5/5 Best overall adaptation of Bronte's novel
  by Amy Smith (New City, New York)
After having had the opportunity to view several adaptations of Jane Eyre, Sorcha Cusack captures the heart, mind, and the look of Bronte's groundbreaking characterization of Jane. After the exquisitely masterful acting of Cusack in this role, it will take some adjustment on my part to see her in other roles. To put it as plainly as I can, Sorcha was Jane Eyre. The overall casting was very good; Michael Jayston's Rochester was very true to Charlotte's Bronte's vision of a deeply wounded misguided man searching for true meaning and fulfillment in a very Class conscious, frivolous society. It was refreshing to see Stephanie Beacham as a young woman who was the very female prototype of that priviledged, claustrophobic, and very clueless world that shunned people such as Jane. For literature purists, this Jane Eyre is a must-see!

5/5 Wish I could give it 10 stars. One of the best book adaptations ever put on film
  by Rosamond1 (Tidewater, MD USA)
It took over 20 years for this adaptation to be released for home viewing and what a gift to the viewing public it is. I first saw this version on PBS in the early 1980s. (I actually bought my very first VHS machine so I could record it!) One of my recorded tapes became corrupted over the years and I've been searching high and low for a viewable copy of this made-for-TV masterpiece for at least a decade. To finally have it available is, for me, a dream come true.

What makes this version so superior to the many versions of this story that have been produced before and since? Two things: the script, which is scrupulously true to the novel in every detail and which uses Bronte's beautiful dialogue straight from the book, and the inspired, magical performances of Sorcha Cusack as Jane and Michael Jayston as Rochester.

Yes, it's a clunky 1970s era, BBC production with sets and costumes that look a bit cheesy and the videotape filming medium is far from ideal, but these are minor quibbles. I've watched every version of Jane Eyre since the Orson Welles/Joan Fontaine movie from the 1940s and none of them come close to capturing the true meaning of the story like this one does.

If you love Jane Eyre you owe it to yourself to buy/rent/borrow this version and get ready for 4.5 hours of magic!

5/5 EXCEPTIONAL ADAPTATION
  by Linda (Chagrin Falls, OH)
Okay...Everybody knows the story so no purpose reiterating it. As far as this adaptation goes...very simple...you take two extremely talented actors (Michael Jayston and Sorcha Cusack) and a fine script (very close to the book) and it = A classic first rate mini-series. This mini-series was far superior to the 1983 version. In the 1983 version (didn't like it), the actress who played Jane was horrible...underplayed the part...and no chemistry between the lead actors. In this version, there was character development and chemistry between Jane and Rochester. Compared to the book, there were some updated changes made in the script which were refreshing and appropriate. This is a "must have" DVD for Jane Eyre fans.

5/5 Best Rochester portrayal
  by HP Indru
After seeing a notable number of Jane Eyre adaptations, I have just found that the '73 adaptation is the best among all: it has the advantage of a good length which allows the perfect character development, it has a fire-spirited Jane and a bewitching Rochester (both very true to the book's characters), it has a sparkling interaction between the main two characters, and its script has some well-chosen small deviations from the book, which only make the story more credible (e.g., see the gypsy scene).
I personally found it much better than the '83 miniseries.
Simply put: a gem, a real gem!

5/5 first skeptical but now a believer
  by J. kingman (new england)
i must admit at first i was not convinced that this adaptation would find its way into my heart.

please forgive me for using this analogy, but i would like to compare this adaptation to an old rickety wooden roller coaster. it starts off slowly. you chuckle to yourself that this is no 'real' roller coaster. you roll your eyes at the imperfections of the track, contemplate that it is outdated and lame, that there will certainly be no thrills, and you wonder why you're wasting your time. then, slowly, as you near the end of part two, you feel the beginnings of that steady pull that grows stronger and stronger and you realize your knuckles are getting white as you hang on for dear life! wow!!

the child actors are fine, but as i said, towards the end of part 2 is when it really starts cooking. when she saves mr rochester from the fiery bed, there are more than burning curtains that are sending off sparks. sure, its subtle - after all this is a story from the 19th century, but if you're a hopeless romantic like me, you can feel the respect and love blossoming between jane and rochester. the chase is on.

i own the 1983 dalton/clarke version, which i enjoy despite its faults (i commend dalton's performance especially). i own the 1997 hinds/morton version, which though terribly condensed, features two excellent actors and has its enjoyable moments. i have seen the hurt/gainsburgh one as well, which is quite lavish in comparison to all these others, but passes the palate much too quickly for a serious jane eyre-lover to savor.

that being said, i believe that this 1973 version has the most going for it. it includes the most detail and conversation from the book, it is of excellent length. jayston is a superb rochester. he is truly magnetic. his voice is wonderful (i can see why he has done so much narrating for audio books). cusack - after i got past her initially annoying coy expressions, often-raised eyebrows and the fact that there is no way she could pass for an 18 yr old, (and yes her inner monologue was feeling a bit silly early on), i became more impressed with her as the movie progressed. indeed i think she was a great jane eyre. (fyi, samantha morton is my personal favorite.)

i feel this is the best jane eyre in movie form now available to us and well worth the purchase.