Jane Eyre (1983) - Episode 1

BBC 1983 TV Mini-Series

Sian Pattenden ... Young Jane

There was no possibility
of taking a walk that day.

The cold winter wind had
brought with it clouds so somber

and rain so penetrating
that any exercise outdoors

was out of the question.

I was glad of it. I
never liked long walks,

especially on chilly afternoons.

Come, my darlings.

John, dear, just one to start with,

and one for you, Georgiana.

Oh, thank you, mama.

And one for my darling Eliza.

Thank you, mama, thank you.

You are hungry after your play.

Bessie, why did you let
them stay out so late?

A minute more and they would
have been caught in the rain.

Well, it was that Jane, ma'am.

I called and called, but
she'd gone off on her own,

and I couldn't find her anywhere.

Of course.

You make it, Bessie.

What does Bessie say
I have done, aunt Reed?

A child must not take up her elders.

Until you can speak
pleasantly, remain silent.

Boo!

Where the dickens is she?

Lizzy. Georgy.

Jane is not here.

Tell mama she is run out in the rain.

Bad animal.

What do you want?

What do you want, what?

What do you want, cousin?

- Cousin?
- Starveling cousin.

Orphan cousin.

Call me master reed.

I want you to come here.

That's for your
impudence to mama and me.

And for your sneaking ways,

getting behind curtains, you rat.

What were you doing behind the curtain?

I was reading.

Show the book.

You have no right of take our books.

You are dependent.

Mama says you have no money.

I'll teach you.

Wicked boy!

You never stop bullying me.

Rats.

- You're like a murderer.
- Rats.

You're like a slave driver!

Mama!

You're like the roman emperors...

Jane, no!

- Disgraceful!
- Oh, dear, dear.

If you had heard what she said to me.

Did anybody see such
a picture of passion?

Abbot, Bessie.

Take her to the red room
and lock her in there.

- No!
- Oh.

Miss Jane, come on.

Let me go!

He hit me, Bessie.

He is always hitting me.

Boys will be boys, miss Jane.

Hold her arms, miss Abbot.

She's like a mad cat.

For shame, for shame, miss Eyre.

Hold still, will you?

Get in.

No.

Come here. Come here. Come here!

Now, it is not ladylike to
strike a young gentleman...

your benefactress's
son, your own master!

Master? How is he my master?

Am I a servant?

No. You are less than a servant.

For you do nothing for your keep.

Now sit down here

and think over your wickedness.

Now, if you don't sit still,

we shall have to tie your hands.

Lend me your garters, miss Abbot,

because she'd break mine directly.

Don't tie me up!

I won't stir. I promise.

Oh, might you don't!

Oh, she never did so before.

No, but it was always in her.

I've said so to missus before
and missus agreed with me.

Oh, she's an under-hand little thing.

You ought to be aware, miss,

that you are under
obligations to mrs. Reed.

If she were to turn you out,

you'd have to go to poor house.

Her dear dead husband only took you in

because he was your mother's brother.

So just you think on it, miss Eyre.

You mustn't leave me in here.

My uncle died in that bed.

I try to do my duty,
but I'm always punished.

It's only because I'm different.

I'm different from you all
and you won't forgive me.

Come, Bessie. We will leave her.

I wouldn't have her heart for anything.

Aye. But the ghost...

Say your prayers, child.

If you don't repent,

he will come down chimney
and fetch you away.

It's unjust!

Unjust!

Let me out! Let me out, please!

Aah!

Let me out, please!

Abbot, Bessie, I'm frightened!

Help! Let me out,

Abbot, Bessie, please!

Miss Jane, are you ill?

What a dreadful noise!
It went right through me.

Let me out. Let me go to my room.

What for? Are you hurt?
Have you seen something?

Oh, I saw a light.

I thought a ghost was coming.

- A light?
- A light?

- Just now?
- You silly child.

That was Ruddock, the gardener.

I saw him crossing the
lawn with a lantern.

I thought it was my uncle.

You screamed out on purpose.

I know your naughty tricks.

What is all this?

Abbot.

Bessie, I believe I left orders

that Jane Eyre should
be locked in the red room

till I came to her myself.

Miss Jane screamed so loud, ma'am.

Let her go.

Child, release Bessie's hand.

You cannot succeed
in get by these means.

I abhor artifice,
particularly in children.

It is my duty to show you
that tricks will not accept.

You will now stay here an hour longer.

- Aunt Reed, please.
- And it is only on condition

of perfect submission and stillness

that I shall liberate you then.

Oh, aunt, let me be
punished some other way.

I cannot endure it.
I shall be killed if...

Silence!

This violence is almost repulsive.

Go. And never disobey me again!

- Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, ma'am.

Aunt Reed, please...

Good morning, miss Eyre.

Good morning.

Well, who am I?

Mr. Lloyd, the physician.

I...

I was in that room.

Missus said I could let you out.

You were that quiet.

I thought you were dead when I saw you.

Could you eat a little now?

No, thank you.

Could you sleep some more?

Yes.

And I shall get some rest, too.

'Cause I've been up all night with you.

I had Sarah from kitchen for company.

I were so frightened that you've died.

What is the matter with me? Am I ill?

You fell sick in red room.

With crying, I suppose.

You'll soon be better.

Don't try to talk just now.

I wonder if she did see some at.

Missus was rather too hard with her.

Well, never mind that now.

We'll leave Jane to sleep.

Now, plenty of sleep, miss Eyre.

And I'll call back and see
you again this afternoon.

Thank you.

In the days that we went gypsying

A long time ago

Oh, the days that we went gypsying

A long time ago

Come, miss Jane, don't cry.

Have a bit of tart.

I cannot.

Please forgive me, Bessie.

Perhaps later.

Doctor's here, Bessie.

And it's dinner time.

What? Already up?

Well, nurse, how is she?

She's doing very well,
except she won't eat.

Oh, she will when she's hungry.

If you are well, you
should look more cheerful.

Come here, Jane.

Your name is Jane, is it not?

Yes, sir.

Well, miss Jane Eyre,
you've been crying.

Can you tell me what about?

You're in pain?

No, sir.

Oh, I dare say she was crying

'cause she could not go
out with missus in carriage.

I never cried for such
a thing in my life.

I hate going out in the carriage.

I cry because i am miserable.

Oh, fie, miss.

Well, Jane, what made
you ill last night?

She had a fall.

Fall. Well, that's like a baby again.

You can walk at your age.

I was knocked down, but
that didn't make me ill.

Oh, that would be for you, nurse.

Go for your dinner.

Yes, sir.

Well, Jane, the fall
didn't make you ill.

What did then?

I was shut up in a room

where there is a ghost till after dark.

Ghost?

What, you are a baby after all.

You're afraid of ghosts?

Of mr. Reed's ghost I am.

They told me something about a gardener,

but mr. Reed died in that room.

No one would go into it at night.

It was cruel to shut me
up in it without a candle.

So cruel that I shall never forget it.

Are you afraid now in daylight?

No, but night will come again soon.

And besides, I am unhappy.

Very unhappy... for other things.

What other things?

Could you tell me some of them?

Well, for one thing,

I have no mother or father,

brothers or sisters.

You have a kind aunt and cousins.

But John Reed knocked me down

and my aunt shut me up in the red room.

Don't you think Gateshead
Hall is a beautiful house?

Are you not indeed thankful

to have such a fine place to live at?

It's not my house, sir.

Abbot says I have less right
to be here than a servant.

You can't be silly enough

to want to leave such a splendid place.

Why not?

My aunt wouldn't have kept me here

if my uncle hadn't made her
promise in his last moments.

I should be glad to leave it...

if there was anywhere else to go.

But I can never leave
Gateshead till I am a woman.

Perhaps you may. Who knows?

Would you like to go to school?

I should indeed like to go to school.

Well, who knows what may happen.

Ah, mrs. Reed is back, I see.

Missus is back, sir.

Yes. I would like to
speak to her before I go.

She's in breakfast room.

Will you come with me, sir?

Thank you.

Good-bye, Jane.

And if I don't see you again,

remember, I've not forgotten you.

My discourse with mr. Lloyd

awakened hope in me.

But days and weeks passed,

except that she now kept me
and her own children apart

even more than ever.

My only comfort was from books.

Caught you again stealing my books.

I'm not stealing. I'm borrowing.

And they're not yours.

They will be.

All of this house will be mine one day.

And I'll have the right to punish you.

Mama! Mama!

Mom, it was that nasty Jane Eyre!

She flew at me like a wildcat.

Don't talk to me about her, John.

I told you not to go near her.

She's not worthy of notice.

I do not choose that
either you or your sisters

should associate with her.

They are not fit to associate with me!

Why, you...

come here. Come.

Come on.

Don't you dare rise from that place

or utter one syllable
for the rest of the day.

What would uncle Reed say
to you if he were alive?

What?

My uncle Reed is in heaven

and can see all you do and think,

encircled with my mom and pop,

they know how you shut me
up all day and wish me dead.

Ooh... ooh.

Without a doubt, miss Jane,

you're the most wicked
and abandoned child

ever reared under a roof.

Bessie!

You awake, miss Jane?

Yes, Bessie.

I've brought you some nice gingerbread.

Eat it up, now.

I shan't stir till you have.

That supper she sent you

wasn't enough to feed a mouse.

Would you like some more gingerbread

or some bread and butter?

No. This is all I want, thank you.

Now be a good girl and go to sleep.

Now. Good night, miss Jane.

Good night, Bessie.

Miss Jane, take off your pinafore.

Have you washed your hands and face?

Of course, but...

hurry when your told,
you troublesome child.

Go down directly.

You're wanted at drawing room.

This is the little girl
respecting whom I applied to you.

Her size is small. What is her age?

10 years.

So much?

Your name, little girl.

Jane Eyre, sir.

Well, Jane Eyre,

and are you a good child?

Perhaps the less said on that subject

the better, mr. Brocklehurst.

I am sorry indeed to hear it.

No sight so sad as
that of a naughty child,

especially a naughty girl.

Do you know where the
wicked go after death?

They go to hell.

And what is hell?

Can you tell me that?

A pit full of fire.

And should you like
to fall into that pit

and be burning there forever?

No, sir.

What must you do to avoid it?

I must keep in good health and not die.

How can you keep in good health?

Children younger than you die daily.

I buried a little child

of 5 years old only a day or two since.

A good little child whose
soul is now in heaven.

It is to be feared that the
same could not be said of you,

called hence.

I hope that sigh is from the heart

and that you repent had
having been the occasion

of discomfort to your
excellent benefactress.

Do you say your prayers,
night and morning?

Yes, sir.

Do you read your Bible?

Sometimes.

With pleasure?

Are you fond of it?

Bits of it.

Bits of it.

Shocking.

I have a little boy, younger than you,

who knows 6 psalms by
heart and much else.

When you ask him whether he would rather

have a gingerbread nut or learn a psalm,

he says, "oh, a psalm to learn".

"Angels sing psalms,

and I wish to be a
little angel here below."

He then gets 2 nuts

as reward for his piety.

But psalms are not interesting.

That proves you have a wicked heart.

And you must pray to God to change it.

You may sit down, Jane.

Mr. Brocklehurst, I believe I
intimated to you in my letter

that this girl's
disposition and character

is not quite what I could wish,

should you admit her into Lowood school.

School.

Be silent, child.

Should you consent to
do so, mr. Brocklehurst,

I would be glad if the
superintendent and teachers

were requested to keep
a strict eye upon her,

and above all to guard
against her worst fault,

a tendency to deceit.

I mention this in your hearing, Jane,

that you may not attempt to
impose on mr. Brocklehurst.

Deceit is indeed a sad fault in a child.

It is akin to falsehood,

and all liars will have their portion

in the lake burning
with fire and brimstone.

Amen.

She shall, however,
be watched, mrs. Reed.

I will speak to my
headmistress, miss Temple,

and to the teachers.

I should wish she was taught

was in the manner most fit

to make her useful and humble,

with your permission,

she will spend all her
vacations at Lowood.

You will not be burdened
with her again, mrs. Reed.

As to your you wishes,

I assure you that all pupils at Lowood

are taught humility as a christian grace

and that worldly pride
must be mortified.

That is a state of
things I quite approve.

Plain food, simple attire,
hardy accommodation,

and constant activity...

such is the order of the day at Lowood.

Quite right, sir.

I may depend upon your receiving
this child then, as a pupil?

Madam, you may,

and I trust she will show herself
grateful for the privilege.

I will send her to you
then, as soon as possible.

Of course. I shall write and tell

miss Temple to expect a new girl.

And I must bid you good morning.

I shall return to Brocklehurst
Hall in a week or so.

I am staying with my good
friend, the archdeacon,

and he will not permit
me to leave him sooner.

Uh, see that my carriage is ready.

Good-bye, mrs. Reed.

Good-bye, mr. Brocklehurst.

Remember me to miss
and missis Brocklehurst,

and Agusta and Theodore and

master Broughton Brocklehurst.

I will indeed.

Here is a book entitled
"The Child's Guide".

Read it with prayer,
especially the account

of the torments inflicted in
hell upon deceitful children.

You may leave her in our hands.

There will be no softness.

You will return to your room.

I am not deceitful.

If i were I should say I loved you,

but I declare I do not love you.

I dislike you the worst
of anyone in the world,

except John Reed.

And this book about the liar,

you may give it to your girl, Georgiana.

She's the one who tells lies and not I.

What more have you to say?

I'm glad you are no relation of mine.

I will never call you aunt
again as long as I live.

I will never come to see
you when I'm grown up,

and if anyone asks me how I liked you

and how you treated me,

I'll say the very thought
of you makes me sick

and that you treat me
with miserable cruelty.

How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre?

How dare I, mrs. Reed?

Because it is the truth.

You think I have no feelings

and can do without one
bit of love or kindness,

but i cannot live so.

You have no pity.

People think you are a good woman,

but you are bad and hard-hearted.

You are deceitful.

Jane, you are under a mistake.

Well, what is the matter with you?

Why do you tremble so violently?

Would you like a drink of water?

No, mrs. Reed.

Is there anything else
you wish for, Jane?

I desire to be your friend.

You do not.

You told mr. Brocklehurst
I had a bad character.

I'll tell everybody what you are.

Jane, you do not understand
about these things.

Children must be
corrected for their faults!

Deceit is not my fault!

Oh, but you are passionate, Jane.

That you must allow.

Oh, return to your room, Jane.

There's a dear, and lie down a little.

I am not your dear.

Send me to school, mrs. Reed,

for I hate to live here.

Fred will take you to
where the coach stops

and wait with you.

I wish I could accompany you, miss,

but mrs. Reed don't allow it.

What did you expect?

You would not even bid her good-bye.

No.

That was wrong, miss Jane.

I was quite right, Bessie.

Oh, you sharp little thing.

You've got a new way of talking.

What makes you so venturesome?

I shall be away from you soon...

Oh, so you're glad to leave me.

You're not afraid of me, are you?

I don't think I shall ever
be afraid of you again.

Because I've got used to you.

And I will soon have another
set of people to dread.

If you dread them, they'll dislike you.

As you do, Bessie?

I don't dislike you, miss.

In fact I'm fonder of
you than all the others.

I dare say if I were to ask you for

a kiss you wouldn't give it to me.

I'll kiss you and welcome.

Bend your head down.

Off you go now.

Good-bye, dear Bessie.

And good-bye, Gateshead.

You may leave her in our hands.

There will be no softness.