Die Waise von Lowood (1943)

Die Waise von Lowood: Directed by Robert Stevenson. With Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O’Brien, Peggy Ann Garner. After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house, to care for his young daughter.

“Stevenson isnu0026#39;t willing to let us forget that his film is based on a book. The first thing we see a leather-bound volume with the title u0026quot;Jane Eyreu0026quot; emblazoned on the cover; the book opens to reveal the filmu0026#39;s credits exquisitely lettered on the opening pages. Weu0026#39;re in danger of falling in love with the book as an object before the story even begins. By the time Joan Fontaine had finished reading out Brönteu0026#39;s opening paragraph, with the sentences themselves before me, I was in no mood to watch the movie – I wanted to go away and read the book.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYet when itu0026#39;s not reminding us that itu0026#39;s at heart a version of something else, itu0026#39;s a very good film, falling not too far short of David Leanu0026#39;s u0026quot;Oliver Twistu0026quot; – which it resembles. Both films were shot almost entirely in the studio, yet donu0026#39;t feel studio-bound; they feel rather as though the directors had managed to find unusually claustrophobic out-of-door (or, in Leanu0026#39;s case, urban) locations. In both films a portion of every frame is consumed by impenetrable shadow. (Yet u0026quot;Eyreu0026quot; is detailed, and makes the best possible use of every frame.) Both films take place around in a callous England of the 1920s. (I got the impression that if Brönteu0026#39;s characters had for some reason gone to London they would have encountered Dickensu0026#39;s, although this impression was destroyed when the rich Londoners visit Rochesteru0026#39;s castle.) Both films manage to be sentimental in an agreeable way. Both have excellent musical scores. In fact, this may be Herrmannu0026#39;s best score of the 1940s, certainly better than the one he wrote for u0026quot;Citizen Kaneu0026quot;, which is seems better than it is because the film as a whole is a masterpiece.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you can, make sure you see a print with a pristine soundtrack. Orson Welles isnu0026#39;t always easy to understand.”