This is probably the best film version I've seen of Jane Eyre. One of my friends, who is no fan of the book or the other film versions, commented that she "got" the characters for the first time when she caught a rerun on A&E and I'd have to agree. The essence of Jane and Rochester is all here: Passion. It's restrained in "plain and little" Jane, who inside is all rebelliousness, and smoldering in Rochester, who here is just as gruff and domineering and bad-tempered as he ought to be. Watching this film I can believe that this version of Rochester and Jane are passionately in love with one another. I don't believe that in the other versions I've seen, including the most recent PBS version. Cutting out portions of the book to get at the meat of the story was a wise decision that made for a much better film.