JOHN DUIGAN
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.
Australia, 1993. Laughing Kookaburra Productions, Sargasso Productions. Screenplay by Jan Sharp, Carole Angier, from the novel by Jean Rhys, based on characters created by Charlotte Bronte. Cinematography by Geoff Burton. Produced by Jan Sharp. Music by Stewart Copeland. Production Design by Franckie Diago. Costume Design by Norma Moriceau. Film Editing by Anne Goursaud, Jimmy Sandoval.
A prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, this film starring Nathaniel Parker details Rochester’s younger days living in the Caribbean and his arranged marriage to the extremely beautiful Karina Lombard. Her relatives neglect to mention in his courtship that there is a history of mental illness in her family that will most likely befall her as well, hoping that all the hot, kinky sex that he indulges in will make him forgiving of any of her bad traits. Lushly photographed and beautifully scored by Stewart Copeland, this film is all sexy action and no substance, eventually becoming a mind-numbing bore that the viewer will have to struggle to get through. Maybe if the heroine was a little more interesting the film would be more bearable, but Lombard is colourless in the lead.
