If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. It's free and a great way to keep up to date. Thanks for visiting!

The Masterpiece Theater version of Mansfield Park is my first foray at watching this particular novel come to life. True Austen purists will find the film a disappointment. Too many characters are left out and several are given so little back story that newbies to Mansfield Park will be a bit confused at the beginning. But I honestly enjoyed it despite its flaws.

Quick Story Overview:

Fanny at the tender age of ten was sent to live with her aunt and uncle, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. She soon ran across four cousins, two male and two female. Life eight years down the road depict them to be thus: Tom is the eldest son, but he parties and gets drunk in excess; Edmund is the second son who is destined for life as a clergyman; Maria is engaged to be married to Rushworth; and Julia is the youngest daughter. The story starts when Sir Thomas leaves freeing the occupants of Mansfield Park from his tyranny.

The actors and actresses were engaging and you even like the slimy characters. There is no trouble at all in locating the Mr. Wickham in this novel/movie. It’s plain as the nose on your face. Henry Crawford and his sister Mary are both trouble at a glance. Henry is told to focus on Julia, but his attentions turn inevitably to the more beautiful Maria. Can we say scandal in the making? Why yes, we surely can. Mary is disappointed to learn that Tom is not at home and has in fact run off to London, where she can’t follow because her father has installed his Mistress into their home. Instead she focuses on Edmund, much to Fanny’s displeasure.

I found Edmund, the hero, to be wonderfully cast with Blake Ritson. Very Byronic hero. He was handsome, of good character, a little blind to what was going on around him perhaps but eager to throw off his unfortunate decision to love Mary Crawford and start anew with what was right under his nose the whole time. His epiphany scene is really quite phenomenal and will surely make your heart leap out of your chest. For no other reason, you should rent the movie to see that scene.

Fanny, played by Billie Piper, is the heroine and she is lively with a wonderful smile. At some points you think she’s holding an orange peel over her teeth when her mouth is closed. Is this something that the British do? I noticed this in BBC’s Persuasion that characters held their mouths funny. Her dark eyebrows and blond hair is a bit of a distraction too. She wears her hair down for the movie so if this Regency inaccuracy is going to bug you, you are now forewarned. Over all I found that Billie played her part quite well.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-10-11 09:38:28. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Get into Bed with Robin Kaye (Author Q&A) Hi Robin and welcome back! I’m so excited to talk to you again. As with before, you’ve wowed me. I am really enjoying your Domestic Gods series. Loved Mike Flynn, who doesn’t? He cooks, cleans, and diagnoses! Robin: Thanks for...
• Movie Review: My Life in Ruins starring Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, and Alexis Georgoulis Wow, another movie that was totally trashed by reviewers is yet another one I really enjoyed watching. I think My Life in Ruins is a smash. It uses stereotypes to make everything appear awful at first and then slowly unravels...
• Review: Let Sleeping Rogues Lie by Sabrina Jeffries Let Sleeping Rogues Lie is as scintillating as the title sounds rolling off the lips. Sabrina Jeffries weaves a tale of deception, half-truths, and omission. Sordid pasts litter throughout the story, many alongside the main characters, and a few directly...
• Movie Review: Outsourced starring Ayesha Dharker and Josh Hamilton I saw this movie 3 times within 3 days and enjoyed it every time. Todd Anderson is the vice president of customer relations and order fulfillment for a company that sells over the phone patriotic kitsch. Within five minutes of...
• 4 Tips for Writing Sex Scenes, pt 2 This is the sequel to part one. We will discuss two more tips to help with creating a smashing sex scene. It doesn't end here though. There are hundreds of tips for writing sex, and writing for that matter. If...

Related Websites

• Premonition, the new Sandra Bullock movie (college girl's spoilers) How do you stop looking for the answers to spiritual questions such as: How did I get here? Not just in terms of molecules and genes, but in terms of how did I get into this moment? What does this...
• Review: The Blogging Blueprint by Glen Allsopp @PluginId Plugin ID is one of the most heavily trafficked personal development sites on the web and for several reasons: The content is excellent Glen offers tips on more than just personal development Glen Allsopp has an interesting story The list...
• Sunday Money Madness Welcome to a new edition of Sunday Money Madness where another portion of the financial blogosphere is illuminated. I found these stories to be worth while and interesting and they should make great weekend reading if you haven't read them...
• John Wayne Movies Memorabilia -> Movie Memorabilia John Wayne movies have been a favorite of movie buffs, Western fans and those who like “tough guys” in their films, for many years. Though John Wayne has been gone for almost 30 years, his presence...
• Looney Tunes Cartoons Memorabilia -> Entertainment-Memorabilia -> Movie-Memorabilia While many of us recognize Looney Tunes cartoons from their run on television, they actually ran in movie theaters for 39 years, from 1930 to 1969. They were Warner Bros.'s first theatrical animated series. The...

Online Stores

• Mary Kay Face Powder Makeup Store
• Mary Kay Sets Kits Makeup Store
• Mary Kay Mascara Makeup Store
• Mary Kay Men Discount Fragrances Store
• Mary Kay Lipstick Makeup Store

Categories:

3.5 Stars, England, Jane Austen, Movie Reviews, Regency

Tags:

austen purists, bbc, billie piper, blake ritson, byronic hero, fanny, henry crawford, lady bertram, mansfield park, mary crawford, masterpiece theater, persuasion, phenomenal, Regency, rushworth, sir thomas, wickham