Jane looked thoroughly bedraggled wandering the moors, and you felt for her, because she cut such a forlorn and sad figure. I liked the inclusion of Jane reading the Lord's Prayer while lying down as she awaited her fate, the religious theme was hardly touched upon, but it is the bedrock of Jane's moral character and I liked the allusion to it here.
We meet St. John and his sisters, who take great care of Jane and nurse her back to health, she takes a job as a school mistress and despite her distance from Rochester, she finds herself thinking of him: his pleas for her to go and live with him in that "white washed villa" he talks of so much, are in her mind. The problem I had with that scene was the lying on top of poor Jane, get off, she's only small.
This episode wasn't the finest one, the second was, but it did have the best scene in the entire series: the reconciliation scene, which coincidentally was Toby Stephens best scene, all Ruth could do was react and if you didn't feel a little of his anguish at getting his Jane back, you have a heart of stone.
As it's getting late now, I'll stop, but I will do a longer post at some point.
18 comments:
Good Morning PennyFYD - I am up at 4 AM here (!) to see your first impressions - glad here were some ready to see! Longing for the "more" you will add shortly - and if you can give us some clips - - - oh the wretched BBC making us wait so long!
Thanks again - hope all is well with you and your mom,
law
"Get off her she's small!, LOL!!
Actually, I loved this scene, for many reasons. And agree with you about Toby in the reunion scene - he was outstanding.
C19 Fan
Re episode 4
Personally if I had been lying on that bed with Mr. R there is no way I would have refused the white washed villa!
I did initially wonder why Rochester had a bandaged arm in the latter scenes, then I realised that the injury must have been caused by the collective women of Britain snapping his arm off at the offer of that same white washed villa!
Hi Law,
Glad you like the short review, up at 4AM, that's very early! I was up a similar time, but for a different reason! I'll try to get a longer review up soon, it takes a while trying to find the right screencaps for what I want to say.
Thanks for asking about my Mum, she's still a bit crook, but we're looking after her! I think she likes it!
Hey C19 Fan,
I liked the sentiments of the bedroom scene, but wasn't too keen on all that kissing, the touching I liked. Jane's so small, I feared she'd be squashed flat!
Reunion scene: officially my favourite part of the entire series!
Hi anonymous,
Jane has more moral substance than all of us put together. I think I would have run away with him too, and I'd have demanded a little more than bowls in the afternoon and a chaste kiss on the cheek! Don't push the boat out all at once Rochester.
Ha Ha Ha!
Exactly!
Rochester's Diary - note to self -how do I make Jane stay with me? Passionate kisses do not seem to have desired effect.- I know what will make her stay! Offer her a of cup of tea.
Oh how very English!!
I've read Jane Eyre several times but it wasn't until the showing of Episode four that my mind started to think..Charlotte Bronte was a parson's daughter and into her novel she must have put the theme of God's moral laws..Jane said that she had searched for God in her own way..so she has a strong faith and even though she loved Mr Rochester she wouldn't disobey God and go into the path of sin as Mr Rochester had..Jane leaves him, even though it was a hard choice for her to make..God tells us in the Bible that if we do what is right and obey him we well recieve many things ten fold..Jane did..Mr Rochester cries perhaps to God and Jane hears him and returns and they find each other and marry with much blessings..Even though after the kissing scene many of us think yes go with him but then you think what life would it have been..a life of sin and in the end misery.Ok I'm off the pulpit now...Sigh we have to wait till Feb for the DVD..good that there's youtube to keep us all happy until then :) but I want the DVD NOW lol
Thanks for you lovely blog site
Greetings
Anne from Dorset
Anonymous: Rochester AND a cup of tea? Say no more, I am so there. Who needs bowls?
Hello Anne,
Glad you like the blog, and I wasn't surprised that they toned down the religious feeling in the series. It's not particularly cool, is it? That's why I was glad that poor Jane was praying on the moor, her religious upbringing would have motivated and supported her moral stance, against Rochester's honeyed words and prospect of a life of sin. She's no Celine nor does she want to be his mistress, if she can't have Rochester on her terms, husband and wife, she doesn't want him at all.
Thankyou Penny, I do love your Blog.
Anne, I'm sorry If I came across as a bit flippant, I didn't mean to offend you. Jane's moral stance comes across very clearly in the book, but if you had not read the book, I wonder if you would have fully understood the reasons that Jane left Rochester at this point. I agree Penny that the religious themes were toned down, and to me it didn't appear clear why she left him following his offers of a platonic friendship. Of course Jane felt that as he was married, she would of naturally be his mistress, and it would be wrong for her to live with him in this way.
Thank goodness for people like you Anne, I'm really old enough to know better!
By the way Penny, my best bit was when Jane sees him at the door of Fearndean, her excitement at seeing him then realising he cannot see her. Ruth has been absolutely great in this adaptation.
T
Penny - can I just add how much I've enjoyed your blog throughout this series. It has been an absolute delight, much like the series itself. I dont know if there is more to come, and will keep popping back just to check. I wish you all the best and send best wishes to your mum too.
C19 Fan
Not flippant at all..I know i should have noticed the moral stance in the book but I was blind to it as I always get so envolved in the love between Edward and Jane but I'm re-reading the book with new eyes.
I loved the BBC's new adaption..ok liberties were taken but you know I like them..I wonder what Charlotte would have thought of it.would she have approved? I loved the scene by the river..so beautiful..sniff... I love happy endings..Sniff..Toby and Ruth were fantastic..I doubted them at first but at the end I would have given them Oscars.
I wish the BBC would do an adaption of Charlotte's The Professor..I think its such a lovely book.What do you think?
Well Goodnight all..time for this girl to dream of Mr Rochester.
Take Care everyone..What are we going to do now each week without Jane Eyre to watch..I hate when good things end..sigh
Greetings
Anne
I'll tell you what we're going to do! We're going to watch YouTube clips from this production over and over until we go wacko - I suspect!
I with you, Jane Fans!!!
law
Actually, what I found a very, very moving part in the book is when, on her first night on the moors, she feels loved by the earth, safe in the night with the presence of God and the stars and milky way before her, she prays for him and then knows he will be safe and guarded. Beautiful and so in the spirit of who she is. Isn't it the bravest thing of all to not only know what is the right to, but to actually do it no matter how much it hurts. The agony of her decision to leave him is so well described when she says: Gentle reader, may you never feel what then I felt. [..] for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love.
Anne-M
Oops, something was left out in my previous post: it is:
to know not only what is the RIGHT THING TO do.
Anne-M
I've already been watching every single clip on YouTube for weeks.Thank goodness for it,otherwise I'd be in a deep depression by now..aren't I sad? lol I even today emailed Toby Stephens agent to pass a message to him of thanks of his excellent acting,don't know if he'd ever see it but worth a try.Even browsed Amazon in hopes of a Jane Eyre Soundtrack or making of book but absolutely nothing..I'm amazed. At least there is the Radio Times shot movie and Reader I married him,which are great and Penny's excellent blog.Sigh wish they'd stretched the series out to more episodes.sniff sniff.
Take Care all
Would it be possible to include some screencaps of the Rivers family. The BBC website offers little.
thanks
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