CIVIC THEATRE

Chronicle (Levin), 18 March 1946, Page 2

CIVIC THEATRE

FINALLY TO-NIGHT The greatest love storv of ' all time comes to the screen of the Civic Theatre to-night, £tnd it is to be reported at once i that; "Jane Eyre," amazingly popular as it has been with millions of readers, is destined to far surpass that success as a motion picture. Since Charlotte Bronte's celebrated romance was first published, it has appeared in dozens of editions and has been a continuous best-seller. Now, on the screen, it attains new stature and greatness and is a proud newcomer to the long list of cinematic achievments of 20th Century-Fox. In the leading roles of Edward Rochester and Jane — roles. it seems, that they werfe destined to play — are two of the screen's outstanding stars, Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine. Despite the acclaim that

has greeted previous performances of ' these players, in "Jane Eyre" each reaches a milestone in their brilliant careers. "Jane Eyre" has been described as "a love story every woman would die a thousand deaths to live." A girl with no home, no family, who has known only the cruelty of women and the bestiality of men, Jane's path crosses that of a man whose passion-tossed life has been spent searching for one woman he could love with all the depths of his soui. Sweeping relentlessly through the v/hole range of human emotions, the romance of Jane and Edward Rochester reaches a climax — and then a grim secret of his past tears Jane from his arms.