MovieChat Forums > Jane Eyre (1996) Discussion > 'Most Beautiful Woman in the County'?

'Most Beautiful Woman in the County'?

posted 12 years ago by Mandyjam
3 replies | jump to latest

Miss Ingram is described as "the most beautiful woman in the county".

....and they got a long lanky, suntanned Australian with bony shoulders, thin arms and a huge smile to play her!

People were so in love with Elle MacPherson that they didn't see the limitations of her VERY 1990s style of beauty.

She was horribly miscast. No-one at that period of time would have considered Elle a "great beauty". She was much too tall, much too broad-shouldered, and had much too big a mouth and smile. She would not have even been considered "pretty" let alone "beautiful". She sticks out among all the more English looking women as an anachronism.

Kate Winslett is much more the sort of young woman who would have been considered a beauty.

"great minds think differently"

[–] supergran 12 years ago

Don't forget that Blanche is described as being very tall, with dark olive skin, large black eyes and black hair - not very English looking, I'm sure you'll agree. In fact, not unlike Bertha.

I don't think it's particularly important that the actress playing Blanche should resemble the book's description, as long as she is what a modern audience would regard as visually beautiful - and the antithesis of Jane. I know beauty is subjective, but I can't imagine many people thinking that MacPherson was not beautiful.

- What kind of sycophant are you?
- What kind of sycophant would you like me to be?

[–] cleftheart101 11 years ago

It's been years since I've seen this movie and I've forgotten Elle McPherson was in this movie.

- - -
War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

[–] cinesylph 11 years ago

The casting of MacPherson as Blanche is one of my criticisms of this version of JE. I do prefer period-appropriate casting, and I agree that MacPherson doesn't fit that, but that's not even my real issue. I just don't think she conveyed the essential haughtiness and condescending elegance of the character; she's way too "sun-shiny"! I really don't understand why Blanche has so often been portrayed with blonde ringlets bobbing everywhere. I haven't seen all the versions, but, even though we do occasionally get a dark-haired Blanche, I have yet to see anyone remotely "olive-skinned" playing her. I actually don't think it's necessary for the actors to so specifically match the book's descriptions, I've just noticed the propensity for blonde Blanches, which I do think is a reflection of today's perceptions.