Mansfield Park

As a devoted Austen fan, I find this film highly offensive. I have read many of Jane Austen's novels, Mansfield Park being one of them. I enjoyed the depth and character development. However, these elements were annihilated in this "adaptation"- if it even deserves that title. They allow no time to get to know Fanny, and her struggles and feelings. Edmund is not given HALF his moral credit, and his feelings for Miss Crawford are prematurely introduced. On another note, Lady Bertram is far too shrewd. There is never a relationship between her and Fanny, as is portrayed in the book.

Overall, I was greatly disappointed. I realize that not every detail can be incorporated, but I expect key plot points and character aspects to be involved. Do not waste your time on this film, unless you enjoy low quality period dramas.

I hope in the future, that a more worthy production of Mansfield may be created for the enjoyment of TRUE Janeites.

Why bother, ITV? Admittedly, Mansfield Park is the most difficult of the novels to "get," and Fanny is certainly the hardest to like, but... If one is going to take it on, then have the courage to risk being true to the book and its rather complicated spirit. And for heaven's sake, have the guts to cast Fanny as she was written: A prissy, good-hearted, sweetish, whiner! Mrs. Norris wasn't nearly as awful as she should have been. And what the heck happened to Portsmouth? The contrast between Fanny's rather dubious family and family home and the splendors of Mansfield is key to, well, so many aspects of Fanny's refusal of Henry, her uncle's rejection, Henry's near transformation to a good person, etc., etc. Again, given the complexity and challenges of the novel, why did they bother? It's beyond me...

Well, this latest version of Mansfield Park seemed to try and take the edginess of the 1999 theatrical version (outright copied some of the ideas from it in fact), but tone things down a bit to bring it more in line with the original story. Unfortunately, the result is a rather lackluster, and schizophrenic, production. And, as with all the other versions of Mansfield Park out there, the character of Fanny Price is no where to be found. Instead there is a strangely child-like, bleached-blond woman running around who never really fully develops as a character. At least in the 1999 movie the character they call "Fanny Price" is firmly established as rebellious tomboy who is too clever for her own good. This "Fanny Price" is a complete enigma. Someday, I would really like to see a dramatization of Mansfield Park that actually includes a depiction of the character of Fanny as she was written by Jane Austen. A sweet, kind, compassionate girl with a timid personality and frail constitution. She is reserved in manner and painfully honest, but also strong in her convictions, unfailingly loyal, extremely intelligent, and remarkably astute. A bit of a late bloomer, it is not until her eighteenth year that she finally begins to make the transition from awkward adolescent to self-possessed young woman. And she wants nothing more in life than to be of some real use to those she loves most. It's a wonderfully complex character that I look forward to one day seeing faithfully portrayed.

This television film was first broadcast by ITV1 on Sunday 18th March 2007. It was the first episode of a four part Jane Austen season. Although the television drama was given 2 hours in the ITV schedules, when the time for commercial breaks has been deducted, the film has a total running time of 93 minutes. This is the main problem with this dramatisation. The novel, which in my Penguin Classics edition runs to 457 pages, is simply too long and complex to be covered adequately in such a short period of time. Consequently, a number of very important sequences in the novel, such as the visit to Sotherton, and Fanny's stay at her parents' house in Portsmouth, are omitted from this adaptation. Similarly some of the novel's characters such as Dr and Mrs Grant are conspicuous by their absence. Furthermore, Billie Piper is completely miscast in the role of Fanny Price, a character described in the book as shy and timid. The supporting cast includes reliable actors like Douglas Hodge as Sir Thomas Bertram and Jemma Regrave as Lady Bertram, but their parts are so underwritten that they get little chance to shine. On a positive note, though, this dramatisation does feature some attractive location photography of Newby Hall in North Yorkshire.

Was this sponsored by Wash and go? Was the hair stylist on strike? What a mess! Would well-bred young ladies of those days be seen in public with hair like Billie Piper's? Casting Ms Piper was a big, big, big error. She is undeniably attractive to look at, but, after Dr Who, the natural place for her was EastEnders, not in a Jane Austen adaptation. Her looks and demeanour are completely out of place.

The ITV website shows the makers of the film saying (this is the gist) that Fanny Price is a boring character, but that they fixed that by bringing in Billie Piper. If they had so little sympathy or understanding for Jane Austen's original work, why did they bother adapting it? (Were these the same people who gave us 'Marple'? The same blinkered, tied-to-the-zeitgeist mentality was at work there too).

This version is rather boring. It also seems to be a very low-budget one, bound to the one setting. The so-called picnic (a few people standing around on the lawn of the house) is an unbelievably feeble scene.

But it is at least vastly better than the 1999 version.