Mansfield Park...

[fajrdrako]

In a world that loves Jane Austen novels, I'm a person who doesn't, much. Except Persuasion. Now, I know I read Mansfield Park once upon a time. What I remember of it is the names, and the lovely illustrations in the library edition I had, that reminded me of Kate Greenaway. Googling now... Yes, here they are, by Charles E. Brock:



So this evening maaseru and Ysolde were watching the 1999 movie version and I decided to watch them. I may not like Jane Austen stories much, but I do like period dramas. While watching, I found myself searching my memory for the events in the book. The names were the same. There were some familiar bits. But the excepts form Jane Austen's writing, the subplots about the slaves and publishing her book - I couldn't remember any of that. I am relived, looking at Wikipedia, that they say it's "loosely" based on the book and added scenes.

And as so often happens with Jane Austen's movies, it seemed an odd mix of 1806 authenticity and wild anachronisms. I thought Frances O'Connor was lovely as Fanny Price - she has a lovely smile. Because of this I liked her more than I'd liked Fanny Prince in the book, but she didn't seem really authentically Austenish to me because of that - she smiled so much. James Purfoy was a little wasted, no pun intended, since we rarely see him when he isn't unconscious or drunk.

And frankly, I liked Henry Crawford more than the stuffy Edmund Bertram, and I thought Fanny treated Henry badly.

It also began to bother me that the said her name so often, "Fanny Price" every few minutes through the whole movie.

Harold Pinter was cool as Sir Thomas Bertram. Why does he look so familiar to me?

Ah, well. I liked it more than I thought I would. Maybe I can call this my quota of Jane Austen until 2013?

Comments

Austen favourites and not

[jekni]

I must also admit that Persuasion is the JA I re=read most often. Followed by Emma, THEN Pride & Prejudice. I'm trying to get hold of the Ciaran Hinds version of Persuasion as that's my favourite. And I mostly like the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma because it has Jeremy Northam.

I can't stand Sense & Sensibility at all. Edward is such a drip and his mother is the biggest howling hypocrite. She disinherits Edward for merely becoming engaged to the girl her favourite actually marries but does nothing of the kind to him!

Re: Austen favourites and not

[fajrdrako]

I haven't seen the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma yet. I'm sure it will happen, since I hang out with Austen fans.

Seems to me that Austen novels are generally full of hypocrites, some of them treated kindly by the author, some not.

I have the Ciaran Hinds Persuasion.