Oh goody, another version of Jane Eyre to go with the 432 other filmed versions, 100 weight of musicals, ballets and one in plasticine (possible lie). Where for Pride and Prejudice he filled the fairly large shoes of Carl Davis who did superb work on the 90's BBC version, Dario Marianelli is stepping into the epic galoshes of John Williams and Bernard Herrmann. Oh, and Roy Webb who scored the 1943 zombie version (not a lie).
I must admit that, lovely though his effort is, Marianelli's Jane Eyre is a bit, erm, dull. It's beautiful and delicate. It's exactly what you'd expect. But it isn't anything else. That's not necessarily a bad thing; even fulfilled expectations can be excellent. Marianelli seems to be in danger of doing a bit of a Desplat and remaining a consummate craftsman, but becoming rather samey. I'd be hard pressed to pick his Jane Eyre out of a lineup (especially if one of the suspects was his Pride and Prejudice up against the wall).
I know it's bad to benchmark too much, but both Herrmann and Williams filled their Eyres with drama and passion. Marianelli's is about as passionate as a Belgian taxi driver (I'm going to get letters), seemingly trying to never make too much of an impact. Of course it couldn't be scored in grand, melodramatic style given modern film making sensibilities, but it's wetter than Mr Darcy striding out of a lake. Sorry, wrong story. I have no doubt that it's gorgeous and apt in the film, but on disc you'd be hard pressed to notice it's there half the time. Undeniably gorgeous, but in need of a hearty dose of passion and drama.
