Here’s my short take on Mansfield Park. I liked it. Liked it much better than Persuasion, but not as much as Northanger Abbey. I didn’t especially care for Billie Piper as Fanny Price. As David said, she just looked too contemporary in the part and didn’t seem to visually fit into the story. I think if a different actress had played Fanny I might have liked it better. It is interesting that I like the stories of Mansfield Park and Persuasion better than Northanger Abbey, but in these productions I vastly preferred Felicity Jones at Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey to the other leading ladies.
A very insightful bit from the story is when it is revealed that Maria has left her husband and run off with Henry Crawford. The father mentions that he desired to raise his girls to be good and instead they only turned out to be good mannered. As a Christian, I think about how I desire for Caroline to be holy and godly as she grows up into a young lady. How sad it would be if she only grew up to be good and well-mannered.
So what did everyone else think? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts!
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It was ok. It wasn’t one of my favorites at all. I thought Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were much better. I really didn’t like the look of the main character. I thought her blonde hair and dark brown brows really clashed. She was pretty though.
My favorite part of the whole movie was when he realized that he loved her. I just thought they captured that moment really well.
Other than that, it was just ok.
It was ok. Much better than Persuasion, IMHO. Not as good as Northanger Abbey. I agree with Dave – Piper wasn’t their best choice. And her hair! In the book it talks about her hair constantly falling down, and to me it means that her hair is up (as most women of that age, one never wears their hair down in public) in a bun or something, and stray strands keep falling. And I did not like Edmond at all. I think I’m getting to the point that previous versions were excellent, and modern versions are not paying attention to the mores of the era – but rather, putting a modern slant on things. Just me.
Mary Crawford wasn’t as contriving as in the book….but again, I’m sure they were moderinizing (is that a word?) it.
I agree with Jo Anne! I did not like her hair being down. She looked like such a ragamuffin. There were two times when Edmond was in her bedroom. I don’t think that would have happened. I haven’t read this book but was she always running around like in the show? I can’t picture a girl who has been brought up to be a lady always running everywhere. And, lastly, why were the girls dresses so low cut?
All that to say, I liked it best of three aired so far but they have been disappointing to me. 🙁
The choice of actress was interesting. Her blonde hair with the dark eyebrows bothered me. It was so out of place.
I liked this movie much better than Persuasion, and about the same as Northanger Abby. Oh, and the low cut dresses? Wow, Fanny was popping out everywhere!
I just wish they would not “modernize” them as they do. Also, I love the books so much and I don’t mind the storylines changed a bit to fit into a certain time period, but I do wish they would have at least made them two full hours instead of just one and a half. Oh, I know they are timed to fit in with the commercials in the UK, but still….. 🙂
I was tired of all the running again in this film. I often got the characters of Tom and Henry mixed up, because they were so similarlily dressed, including the hairstyles.
I agree-the dark brows and blonde hair-huh? Fanny’s hair down all the time-huh?
Not as good as Abbey. Not as confusing as Persuasion.
I too liked the line of “I wanted my daughters to be good, but they only have good manners.”
I wonder what the movie will be like this week with Miss Austen regrets.
I missed this one. I’m going to have to try to watch it online. The only one I’ve actually caught is Northanger Abbey, and I liked it.
Actually, Regency clothing was notoriously scandelous. Young women would actually spritz down their skirts with water so that their legs would show. And the cleavage? Whoo doggies. Let’s just say rouge was NOT invented to go on the cheeks, but rather to highlight any, er, pink parts that might be peaking out from the low necklines. They might have a thin piece of lace for day wear, but honestly, we’d be shocked at how much skin those girls managed to show.
That having been said, I really didn’t like this version. I hated the way they compressed the storyline, and they made Fanny completely disappear! We get no insight whatsoever into her thoughts. For example, this version implied that her decision not to marry Crawford was motivated by her love for Edmond: in the book, he’s already engaged to Miss Crawford, and Fanny is, instead, the only person who sees Crawford for the rake that he is.
I’m actually one of the few people who LOVED the version they did a few years back. A lot of people objected to the “Additions” to the story: really, they were not additions at all. Austen is a master of hinting subtly at some incredibly dark things, in a manner in which the modern reader may well not pick up on. The Bertram’s money is, after all, coming from the slave trade, and in the book (as in the movie) Fanny makes bold as to challenge him on it (to an extent); Miss Crawford suggests at one point in the book that her guardian’s philandering does NOT involve other women, etc. It’s a challenging little book. If anything, they took its teeth out here.
http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/rd/rd5.html
Check this out, for instance. Beautiful, beautiful dress, but one I’d be uncomfortable wearing!
I agree. I liked Northanger Abbey the best. Mansfield Park was my second favorite because I was pretty disappointed in Persuasion.
I really didn’t like how they characterized Fanny. I don’t think it did justice to the book. And why did she prance around like a child, running everywhere she went? I’m looking forward to this week’s depiction.
I missed this one~fell asleep right as the first scene began even, so it watched me! ACK! Must’ve been bushed…. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
I missed this one~fell asleep right as the first scene began even, so it watched me! ACK! Must’ve been bushed…. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
I missed this one~fell asleep right as the first scene began even, so it watched me! ACK! Must’ve been bushed…. (((((HUGS))))) sandi