Ecclesiophobia(PART 2 OF 3)
Really, Kato?... but we're not doing the restorative yoga in church.
I know...I know, but since you used the word, it reminds me of the religious nature of yoga and the fear of church.
Kato,...are you serious?
Yes, most definitely.
But Why is your fear of church?
...'cause Charlotte Brontë taught me.
Don't be silly, Kato. In 1854, Charlotte Brontë was married to her father's curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls. Then she became pregnant, but fell ill and died with her child. It was a long time ago. How could she possibly teach you the fear of church?
Diane, you know that I read her book "Jane Eyre", don't you?
Yes, I do.
Charlotte wrote in her preface that "conventionality is not morality" and "self-righteousness is not religion."
So what?
Well, in the book Mr. Brocklehurst is the clergyman-headmaster and treasurer of Lowood School. He is likened frequently to "a black pillar." A religious traditionalist, he advocates for his charges the most stoic and ascetic possible lifestyle. His sermons blaze with hellfire.
How do you know, Kato?
...'cause I viewed the YouTube video clip, which I pasted here for you, Diane. Please watch it carefully.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AS6qyMNqa_w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Jane Eyre (1944 film)
Jane Eyre (1944) is a classic film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by William Goetz, Kenneth Macgowan, and Orson Welles (uncredited). The screenplay was by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, Henry Koster, and Robert Stevenson, from the novel by Charlotte Brontë. The music score was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography by George Barnes.
The film stars Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O'Brien, Peggy Ann Garner, Sara Allgood, Henry Daniell, Agnes Moorehead, John Sutton, with Betta St. John and Elizabeth Taylor making early, uncredited appearances.
Production notes
The film's screenplay was based on a radio adaptation of the novel by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on the Air, which John Houseman collaborated on.
The film was acclaimed for its recreation of the Yorkshire Moors. It was actually filmed entirely in Hollywood on a heavily disguised sound stage. The long shadows and heavy fog, which added the air of a Gothic novel lacking in so many remakes, were rumored to have been the brainchild of Orson Welles. He was offered a producer's credit as thanks for his contribution but declined the offer, believing that a person who is not a director shouldn't be "just" a producer.
This was the 7th film version of the novel.
It was during his scoring of the film that Bernard Herrmann started working on his opera Wuthering Heights, based on the novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë's sister Emily. He quoted some themes from the Jane Eyre film score (and other of his earlier scores) in the opera.
Tagline: A Love Story Every Woman would Die a Thousand Deaths to Live!
Cast
Joan Fontaine - Jane Eyre
Orson Welles - Edward Rochester
Peggy Ann Garner - Jane Eyre as a child
Elizabeth Taylor - Helen Burns (uncredited)
Edith Barrett - Mrs. Alice Fairfax
Agnes Moorehead - Mrs. Reed
Margaret O'Brien - Adele
Sara Allgood - Bessie
Henry Daniell - Henry Brocklehurst
Hillary Brooke - Blanche Ingram
Quotes
The film begins with a voice over from Jane Eyre (an original contribution by the screenwriters):
My name is Jane Eyre... I was born in 1820, a harsh time of change in England. Money and position seemed all that mattered. Charity was a cold and disagreeable word. Religion too often wore a mask of bigotry and cruelty. There was no place for the poor or the unfortunate. I had no father or mother, brother or sister. As a child I lived with my aunt, Mrs. Reed of Gateshead Hall. I do not remember that she ever spoke one kind word to me.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As soon as anyone views the above clip, he or she will know that Mr. Brocklehurst is one of the most despicable men. For sure, he is a self-righteous man. Yet he is a clergyman. But as Charlotte wrote, "self-righteousness is not religion." It seems to me that Mr. Brocklehurst is a crazy man, not definitely a clergyman.
Oh, Kato...you're so sarcastic.
But, you know, Diane, the eighty pupils at Lowood are subjected to cold rooms, poor meals, and thin clothing. Many students fall ill when a typhus epidemic strikes. Jane's friend, Helen Burns, is one of them.
Yes, I know, but Helen died of consumption.
Yes, that's right. Anyway, Mr. Brocklehurst's neglect and dishonesty is the cause, you know. Actually, when his neglect was discovered, several benefactors built a new building. Afterwards, the conditions at the school improved dramatically.
Maybe so, but it was all in the book, not in the real world.
You know what, Diane? The book, at least the death of Helen Burns, was based on the real tragedy. In August 1824, Charlotte was sent with three of her sisters, Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). Its poor conditions permanently affected her health and physical development and hastened the deaths of her two elder sisters, Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815), who died of tuberculosis in June 1825. Soon after their father removed them from the school.
So, Kato, you're brainwashed by the book, huh?
Do you think so?
Oh, yes. Although the death of Helen Burns was based on the real tragedy, Mr. Brocklehurst is a fictious figure.
But he is modelled by the real headmaster of the Clergy Daughters' School.
He is only one of several self-righteous men, I suppose. But there are so many other good clergymen.
Yeah, I really hope so. In any case, the book and DVD showed me Mr. Brocklehurst as the symbol of church.
Kato, are you saying that Mr. Brocklehurst gave you the fear of church?
Yes, Diane...you're telling me. He did indeed.
Well...Kato, have you ever heard of this saying?
He always makes a mountain
out of a molehill.
Oh, yes...so, diane, you think I'm always making a mountain out of a molehill, don't you?
Yes, absolutely, I do.
You're mistaken, Daine...I'm always make fun of a molehill.
(To be continued)
