a big day people, a big day. Tomorrow night I'm heading to the movies to spend some quality time with Michael Fassbender, et al, in X-Men: First Class.



I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about seeing this movie. Not only has Fassbender taken over the blog for a great deal of time this year, but he's starring opposite another old favorite of mine, the one and only James McAvoy. Now, I love James, but tomorrow is all about Fassbender for me (I promise, James you'll get your due...at some point...).

*swoons*

Any excuse to post Fassbender pictures on the blog. I look on it as a public service. :)

I love the mirror-image used in this poster - quite striking, no?

And one more...

I just couldn't resist. You're welcome. :) So who else is going to see X-Men tomorrow?

Review: What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris

What Angels Fear (Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries #1)

By: C. S. Harris

Publisher: Penguin

ISBN: 978-0-451-21971-8

About the book:

It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.

Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an agent during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian's heart years ago. In Sebastian's world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, ye the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as Sebastian's own salvation...

Review:

Sebastian St. Cyr, the Viscount Devlin, returns from a stint in the Napoleonic Wars to a politically volatile England. With George III sinking further into madness and the establishment of a regency led by the pleasure-loving Prince of Wales on the horizon, fiercely opposing political forces jockey for position and power, with nothing less than the future of England and her position abroad at stake. When Rachel York, a popular actress, is found viciously raped and murdered on the altar steps of a church, the sensational nature of the crime raises the public’s ire, and pressure is on to bring the perpetrator to quick justice. Damning evidence points to St. Cyr’s guilt and with effects of the popular revolution across the channel still feared, and the peaceful transition of power to the regency at stake, the powers that be determine to make Devlin an example. With his guilt universally assumed, Sebastian runs, calling upon all the skill and intelligence that served him well as an undercover agent in the war to clear his name. But as he delves deeper into the mystery of Rachel York’s death, Sebastian uncovers a plot with political ramifications and ties to his own family beyond his wildest imaginings. The Viscount’s quest to exonerate himself transforms into a passion to give a voiceless victim justice, but with powerful forces arrayed against him, determined to bury the truth, can he survive long enough to bring the truth to light?

C.S. Harris’s Sebastian mysteries were described to me as “Mr. Darcy meets James Bond,” and anyone who knows me must realize that the promise of a character like that is a wholly irresistible prospect. I adore character-driven, multi-layered mysteries – I want to connect with the sleuth, and learn what makes them tick more than I care about the specifics of the individual cases. What Angels Fear is a promising introduction to the world of the deliciously intense, emotionally scarred, fiercely intelligent Sebastian St. Cyr. The Viscount Devlin is a fascinating hero – darkly brooding and enigmatic, Sebastian returns to England deeply scarred by what he witnessed in his military service, which leaves him with little tolerance for the peccadilloes of his fellow men. Gifted with preternaturally keen hearing and vision (along with unsettling yellow-gold eyes), and a quick wit and ready mind, Sebastian’s background in intelligence honed his natural instincts, with the result birthing a keen investigator equally capable at court or in London’s slums. I have an admitted weakness for angst-ridden heroes, and Sebastian enthralls me. He seems more self-absorbed than he actually is, the mask of emotional aloofness hiding a character capable of great feeling and strong convictions – and that reluctant hero quality is what kept me turning pages.

I loved the way Harris incorporated the history of the Regency and the Napoleonic Wars in her debut. This is so much more than a straightforward murder mystery, as Sebastian quickly discovers – Rachel’s death has far-reaching implications for both Sebastian and his country, laying bare secrets in his family and affecting the future political course of his nation. Harris’s narrative is tightly plotted, with a host of viable suspects who stood to gain from Rachel’s death, and surprise revelations and plot twists that will keep you guessing until the final chapters. She populates Sebastian’s world with memorable supporting characters that add color and flair to the storyline – I particularly enjoyed Sebastian’s friendship with Tom, the irrepressible and resourceful street urchin who “adopts” him while he’s a fugitive, and the heart-rending introduction of Kat Boleyn, the most unsuitable love of his life whose rejection drove him from the country years before. My one quibble with this novel is that the police procedures feel decades ahead of their time, which distracts somewhat from Harris’s otherwise absorbing, darkly seductive recreation of regency-era London. If you have the stomach to navigate Sebastian’s murky world (the descriptions of the crimes are stomach-turning, and there’s also some sex – tastefully dealt with), the payoff is an utterly absorbing lead and the dangerously fascinating world in which he lives. What Angels Fear is an absorbing tale, where the blackest impulses of humanity come face-to-face with a compelling dark angel – our reluctant hero and tenacious investigator, Sebastian St. Cyr. I cannot wait to see where Harris takes this most compelling character next!

***

About a fourth of the way through What Angels Fear, I became consumed with "casting" the role of Sebastian St. Cyr. At first I tried Daniel Craig in the role - I'd love to see him in a period piece of this type, and the tone he brought to his portrayal of James Bond would be a nearly perfect fit for St. Cyr.

However, I think I've settled on the perfect actor to bring Sebastian's intense, enigmatic character to life - Michael Fassbender! I realize I've had Fassbender on the brain for most of the last month thanks to his turn as Rochester in the latest Jane Eyre. I think Fassbender's capable of the intensity and repressed emotional vulnerability necessary to bring Sebastian to life. He's capable of this mesmerizing balance of strength and elegance necessary to the role - so someone needs to develop a film series ASAP. Just sayin'!

Any excuse to post a Fassbender picture on the blog. You're welcome. :)

Why we love Mr. Rochester

I am thrilled to welcome my friend Rachel from a Fair Substitute for Heaven to the blog today as my first guest blogger for my All Things Jane celebration! Rachel and I "met" last fall when we both served as judges on the historical fiction panel for the inaugural INSPY Awards. Since then we've discovered a shared appreciation of things like Siri Mitchell and Lynn Austin novels, the television show White Collar, and ROCHESTER (to name a few).

I was so excited when Rachel accepted my invitation to write a Jane Eyre-themed guest post - and when she said "give me a post that is ALL ABOUT ROCHESTER!" - I said go for it. :) I couldn't be happier with the result - when she sent me this article yesterday I loved it so much I read it four times in a row. And then I was overcome with terrible pangs of jealousy because I wish I'd written this myself. *wink* Enjoy...

Face it ladies, we love us some Rochester. He is the epitome of the brooding Byronic hero sparking reincarnations from Angel in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series to Edward in the notoriously disturbing Twilight phenomenon. His miscreant past, dark and enigmatic demeanor and total infatuation with Jane (not to mention his ability to call to her across the moors) make him one of the most resounding heroes of that ever-so-heroic-19th Century. If you’re a female of the imaginative, bookish sort then, at one point or another, some form of Rochester has been your literary leading man.

Rochester (and his ilk) possessed my brain in teenage-hood through my early university years. For years, it was Bronte or Bust. Every hero I fell for: from Neil MacNeil in Catherine Marshall’s Christy, Paul Emmanuel in Charlotte Bronte’s (I would argue) better and more autobiographical, Villette, Dean Priest of the Emily of New Moon trilogy by LM Montgomery( read her journals: she was a MASSIVE Rochester fan---even going so far as to write Rochester into Dean) were Rochester-esque heroes with dark, hovering thoughts just waiting for heroines to draw light from the vapid recesses of their bleak centers.

Why do we sit through fabulous adaptations of Jane Eyre ( including the 2006 Toby Stephens version---which remains my personal favourite and the recent Michael Fassbender) and the not-so-fabulous Jane Eyres (the awkward Orson Welles, to the acting-so-hard-to-brood-I-scare-myself Timothy Dalton, to Ciaran Hinds bellowing his way through the 1998 screen treatment) in hopes of catching yet another glimpse of a character so often reincarnated and so steeped into the literary cultural consciousness?

Well, for one, who doesn’t want a hero who bemoans: “Why did you waste your tears on that callously, cold stoop when you could have had my shoulder” (or something drippingly romantic like that…. ?) We are infatuated with Rochester’s Jane-infatuation. From the moment he arrives on ebony horse near stormy, crumbling Thornfield, to the earliest conversations that pry secrets by candlelight out of Jane’s direct glances, we know that we have reached a partnership of equals. Rochester challenges Jane; he covets her thoughts and yearns to penetrate her mind to extract what she thinks of him.

For a gender that spends the better part of our lives discussing what his “signs” meant and whether he will call on Day 3 or 4 and what did his picking up the cheque mean and “ do you think he thinks this makes me look fat?” and having friends log into his facebook profile (you know… the usual)…. having Rochester spend the better part of his connection with Jane bafflingly attempting to unravel her utmost core is a welcome opposite--- a pleasant reprieve.

Plain Jane she may be; but Rochester is besotted nearly from the beginning.

Is it not interesting to note that the same title that sits listlessly on the top of Works of Great Female Fiction is also known to reduce women to sappy romanticism? Can we really pair our viewing of Jane Eyre as a proto-feministic work that speaks for women’s independence, self-worth and value while still falling hard for the hero who inspires her to pen: “Reader, I married him”, leaving her days of independent willfulness behind? ABSOLUTELY--- because this is a marriage of equals.

Rochester inspires hope for the besotted Bookish gal: a rich, tortured man with means and connections who could have had (and has had) his pick of the most beautiful women recognizing that his true self yearns for his soul mate: a willful governess whom he deems his intellectual equal.

Jane attests that her love for Thornfield stems from her feeling of equality and asserts: “I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom ,conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave,and we stood at God`s feet, equal-as we are……” We want equality, gals: in relationships and out of them. Women still make 75 cents to every dollar a man makes. We see that while Nicholas Cage can play a romantic lead, only the thinnest, most toned heroines can grace Hollywood’s celluloid screens. Equality is sexy and brooding, enigmatic, puzzling, perplexing, demanding and problematic Rochester seems to view Jane on his level. It allows room for our own frailty and shortcomings. It inspires us to yearn for something that doesn’t require us to put our make-up on or regret that extra brownie or feel guilt about that body pump class we missed.

The 19th Century male was circumscribed to believe women were naught but lowly, fallible creatures prone to hysterics who should never be out of reach of their smelling salts… ha! Rochester fell for Jane and Rochester proved it wrong.

Jane Eyre is the tough chick’s love story and Rochester, all scarred and swarthy, with deep belting voice and a rather ungentlemanly past, is the perfect tough chick foil.

Most of all, he allows us to believe that we can find our ultimate happy ending….simply by being our opinionated, self-conscious and problematic selves.

Thanks again, Rachel, for joining in my celebration of All Things Jane. WELL SAID. Long live Rochester and Jane! :)

Friends talk about Jane

Jane Eyre is happily appearing in more theaters this weekend (you can find a release schedule here). (And yes, I realize it's only Tuesday night. I can't HELP thinking about the weekend already, sorry!) I wanted to take an opportunity to share reviews from a few friends around the blogosphere.

~ Rachel from a Fair Substitute for Heaven describes Rochester:

"Michael Fassbender is cognizant that he is playing into the putty of the Byronic ideal and that this character has been defined, often by playing up its aggressive and violent elements, countless times before. This recognition forces him to play with his eyes. Watch his physiognomy as he livens to Jane’s quick responses and his desperation to penetrate her every thought." (Aside: I love that I have friends that use words like "physiognomy" in their blog posts.)

And concludes that "Jane Eyre hits the right notes, offers something fresh and inventive and exposes the great, mind-blowing romanticism that has kept it at the forefront of the Western Canon since 1847."

~ Roving Reader also talks Rochester (obviously my favorite subject):

"Yes, he is enigmatic and often harsh...but there is a tenderness here that makes him more human than other versions of the character. When Bertha flies at him he restrains her almost compassionately, and it is a testament to Fassbender's acting that he conveys how Rochester despises Bertha and his awful mistake in marrying her but cannot act cruelly towards her." (Really brilliantly played IMO!)

But concludes that "if I hadn't read and enjoyed the book so much, I would have absolutely adored this movie. As such I enjoyed it immensely but felt it couldn't measure up to the powerful and affecting emotion of Bronte's original story." (Yay for Jane Eyre book love!) :)

~ Author Syrie James provided a guest review at Laurel Ann's Austenprose website:

Describing our new Jane, James feels that "Mia truly inhabits the role, beautifully portraying Jane’s sense of self-respect, integrity, and restraint, as well as her passion and vulnerability. Michael Fassbender was also inspired casting. He embodies Mr. Rochester with the ideal blend of charisma and sinister brooding, while at the same time allowing glimpses of his underlying desperation and the wounded depths of his soul."

~ Author Kaye Dacus (one of the friends I was thrilled to see the film with last weekend) isn't quite a Charlotte Bronte fangirl like me. *wink* She takes note of the film's AMAZING costumes, and wishes the film had been able to spend a little more time on the development of Jane and Rochester's relationship. (I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating...what I wouldn't give to see a four-hour version of Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender as Rochester. *swoon*)

Please visit the above links to check out the full (and well-worth reading) reviews.

And now, for some gratuitous Michael Fassbender quotes:

At Word and Film, Fassbender gives perhaps one of my favorite interview quotes when talking about his take on Rochester:

“What I liked about Rochester in particular is that he’s not a good guy or a bad guy; there’s ambiguity there,” says Fassbender. “I realized I was taking on the Byronic hero. And once I locked onto that, I had everything I needed for the role. There’s intelligence, there’s self-destructiveness, there’s this idea of a shady past. There’s a flawed personality. There’s someone who doesn’t like the conforms of society. There’s a rebel, really.”

The man is BRILLIANT.

My second favorite Fassbender moment comes courtesy of an interview with Salon.com, where he admits that Toby Stephens' take on Rochester is his favorite.

The man is BRILLIANT and clearly has good taste.

This post needs a Fassbender picture...

*sigh* That's better. :) And you're welcome. I know you wanted a Fassbender pic in this post too. :)

If you know of any reviews out there in the readership that I may have missed, please leave a link in the comments!

Jane Eyre

I feel as though I've been looking forward to the release of the new Jane Eyre film for ages, and the much longed-for and highly-anticipated release finally, finally arrived yesterday. People, this Jane Eyre was worth the wait, and when it finally expands into wide release, for goodness' sake go! Sure to appeal to die-hard Jane Eyre fans, this film is also a wildly accessible introduction to anyone not familiar with the beloved story.

I'm a huge fan of the 2006 Masterpiece Classic miniseries version of Jane Eyre, starring Toby Stephens as Rochester and Ruth Wilson as Jane. With a script by the brilliant Sandy Welch, that version of Jane Eyre has the luxury of a four-hour runtime wherein the intricacies and detail of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel can be explored on-screen. With a roughly two-hour timeframe with which to work for this new theatrical release, some detail is necessarily sacrificed. But similarly to Focus Features' success in bringing another classic near and dear to my heart to the big screen - Pride and Prejudice in 2005 as compared to the (in my mind, anyway) definitive miniseries from 1995 - this film retains the heart and soul of the novel, the critical story beats necessary to successfully bring Jane's story to life.

For any story detail that might be sacrificed for the sake of a manageable theatrical runtime, director Cary Fukunaga more than makes up for that by retaining the mood and atmosphere of the novel. There's a heavy reliance on the gothic elements Jane Eyre's story. This is aided by the structure of the film. Where most Jane Eyre adaptations are told in a linear fashion, following the structure of the novel from Jane's childhood to her time at Thornfield, this film is largely told in flashback. The movie opens with Jane fleeing Thornfield and Rochester following the revelation of Bertha's existence, and getting lost on the moors until alone and sick she stumbles on the home of the Rivers family. From there, as she recovers, we see her childhood with the Reeds, time at Lowood School, and arrival at Thornfield told in flashback as she recovers. It's an unusual structure, but given the limitations of the film's runtime I think it's an effective way to include as much of Jane's past as possible.

The success of any Jane Eyre adaptation rests, for me, on the casting of Jane and Rochester. More than anything else, more than any other character, more than the setting, I have to click with Jane and Rochester. I have to become as emotionally invested with their love story on-screen as I do when reading the novel. Happily, I absolutely love Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael Fassbender as Rochester. Wasikowska first came to my attention when I saw her play Alice in Tim Burton's gorgeous re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland (my review). At 22, she is perhaps the closest in age to Jane in the novel than any other actress who's brought the character to life on-screen. She handles the role masterfully, balancing Jane's youthfulness and maturity with seasoned aplomb. Her best scenes are perhaps the proposal - her transition from disbelief, anger, and frustration with Rochester gradually gives way with glorious abandon when she accepts that he loves her - and the moment when Rochester on his knees is begging her to stay, and she refuses. The strength and emotion with which Wasikowska infuses that scene is breathtakingly powerful. She's definitely an actress to watch.

I loved Michael Fassbender as Rochester. He doesn't quite knock Toby Stephens' portrayal of Bronte's enigmatic leading man from the top spot in my Rochester ranking, but that's in large part due to the fact that he has less screen time to work with. What I wouldn't give to see Fassbender and Wasikowska in a sprawling, four hour version of Jane Eyre. *sigh* The possibilities, oh the possibilities. :) For a piece that relies on atmosphere as much as this film does, Fassbender embraces his turn as a tortured, Byronic hero with relish. His Rochester has an edgy, dangerous, unpredictable edge, and in his all-too-brief scenes with Jane (I just wanted more...those scenes could've gone on forever), Fassbender has an intense, eager quality, latching onto Jane's every word. She's a puzzle he's desperate to solve, and the energy Fassbender brings to those scenes imbue Rochester's interactions with Jane with a subtlety and a romanticism that I quite simply adored. And of course it didn't hurt that the man has a fabulous voice. The script does him a HUGE favor by retaining much of the novel's most well-known and beloved dialogue, and hearing Fassbender bring that to life worked for me on every level imaginable. :) And Fassbender can say more with his eyes than most actors could do with pages and pages of dialogue - well played sir, very well played.

It was such a treat to see Judi Dench as Thornfield's housekeeper, Mrs. Fairfax. Dench brought a wonderful warmth to her scenes opposite Wasikowska. Her Mrs. Fairfax is loving, loyal, and capable - and quite long-suffering when it comes to putting up with Rochester's capricious moods. My favorite scene is probably when she meets Jane in the burned-out shell of Thornfield at the end of the film. She's so clearly grateful to see Jane alive and well, and her apology of sorts - assuring Jane that she didn't know Rochester was married, that she would've helped Jane leave Thornfield - was extremely well-played. Though brief, Dench plays Mrs. Fairfax's relationship with Jane with more of a mothering quality than I can recall seeing in prior film versions that I really liked. Who wouldn't want Dame Judi in your corner? :)

Sally Hawkins was a surprisingly terrifying Mrs. Reed. It's hard to believe that just a few years ago she was playing a romantic lead in the Masterpiece Classic version of Persuasion (my review). I don't know if it was the costumes and hairstyle, or if Hawkins has lost some weight, or a combination of factors, but her face had this awful cadaver-like look that nicely played into disliking the character of Mrs. Reed (as if a viewer needs any help doing that). Speaking of Jane's youth, I will go ahead and mention that Amelia Clarkson's turn as the young Jane was really well done. Not only was she a passing good match for a young Wasikowska, but she was quite impressive as Jane the child. Her strength was wholly believable, and in Jane's scenes at the Reed home and then Lowood, Clarkson had an arresting screen presence. She could definitely be an actress to watch as she grows up and matures.

The Rivers family was made up of a trio of familiar faces. Sister Diana was played by Holliday Granger, who has appeared in everything from Merlin to Any Human Heart. But most memorably for me, she was largely responsible for one of the best Guy-centric episodes in Robin Hood - the season three ep "A Dangerous Deal" (my review). Sister Mary was played by Tamzin Merchant, whose first film role, interestingly enough, was as Georgiana Darcy in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice. The largely thankless role of their clergyman brother St. John Rivers falls to Jamie Bell. Poor Jame. *sigh* I'm a huge fan of his work - he's made memorable appearances in everything from Nicholas Nickleby as Smike, to brother Asael Bielski in Defiance, to Esca in The Eagle. But even he in all his fabulousness can't make St. John any less...well, odd comes to mind. It was interesting to observe the audience's reaction to St. John's high-handed speeches to Jane and expectations of her future in his missionary work. Goodness, even when you know what's coming the urge to smack St. John upside the head is nearly overpowering.

There's one or two more casting point I simply must mention - Bertha's brother, Richard Mason, is played by none other than Robin Hood's own Harry Lloyd, the one-time Will Scarlett. Goodness did he ever look awful and half mad himself like his poor on-screen sister. I also thought that Imogen Poots did a fine job with the role of Blanche Ingram. I cannot TELL you how refreshing it was to see a Blanche who is a brunette - it seems that she's always portrayed as a blonde in film versions of Jane Eyre. Poots may look familiar to fans of the film Me and Orson Welles, where she played Lorelei Lathrop, or Miss Austen Regrets, where she took on the role of Fanny Knight.

The entire film crew, from the art department to the cinematographer to the wardrobe department deserve major kudos for bringing director Fukunaga's moody, absorbing vision of Jane Eyre's world to life. I especially loved all of the Thornfield Hall scenes - this may be my favorite Thornfield ever captured on film. With its rich, dark wood panelling and twisting hallways, this film gives us a worthy gothic setting for Bertha's cries in the night and Rochester's dark moods. And the use of darkness and shadow and light - oh my, every frame of this film is carefully constructed to set the mood and help tell the story.

Dario Marianelli contributed the score, and people it is BRILLIANT. Marianelli also wrote the scores for Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, and given that track record and the work he produced for Jane Eyre, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he wins a third Oscar for his work on this film. He'd better at least be nominated! Instead of featuring piano solos (as he did in Pride and Prejudice), for Jane Eyre Marianelli showcases the violin, which for the record may be my favorite instrument. I don't think anything else could be more suited to bring musical life to Jane and Rochester's world, with its ability to be gorgeous, poignant, and moody, tugging on the heartstrings with every note. This soundtrack features performances by violinist Jack Liebeck, who could easily give Joshua Bell a run for his money after hearing his work on this film. You can purchase the soundtrack on CD or MP3 download through Amazon - if you're a fan of gorgeous film scores as I am, it's a must-have!

I have to talk about the ending of this film, which was definitely unexpected. After obtaining Rochester's location from Mrs. Fairfax, Jane arrives to find him sitting alone and looking suitably moody, with only his dog Pilot for company. I loved the fact that Fassbender's hair was long and wild, and that he sported a beard for the scene - it was an extra touch that made him look rougher and more unkempt than many other Rochesters have played the reunion scene. When Jane tells him she's returned, and they embrace, the moment is gorgeous, shot through with the tension of romantic hopes at long last realized. When Rochester wonders if he's still dreaming, there's this heartbeat of a moment where I swear I didn't breathe, then Jane bids him wake - and the film ends. Unexpectedly abrupt, and the more I've thought about it, the more I have to give the director credit for making such a bold choice to end the film in such a way. That whole last scene was beautifully executed, from Wasikowska and Fassbender's tender performances to the breath-taking use of lighting. It's as if we're finally witnessing Jane and Rochester awake from the tortured dream of life that's conspired to keep them apart - and past that moment everything is left to the imagination of the viewer.

I'm currently re-reading the novel for the first time in several years. Sadly I was unable to get that accomplished prior to seeing this film, but since I plan to see the movie again in theaters if at all possible, hopefully I will have finished the book by then so I can have the entire novel fresh in my mind for further comparisons. Shocking, I know, that I'd be willing to see this film more than once... *wink*

I desperately hope that this ridiculously long, picture-heavy post will inspire you to rush out and see Jane Eyre the second it opens in your area - it is SO worth the ticket price. And thanks to everyone who commented on my last post, kicking off the All Things Jane celebration - I hope I'll be able to spotlight some books and films old-time and new fans of Jane Eyre will enjoy. :)

Jane Eyre 2011 trailer!

Thanks to Renee for posting the trailer - looks like it just debuted this week! In addition to providing us with a terrific look at Michael Fassbender as Rochester and Mia Wasikowska as Jane, we also get glimpses of Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax, Jamie Bell as St. John, Imogen Poots as Blanche Ingram, and Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Reed. Enjoy!

March 2011 can't come soon enough. :)

Jane Eyre 2011 poster!

I don't think I've ever mentioned the upcoming Jane Eyre film here on the blog - so, there's no time like the present, right? :) I've been following news about this movie on a couple of period film blogs as well as the film's official Facebook page. Today that page debuted the movie's new onesheet poster, featuring Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael Fassbender as Rochester. I absolutely love it! According the IMDB the film opens on March 11, 2011...it will be a dream come true if it actually opens on that date, and that's not a limited release date...but either way, at the rate time is flying the movie will be here before we know it! Any thoughts?

Update:

So, not being familiar with this Michael Fassbender person, I do what any good, obsessed movie fan would do in a case like this...turn to Google image search. Oh. My. WORD. This man is going to play Rochester?! I love this movie already. :)