Rating: 
Summary: Too short to be definitive however great performances, music
Review: This version of Jane Eyre is marked by good performances, and a great music score by John Williams. If it had been longer, I think it might have been the definitive version, but at under 2 hours, it cannot come close to the Timothy Dalton BBC version which was several hours long, took dialogue straight out of the book in most scenes, etc. But George C. Scott was a more realistic Rochester. Timothy Dalton acted well, but was far too pretty, and Rochester was supposed to be a rather ugly man physically, to match Jane's plainess. Susannah York had the right sweetness to play Jane, but again far too beautiful. I haven't seen a real plain Jane yet in any filmed version, except for the William Hurt version, which I actively disliked. (Worst was the A&E version, I threw pillows at my tv screen, it was so bad).
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best version of Jane Eyre
Review: This version of Jane Eyre was not the best. First, I had the distinct impression that George C. Scott played himself. He really did not get the essence of the character that he played. Second, the movie seemed more like a remake of the Orson Welles version than a fresh telling of the story. Many of the elements of this one were clearly taken from the Welles version. Overall, if I had to choose a version of this story, I would probably take the Timothy Dalton version, which although the male lead may not look the part, is the truest version to the novel in terms of acting and atmosphere. This one was ok, but only just.
Rating: 
Summary: :( Great cast, poor editing.
Review: Watching this DVD is heartbreaking because all you can do is wish for what might have been. Scott is an amazing Rochester -- not a feely or spiritual type, but a solid, gruff, passionate, masculine Rochester. York does an excellent job as Jane, giving the character a refreshing intelligence, frankness, and independence -- she makes Jane's refusal to stay with Rochester understandable and believable -- something that few other actresses have been able to do. The problem is that the quality of the DVD is so bad that you are actually distracted by the technical problems. Since I didn't see this when it came out on television, I can't tell if the editing problem is a problem with the movie or the DVD. There are scenes that appear to have been intended, but are missing, and at least one scene that just starts in the middle of one of Scott's lines. The film quality isn't great either. Incredibly frustrating because if not for the technical problems, this would have been an excellent version of Jane Eyre. Still, Scott and York's performances make this worth seeing -- even in this state.
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