Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)

***Tragedy, love, hate and madness in 19th century Jamaica***

A young woman (Karina Lombard) marries an Englishman (Nathaniel Parker) in mid-1800s’ Jamaica to save her plantation. Rachel Ward plays her mother, Michael York her stepfather and Martine Beswick her aunt, all three being small roles.

"Wide Sargasso Sea” (1993) is an adult-oriented historical drama that’s a quasi-prequel to “Jane Eyre.” I say “quasi” because the 1966 novel the movie was based on was written by Jean Rhys 119 years after the release of Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” in 1847. In other words, “Wide Sargasso Sea” is Rhys’ proposed prequel of that famous story, not the official one.

The movie works better if you are familiar with “Jane Eyre,” but it’s not absolutely necessary. Naturally, “Wide Sargasso Sea” gives you a better understanding of what’s happening in “Jane Eyre,” which has been made into several movies, e.g. the 1970 version with George C. Scott & Susannah York, which is the only version I’ve seen.

The best thing about this movie is the setting, cast and style. It successfully takes you back in time to Jamaica circa early 1850s. The two protagonists are thoroughly convincing, as are Claudia Robinson as Antoinette’s nurse, an obeah (voodoo) witch, and Rowena King as Amelie, an island girl who thinks she’s hotter than she is. Really, the whole cast rises to the challenge.

There’s a revolt by ex-slaves in the first act that’s both realistic and harrowing. The story gets brighter with Antoinette & Edward’s honeymoon, but takes a dark turn in the second half. I didn’t feel there was enough cause to justify Edward’s metamorphosis. The filmmakers’ should’ve made this clearer. There’s a measure of ugliness with the last half being downbeat. If you can handle that, it’s worth checking out. It basically mixes Brando’s “Burn!” (1969) with “The Piano” (1993) and “Sirens” (1994), the latter two debuting within a year after this one.

The film runs 1 hour and 38 minutes and was shot in Jamaica with a small bit in England.

GRADE: B-