Jane Eyre (2011)

"No. No. Jane do you love me." Rochester

☆☆☆☆☆ Masterpiece 

Jane Eyre (2011) is a sprawling, exquisitely crafted Gothic love story.

Directed by Cary Fukunaga.

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell and Judi Dench among others.


This version of Jane Eyre by Cary is the first time I understood fully the repressed sexual desires that Charlotte Brontë hid within the subtext of her characters actions and setting. There isn't one moment throughout the film that Fukunaga does not fill with repressed sexual desires and or tension. Cary also employs stunning visuals both interior and exterior to add to the drama as it unfolds. To me the true genius of a director shows itself when they understands the underlying subtext of the material and keeps the story and visuals focused solely on bringing up and capturing on film the subtext that percolates just under the actors surface during their journey. Compare what happens with Cary's camera and visuals with Abdellatif Kechiche camera and visuals in La Vie D'Adele - Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013). Both directors stories are about forbidden love and repressed sexual desires. In both films the actors do a masterful job of bringing the subtext of their characters and the story to the surface. Fukunaga manages to assist the actors in bringing the subtext to the surface by creating an atmosphere of tension. Kechiches' actors have to repeatedly create the tension on their own as Abdellatif repeatedly abandons his actors subtext for physical actions.

In the scene below I fell in love with Mia, Michael and Cary for finally letting all the repressed sexual desires and love to explode at the end of the scene. Watch how Mia holds back the tears throughout the scene. Michael wisely allows Mia to control the scene, so she can unleash her pent up desires. Cary uses simple closeups until the last moment in the scene when he switches to a long shot. Also note how its the first time these two are in full sunlight and outdoors. What an incredible scene.

Film Scene

Trivia - The inheritance of 20,000 British Pounds that John, Jane's uncle leaves her is equivalent today to $45.5 million dollars.

Film Trailer

Film Photos - Posters

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Film Script

La Vie D'Adele - Blue Is The Warmest Color

"He said we can choose our lives without any higher principle." Emma  

☆☆☆☆☆ Acting Masterclass

La Vie D'Adele - Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013) is an extraordinary film with extraordinary performances.

Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. 

Starring and directing themselves unintentionally is Lea Sedoux and Adele Exarchopoulos.

As an actor I was struct by the openess and fearlessness of the two actresses. Lea and Adele were called upon to do the raunchiest lesbian sex scenes ever put on a theatrical film. In one extended sex scene you can clearly see through Adele's eyes that she is laughing internally at the absurd sexual positions that the director has them in. The audience noticed Adele's eyes and started laughing with her. Lea and Adele did was was asked by their woman degrading director and made his melodramatic story come alive. The high caliber of acting in this film reminded me of the performances in Roman Polanski's film, Carnage (2011)-

Lea and Adele turn this melodramatic yawner into a beautiful and deep exploration of the joy and pain that love entails. Take the scene below. Watch Lea's eye's (blue hair babe). Lea's eyes are smiling, they draw Adele in and open her up. Lea seduced me as an audience member with her smiling confident eyes in the scene below. As an actor you pray for a scene partner that is as open and playful and ready to let go and explore the story, characters and moments as intimately and as fearlessly as Lea is throughout this film. 

The French audience with which I saw this movie at the Cannes Film Festival began to show their displeasure with the director by loudly booing and yelling jokes during the second and third unnecessarily long and explicit graphic sex scenes. The sexual positions were degrading to watch as an audience member who had just connected with these gentle and open actresses in previous scenes. The joy in these actresses eyes was lost during this director's self indulgent, sexual fantasy scenes. Maybe, Abdellatif should have used his mom and and sister in place of these wonderful actresses during his porno fantasy sequences. As a distributor I would have all the tasteless, graphic porno removed and kept the intimate bedroom moments before and after the raunchy positions. Steven Spielberg; who headed the Cannes Jury was moved to add Lea and Adele to the Palme D'Or award. The Palme D'Or award is only given to the director of a film. Steven was sending a clear message to everyone that Lea and Adele saved this movie and won the Palme D'Or and not Abdellatif. Friends, there is a fine line between porno and film acting. The director should watch, "In the Realm of the Senses" to understand the differences. This director has no respect for women. This is an Oscar contender in the acting categories. Enjoy!

Film  Scene

Trivia - La Vie D'Adele is the first film to win the Palme D'Or adapted from either a graphic novel or comic.

Film Trailer