Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre was published in 1847, and has captivated audiences ever since.

Though no single adaptation has yet matched the novel for its language and atmosphere, there have been several worthwhile attempts. Most famous, and still best, is the 1944 Hollywood movie featuring Joan Fontaine as Jane and Orson Welles as Rochester - a film which is also famous today as introducing, in a significant and tragic vignette, the then child-star Elizabeth Taylor.

This long (312 minutes, not the 330 minutes stated on the case) version was produced by the BBC in 1983.

Most reviews I've read of it criticise it for its slow pace and essential dullness.

However, the slow pace is commensurate with this adaptation's attempt to convey the complete feel and events of the original nove. And I found it not dull at all -- in fact, its two stars, Zelah Clarke as Jane and Timothy Dalton as Rochester, are most persuasive in their roles.

I don't think the quiet tortured desperation of Jane Eyre at the most critical time of her young life has been dealt with so well on film - nor has there been such a wonderfully literate adaptation, so true to the original text.

The Hollywood version is superior as pure cinema, without a doubt. But for an adaptation which stresses faithfulness to the text, go for this one.

It's interesting, as you watch this, how often your mind keeps going towards another cinema classic, Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. It's clear that Jane Eyre was a major influence on Rebecca's author, Daphne du Maurier -- the characters of Rochester and Maximilian De Winter, and the fate of the two grand houses, Rochester Hall and Manderlay, are just two of the parallels. Watching this Jane Eyre provides good reason for another viewing of Rebecca -- and that film can never be seen too often.

This is most probably a decent enough transfer, though it's impossible to be certain since the source-material stinks.

It has a soft image quality verging on marshmallow. Colours are bleached, almost to the point of becoming virtual black-and-white with a few subdued colour tints. There are some occasional scenes where the colour becomes tolerably decent -- just enough to remind you of how bad the overall presentation is.

The sound is decent enough, with clear dialogue. Pity the execrable theme music wasn't eradicated though. There are no extras of any kind.