Austen on Film
January 28, 2008
Did everyone watch Mansfield Park last night? I’m undecided on my feelings. I think I need to watch it again.
If you ever need to see how many movie versions of the books there are the Jane Austen Society of North America has all of that on their website. You just click on the book title and there are all the movie versions. http://jasna.org/film/index.html
What are your feelings on Northanger Abbey? It’s only been made into a movie one other time. I wish they had all been mini-series. I liked Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park but I think they need to be longer to get the whole story. I would also love to see Persuasion done as a mini-series. One of my problems with the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is I don’t think you get a sense of how much time passes. I think it’s easier to accomplish when it’s a mini-series.
If only they could all have been miniseries!
Putting that aside, last night’s bouncy, cheery Fanny Price had nothing in common with the original- but since Fanny is usually seen as the least likeable Austen heroine, that’s only a loss to purists. What I do mind is the mild Mrs. Norris and the loss of the Portsmouth scenes.
The latest “Northanger Abbey,” on the other hand, was perfectly acceptable. I wanted a sweetheart of a Henry Tilney, and that’s what we got, and script didn’t deviate too far from the novel. Future Austen adapters could take a hint from this one.
I watched the marathon on Sunday. I thought Persuasion was the best, followed closely by NA. I don’t know what was up with MP, but that was the worst casting of Fannie I’ve ever seen. She looked like she was pulled directly from an ’80s John Hughes movie and put into an empire waist dress.