* * * - William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Joan Plowright, Anna Paquin, Geraldine Chaplin, Billie Whitelaw, Maria Schneider, Fiona Shaw, Elle Macpherson, John Wood, Amanda Root; directed by Franco Zef-firelli; rated PG (violence); exclusively at the Cineplex Odeon Broadway Centre Cinemas.
Frequently filmed and something of a standard-bearer for brooding gothic romance, Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is the ultimate star-crossed love story.
And this latest movie version has been directed with an eye toward epic scope and exquisite period detail by Franco Zeffirelli, best-known for his Shakespeare adap-tations (the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton "Taming of the Shrew," the Mel Gibson "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet") and an excellent television miniseries about the life of Christ ("Jesus of Nazareth").
In the process, however, he has kept the emotion in "Jane Eyre" perhaps a bit too restrained and the characters a bit too distant. The result is a good movie but not a great one.
Zeffirelli's take is clear-eyed, as we follow Jane through her childhood (played as a youngster by Oscar-winner Anna Paquin, of "The Piano"), growing up in a strict boarding school, up to her adult years (when Charlotte Gainsbourg takes over) as a governess in the Rochester home, and all the subsequent tragedies and reconciliations that complete the story.
Prior to her boarding-school years, Jane is shown to be spirited and independent, refusing to buckle when treated cruelly by her wicked aunt (Fiona Shaw), a sequence that echoes "Cinderella."
Later, in the school, you may think of "Oliver Twist," as Jane is forced to comply with equally unhappy circumstances under the tutelage of mean headmaster Mr. Brocklehurst (John Wood) and a parade of nasty teachers (led by Geraldine Chaplin) . . . save one, that is, the sweet-natured Miss Temple (Amanda Root, who recently shined in "Persuasion"). During this time, Jane must also attend to her dying best friend.
When she leaves the school as an adult to take a position as governess at Thornfield Hall, Jane meets kindly Mrs. Fairfax (Joan Plow-right), who runs the household; ominous Grace Poole (Billie Whitelaw), keeper of the family's dark secret; the sweet young girl she will be teaching (Josephine Serre); and, eventually, the girl's father, tragic Mr. Rochester (William Hurt).
The main theme of the story shows Rochester finding in Jane someone he can talk to, someone who stirs romantic feelings that have long been dormant, while Jane opens up and blossoms into full adulthood in his presence. But in the eyes of those who surround them, this is forbidden territory, as he is an aristocrat and she is merely a household servant.
Along with all of these key European players, Hurt may seem an odd choice to play Rochester, but he manages to pull it off and conveys the deep complexity of a man caught between forces over which he feels no control.
Oddly, Gainsbourg provides the biggest casting hurdle. She is physically right for the role, pouting appropriately, but she offers none of the insecurity that seems vital to the character, and her internal struggles are never adequately explored.
Not that it matters much to Zeffirelli, who, despite some creative casting (to include a minor role filled by Elle Macphereson!), seems much less interested in the characters than the sets and composition.
"Jane Eyre" is rated PG for some violence.