Year of the Brontës: A Preview of the Latest Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights Adaptations

With Jane Eyre out in [selected theatres] now and Wuthering Heights set for a September UK release date, the Brontë sisters are doing pretty well. There have been 15 film and television adaptations of Wuthering Heights and 22 of Jane Eyre to date. Let's take a closer look at what the latest adaptations have to offer.
Jane Eyre

With Mia Waskinowska as the title role, I already have faith in the latest Jane Eyre. In 2010's hits Alice in Wonderland and The Kids Are All Right Waskinowska proved that she can deliver the quiet determination necessary for the role. The only danger is that her performance will appear too similar to hers as Alice, since the roles are relatively similar.

The first time I viewed the trailer all I noticed was how it resembled a poorly-constructed Power Point presentation, complete with fading text in the Century Gothic font [a pun, perhaps?]. Re-watching while ignoring the horrible transitions restores my confidence, as the scenes seem to be faithful to the book in content and atmosphere. See for yourself here.

What the trailer lacks in style the poster masters completely. Elegant, simple, and sophisticated, it looks like a suitable book cover, which is well, ideal. The film has already received many positive reviews from critics, including a five-star review from the New York Times. It was released last week in New York and Los Angeles and appears this Friday in more select theaters.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is still under the radar, with no trailer released, and with a glance at the cast and crew it's pretty unpredictable, as they are mostly newcomers. We do have one teaser poster, however, and it looks edgily Victorian.

The project had a rocky start when it was first announced in 2008, with Natalie Portman originally cast as the lead. After switching directors and leading cast members three times (including an Ed Westwick and Gemma Arterton combo), Andrea Arnold took on the project, and Kaya Scodelario and James Howson were cast as Catherine and Heathcliff. Howson is the first black actor to play the role, and this is his first film credit.

Director Andrea Arnold, who won an Oscar in 2003 for her Live Action Short Wasp and a BAFTA for 2009's Fish Tank, is off to a good start, and Wuthering Heights could launch her career even further if successful.

History of the creative team can only get us so far on the speculation front, however, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to judge this one. The film is due to release on September 30, 2011 in the UK with a US release date TBA.