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A3 LicListThe New Jane Eyre
Rants, Raves and Reviews, Scenology — By Adele on 25 September, 2006 8:55 pmI am slightly cross with the new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, which they started showing yesterday.
What, no birching? Not even a pretend one? There aren’t that many instances of schoolgirls being whipped in classical literature (though boys get it all the time) – must we get rid of one such scene?
They spent way too little time in the aweful Lowewood Institution, eager, I suppose, to introduce Mr. Rochester. Though to be fair, what time they did devote to it, was perfectly, squirmily horrid. The girls’ uniforms were horrific in just the way I love, and the scene where Jane had to stand on on a chair with a sign saying “Liar” on her chest was beautifully shot: a river of girls flowing past her along the hall, parting around the chair and merging again, not one of them meeting her eye.
Once Jane grew up, everything was instantly better: I like both main actors a great deal, and Mr. Rochester looks like he could administer exactly the sort of stern discipline that the second part of the book is missing. His charge Adele (from whom, you might remeber, I got my name) is perfectly obnoxious, and very much in need of that discipline. And nobody is prettier than they are supposed to be if you believe the descriptions in the book.
Still… no birching? Damn!
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9 Comments
a nice birching just seems to round things out nicely and so efficaceous to a bottom.
Yes, quite :)
Now, granted, the birching in Jane Eyre isn’t supposed to be nice, but it’s there in the book, and it’s a shame it’s missing in the adaptation. How dare they make an adaptation not geared specifically at us spankos?
I wholeheartedly agree Adele, leaving out a birching scene is unforgivable! What on earth could they have been thinking!!
I am so glad that there IS a place where the missing birch scene in this adaption, which otherwise has more good points than bad, is lamented… To mention some good points: Jane I think is perfect; Mr. Rochester is believable… oh, yes, and Adèle… there should be an extra scene on the DVD, in which Ms. Eyre for once is true to her role as a strict Victorian governess, and scolds the girl in the classroom for not improving on her pronounciation, then bends her over with her drawers opened for six strokes of the whippy rattan school cane…
Juju – I think they might have been wanting to focus on the romance. Boo, hisssss.
Mr Holland – I don’t think the canes were around yet, so it would have to be the birch… other than that, I like the way your mind works. Mr Rochester would have to participate as well, of course :)
The BBC didn’t used to be quite so coy about showing CP in its series. I remember seeing an adaptation of Tom Brown’s Schooldays in which there were scenes where the young hero gets a 12 stroke caning and the ‘bad boy’ gets a flogging at the end. Even more amazing was that it was shown during children’s television hour on a Sunday. Strangely (maybe not) it’s still available on Amazon UK
I don’t think they were being coy here; it’s probably that they had to cut out all the non-essential bits to get to Mr Rochester quicker.
Obviously, what is non-essential to them is damn essential to me :)
In the William Hurt/Charlotte Gainsbourg “Jane Eyre” made in 1996 there’s a hand birching scene. Even though I’m more partial to the birching of bottoms, I couldn’t help but gets this wonderfully squirming feeling when Miss Scatcherd states matter-of-factly “bring me the birch.” :D
Lordy, I had no idea there were so many adaptations of this book. I was looking it up on Amazon to check the spelling of “Gainsbourg” and was amazed at how many versions of this there are. And, I dunno, maybe it’s good, but I have a hard time imagining Timothy Dalton as Rochester after seeing him in Flash Gordon and James Bond (the former making me laugh and the later making me shudder).
Ah the directive “bring me the birch rod” is so beautiful and magnificent. Proceed to the punishment chair, raise your dresses and lower your bloomers and get into position. Swish, swish swish etc. the pleadings and begging for forgiveness are such wonderful sounds to the ear.