Chapter 2

The Book 

Jane Eyre

★★★★★

Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Brontë, published in 1847. It’s interesting to note that Charlotte was the sister of Emily Brontë, who wrote Wuthering Heights, the subject of my first chapter. Charlotte was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, and most of her novels have become classics of English literature. She is best known for Jane Eyre, the novel we are discussing here. Jane Eyre achieved immediate commercial success and received favorable reviews soon after its publication. This book is considered a classic in English literature.

I read this book as an audiobook during the pandemic and was quite impressed with the storyline. It tells the story of Jane, who becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall who falls in love with her employer Mr. Rochester.

I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars. You’ll enjoy this book if you like love stories.

The English Movie:

Jane Eyre (1943)

★★★☆☆

There are more than 20 English adaptations of this book. I grew up watching black-and-white movies, so my preference is always for old classic films. I’ve seen a couple of different adaptations of Jane Eyre, but my favorite is the 1943 version starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine directed by Robert Stevenson. Robert Stevenson was a British director known for both his Hollywood films and his later work with Disney, including movies like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Love Bug (1968).

This movie was not a box-office hit and is not considered the best of Welles' work. However, Fontaine is quite impressive and perfectly embodies the character of Jane Eyre. It’s a good watch, though better color versions were made later. Elizabeth Taylor has a small role as Jane’s best friend. She was 11 years old during the making of this film and already looked stunning and beautiful, even as a child.

Joan Fontaine was an English-American actress who appeared in more than 45 films over a career spanning five decades. Two of her movies that I particularly like are:

1. Gunga Din (1939), based on an 1890 poem set in British India and partly based on a true story.

2. Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940), an excellent film and a must-watch. The Hindi movie Anamika is inspired by Rebecca.

Orson Welles is one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. He’s my favorite and a fine actor. Citizen Kane (1941), which he produced, directed, and starred in, is often considered the best movie ever made in Hollywood and has topped the charts for many years. It’s a must-watch film.

I would give the 1943 Jane Eyre movie 3 out of 5 stars. You may also enjoy the 1983 British television serial Jane Eyre, produced by the BBC, starring Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton.

The Hindi Movie:

Sandgil (1952)

Directed by R.C.Talwar

★★★★☆

Sangdil is a Hindi romantic drama film directed by R. C. Talwar. The film is an adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. It stars Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in the lead roles. Sangdil was the second film to star Dilip Kumar and Madhubala together, following Tarana (1951). This is one of my favorite movies starring Dilip Kumar. The pair has delivered some excellent films together, such as Amar and Mughal-E-Azam. It’s believed that Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were madly in love during the making of this film, and you can feel their on-screen chemistry while watching it. Madhubala is considered the most beautiful actress in Hindi cinema, often referred to as the “Venus of Indian Cinema” or the Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood.

What I liked about this film, compared to the book:

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala look great together, and Dilip Kumar’s acting is, as always, brilliant. The music by the underrated composer Sajjad Hussain is also a highlight. My favorite song from the film is the beautiful Talat Mahmood solo, “Yeh Hawa Yeh Raat Yeh Chaandni” (See video below for this song). Talat Mahmood was the voice of Dilip Kumar before Mukesh and Rafi, and he sang some fantastic songs for Dilip Kumar in the 1940s and 1950s. I was particularly fascinated by the changes made to the plot to make it more acceptable to Indian audiences.

An interesting fact is that three more films based on the Jane Eyre story were made in India, in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. I haven’t watched any of these adaptations.

I’m giving Sangdil 4 out of 5 stars.