In the new year my ninth grader will be reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. As I was searching for resources to build his background knowledge, I discovered this movie at my local library. I watched it to build my schema. He will not be watching it.
This movie focuses on the Bronte sisters' desparate situation with no way to support themselves. Charlotte, the oldest, initiates the sisters' novels' publications.
As I watched the movie, I was struck how "nothing new is under the sun" in regards to addiction. Throughout their lives, the sisters and their father faced heartache as their brother/son, Branwell, struggled with alcohol and drug abuse. It seems like some of those who produce great art suffer much. My heart broke as I watched this family endure disappointments and sadness. Oh the joy, though, the viewer experiences when the ladies' novels are published and when the publishers meet them with great enthusiasm!
The Yorkshire moor landscapes are raw and breathtaking.
Warnings: "f-bomb" a few times, alcohol abuse, violent arguing, Branwell has an affair with his employer's wife (nothing is shown), Charlotte at one point loved & became obsessed with a married man but did not act on it (nothing is shown-Emily just relates it to Anne), & why my son won't be watching this movie-Branwell has a withdrawal dream where it shows the married woman he loves having sex with another man (they are fully clothed but the position and movement of bodies indicate exactly what is going on)
*Highly recommend but see warnings.
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