I have never seen a feature-length version of JANE EYRE which did Bronte's novel justice. To minimize her coming of age novel to a gothic love story strips Jane of her arc and the story of its coherence. This 1970 production suffers from rushing the story, cramming it in under two hours, as well as from a poor transfer. Susannah York and George C. Scott are both miscast-- York is too pretty and Scott is too subdued. That the two share no chemistry does not help.
The one ace the movie has is the John Williams music. Williams had been working in film and TV for about a decade at this point, and this is perhaps his first standout movie score. The love theme is gorgeous, prefiguring the more famous "Across the Stars" from the Star Wars prequels, and the music for the spookier scenes feels like an embryonic version of the mystery motif in the first two Harry Potter movies. But even apart from what he would do later, the music is just so perfect. Such a shame the movie is not of equal merit.
The one ace the movie has is the John Williams music. Williams had been working in film and TV for about a decade at this point, and this is perhaps his first standout movie score. The love theme is gorgeous, prefiguring the more famous "Across the Stars" from the Star Wars prequels, and the music for the spookier scenes feels like an embryonic version of the mystery motif in the first two Harry Potter movies. But even apart from what he would do later, the music is just so perfect. Such a shame the movie is not of equal merit.