For Your Consideration – Best Cinematography – Adriano Goldman, Best Art Direction – Will Hughes-Jones and Tina Jones, Best Costume Design – Michael O’Connor
Film: Jane Eyre
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Screenplay: Moira Buffini (adapted from the novel by Charlotte Brontë)
Realistic Nominations: Best Costume Design
The very existence of this film begs the question of necessity. Must we see another adaptation of Jane Eyre? Is there anything more to be said that countless other filmmakers haven’t already conveyed? And indeed, the challenge of adapting classic 19th Century English novels is that they all seem to have been done to death in cinema (Coincidentally, Charlotte’s sister Emily Brontë’s own Wuthering Heights has recently been adapted again and is likely hitting U.S. theaters next year). Cary Fukunaga’s own take on the material is not perfect – the story’s major plot turn is oddly rushed through, for one – but the newest Jane Eyre has managed its own notable achievements to distinguish itself. Chief among them is the look of it.
Simply put, Jane Eyre is one of the most superbly coordinated films of the year in terms of visual craftsmanship, nailing an immersive, Gothic atmosphere that most period romance films simply do not. Michael O’Connor’s costumes and the sets of Will Hughes-Jones not only create an era and place that is entirely believable, but possessing a tangible “heaviness” as well. This, combined with Adriano Goldman’s severe and moody cinematography, all works in remarkable tandem to create legitimately unnerving mise-en-scène full of implications that screenwriter Moira Buffini could not possibly flesh out in just two hours. The whole picture is bathed in shades of grey, with bounced light sources and coruscating fog that makes it resemble a film noir and at times outright horror, which sounds absurd but is in fact perfect for communicating the inner repression and emotional darkness of Jane and Rochester.
Most period pieces – especially ones hunting for Oscars – are simply content with just showing off elaborate sets and costumes, but not Jane Eyre. Its Costume Designer, Production Designer and Cinematographer carefully pooled their efforts into crafting something not only visually dazzling, but substantive, ambitious and consistent, and each of them deserve Academy Award nominations for their work here.
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Tags: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, gorgeous cinematography, Horror, Jane Eyre
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I really loved Jane Eyre, and thought it would easily make my top 10 about 2/3 in, but then it tripped over itself with the reveal of the “twist” and never quite resumes its steam after that, so it might not crack my list after all. Nevertheless the technicals are outstanding, and Mia Wasikowska is also phenomenal. She deserves more Best Actress mentions.
I think it’s likely headed for Costume and nothing else, but this was a good outside the box choice.
I thought this was a great movie. I had no knowledge of the source material going in and it was a real treat. I would love to see a cinematography nod, that was it’s strongest technical achievement in my eyes.
Wait does that mean the ACCA is finally having tech categories? YAY!