Mansfield Park

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.

Oh dear! The BBC is not about to be knocked off its pedestal for absorbing period dramas by this one. I agree this novel of Jane Austens is the difficult to portray particularly to a modern audience, the heroine is hardly a Elizabeth Bennet, even Edmund is not calculated to cause female hearts to skip a beat. However I must say I was hoping for an improvement on the last and was sadly disappointed. The basic story was preserved, but the dialogue was so altered that all that was Jane Austen's tone, manner, feeling, wit, depth, was diluted if not lost. If some past adaptions may be seen as dated the weakness of this one must be that it is too modern ('his life is one long party'?????) The cast was generally adequate, but I think Billie Piper was the wrong choice, it needed someone more restrained, I gained no impression of hidden depths beneath a submissive exterior, she was more like a frolicking child. I see I must wait for the BBC to weave its magic once again.

This seems like a film made with Jane Austen kind of elements but doesn't relate at all to the 'Mansfield Park' novel that Jane Austen wrote. It has no idea what the novel is about and I think that if you are adapting a book for the screen that it should be at least faithful to the spirit of the book. And that certainly means not casting Billie Piper as Fanny Price. Whoever thought of that one deserves a raspberry. I'm sure I was laughing in the wrong places.

I watched it expecting it to get better but sank lower and lower in my seat. One of Austen's more profound novels had been turned into flavourless and unrewarding entertainment (if that is even the word). TV and film producers for ages have been underestimating the general audience and this Austen travesty is another slap in the face. It is a great shame that the quality of British television plummets year after year.

This is the worst adaptation of 'Mansfield Park' I have ever seen, even worse than the 1999 film version. I struggle to see how it could even be described as an 'adaptation', being only very (and I mean very) loosely based on Jane Austen's plot and characters. At best, this is 'inspired' by the story of 'Mansfield Park' and I'm sorry to say that it's barely recognisable to the original.

I like Billie Piper. I enjoyed her in 'Doctor Who' and do think she is an aspiring actress. However, I'm sorry to say that she is completely miscast as the lead in this, and when I first heard that she would be playing Fanny Price I thought it was a joke. What were the writers thinking? Billie is the polar opposite to her character, both in looks and sensibility. One reason why this novel is so difficult to adapt for a 21st century audience is that the character of the heroine is, by modern standards, incredibly dull. She's a product of the time in which she was written and is meant to be humble, pious, respectful and not in the least bit outspoken or inappropriate. Many modern adaptations feel the need to shake up the story and make Fanny Price more like Elizabeth Bennet which is exactly what they've done here. The writers have also completely disregarded issues of 18th century etiquette and fashion - Billie as Fanny runs around permanently bareheaded (which simply wouldn't have happened then, Fanny would have worn a bonnet in public) and with her hair all loose and flowing (which looks pretty but still wouldn't have happened in the 18th century - it would have been tied up and styled in some way).

But essentially it's the plot that I objected to - where was it? Nothing happened. Also, I'm guessing this must have been a budget adaptation as they could clearly only afford to buy one set. Every happened either in the sitting room or the garden. The ball that is thrown in Fanny's honour in the book is here transformed into a summer picnic on the lawn. In addition, a key event in the story involves Fanny going back to Portsmouth to visit her parents, something that makes her realise that perhaps life at Mansfield Park is not so bad in comparison with where she would have otherwise grown up, and that helps her to discover a sense of her own identity. In this adaptation, Fanny is simply left home alone at Mansfield while the rest of the family go off somewhere, which merely results in her feeling (shock horror) lonely and rejected – and viewers like me suspecting that the producers didn't have much money. What was the point of that? Bravo Blake Ritson. You were the best thing in this and were the only one who bared a passing resemblance to the character you were playing. Other than that, it looks pretty, Billie Piper puts in a spirited performance and it's not unlike 'Cinderella' in many ways. Kids and young teenagers would probably love it, but anyone aged about 15 and over, with even a slight acquaintance with Jane Austen's work would do well to avoid.

5/10.

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...