An adaptation of the novel written to be a prequel to Jane Eyre and which tries to tell the story from Bertha/Antoinette’s point of view. This one is better than the 1993 feature in that it doesn’t try overwhelmingly to be an erotic drama, and handles the ethnic tensions better. However, it’s still a hard story to adapt to film period, being so psychologically based, and it just doesn’t translate well. The lead actress drove me crazy with her gawkiness, and the fit of her dresses was ATROCIOUS — bodices that rode up weirdly in her armpits and that had one giant flat bone up the front. I literally couldn’t take my eyes off of them!
