Movie and TV adaptations
Jane Eyre has been filmed many times and there is a bewildering choice if the reader wishes to watch an adaptation of it. Which is the best is a matter of opinion but, on this page, I compare some of the versions so that you can see which are the most accurate and closest to the book.
The table below lists several versions with some basic details. It also shows whether certain characters are present (Yes) or absent (No). There are also four incidents which are often excluded. Prominent characters which appear in every version (such as Aunt Reed, Brocklehurst and Adèle), are not included.
If "Yes" appears in brackets, it means that the character or incident is included but differs from the novel in several ways.
| 1934 | 1943 | 1970 | 1983 | 1996 | 1997 | 2006 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media | Movie | Movie | Television | Television | Movie | Television | Television | Movie |
| Length (mins) | 62 | 97 | 110 | 239 | 116 | 108 | 240 | 120 |
| Jane | Virginia Bruce | Joan Fontaine | Susannah York | Zelah Clarke | Charlotte Gainsbourg | Samantha Morton | Ruth Wilson | Mia Wasikowska |
| Rochester | Colin Clive | Orson Welles | George C Scott | Timothy Dalton | William Hurt | Ciaran Hinds | Toby Stephens | Michael Fassbender |
| Eliza | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Georgiana | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bessie | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Helen Burns | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Miss Temple | (Yes) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | (Yes) | No |
| Miss Scatcherd | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Richard Mason | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St John Rivers | (Yes) | (Yes) | Yes | Yes | (Yes) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diana Rivers | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mary Rivers | No | No | Yes | Yes | (Yes) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hannah | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Rosmnd Oliver | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Pilot | No | Yes | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes |
| Gypsy meeting | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | (Yes) | No |
| Mrs Reed's death | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | (Yes) | Yes | No |
| Inherits money | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Related to Rivers | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| "Yes" total | 2 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 12 |
