It should also be noted that there are some modern touches to this story that have upset Austen purists. One is the inclusion of actual letters written by Austen as monologues for Fanny (spoken to the camera) as she writes to her little sister. For such a genre that seems forever encased in it's Masterpiece Theater trappings, I can imagine how such tactics as breaking the fourth wall are taken by her fans. There is also an interesting filming technique where a camera glides and swoops onto characters only for them to freeze when the camera stops and Fanny fills us in on the characters. It's done with a finesse that does not bring the story to a jarring halt, but rather serves to move the film along quite smoothly.
The cast works well with the material. Frances O'Connor is completely charming as Fanny, and she easily entices the audience to share her thoughts as she negotiates the social circles that intersect at the estate. Trainspotting's Jonny Lee Miller is fine enough as the just-out-of-reach Edmund, but perhaps I'm being unfair when I half expect some James Bond trivia to spill out into his speech. Perhaps most memorable are the characters of Henry and Mary Crawford, portrayed by Alessandro Nivola and Embeth Davidtz. These visitors make quite a pair as they weave their way into the Bertram family and showcase their shrewdness for upward mobility.
Despite the modern spin, this is a well told tale with a charming lead performance. Like the Shakespeare devotees who cringe at modern adaptations, Austen fans who prefer their films straight up, no chaser will remain unsatisfied with this version. But the rest of us who are enthralled with the story itself will find much to appreciate and enjoy here.
Eight out of Ten
Article comments
1 - Rodney Welch
Nice review -- but the words "comfort food" make me puke in any context, especially when applied to the works of a genius.
2 - Amy P
I fear that Jane Austen's works cannot be characterized so easily. Only two (out of eight in her completed novels) Austen heroines-Marianne Dashwood and Emma Woodhouse-could possibly be described as headstrong, and Fanny Price is behind only Jane Bennet in being the least likely of the rest to fit that description. "Brooding but handsome male counterparts" only describes Mr. Darcy; indeed, several of her heroes are specifically described as not being handsome and several are described as charming and personable. The term "class distinctions" seems more appropriate than "class warfare", and while we do see a bit of this when Emma tries to elevate Harriet and more in Persuasion regarding British Naval officers, in every book except "Emma" the primary issue is money (or the lack thereof); in "Emma" the money issue is confined to a subplot. With the exception of Mr Bingley and possibly Captain Wentworth, every hero/heroine match is between gentlemen and gentlewomen-people of the same class.
As you have acknowledged, many Jane Austen fans loathe this adaptation. However, this is not because of filming techniques or anything so insignificant. (If it were, the most recent Persuasion would be despised also, which it certainly isn't!) It is because the movie is not true to the spirit of the book or even to important facets of people's characters. Fanny in particular is virtually unrecognizable, and as she is the protagonist this is no small matter. It was advertised as "the story Jane Austen loved best", which indeed "Mansfield Park" was. Unfortunately, that is not the story they filmed. If it had been billed as "a fresh look" or anything that would have warned us that it wasn't faithful to the book perhaps there wouldn't have been such a backlash. Maybe. ;) Frankly, Patricia Rozema only threw gasoline on the flames of discontent when she got nasty about Austen fans who didn't like the movie. She and Harvey Weinstein have both said that they don't like the book. One wonders why they wanted to film it and wishes that they had left it to someone who did like it.