Mansfield Park (1999)

Director:

Patricia Rozema

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel)
Patricia Rozema (written by)

Release Date:

19 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Jane Austen's Wicked Comedy

Plot:

At 10, Fanny Price, a poor relation, goes to live at Mansfield Park, the estate of her aunt's husband...

Plot Keywords:

Slavery | Estate | Writer | Neighbor | Family Relationships

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Hannah Taylor-Gordon	...	Young Fanny (as Hannah Taylor Gordon)
Talya Gordon	...	Young Susan
Lindsay Duncan	...	Mrs. Price / Lady Bertram
Bruce Byron	...	Carriage Driver
James Purefoy	...	Tom Bertram
Sheila Gish	...	Mrs. Norris
Harold Pinter	...	Sir Thomas Bertram
Elizabeth Eaton	...	Young Maria
Elizabeth Earl	...	Young Julia
Philip Sarson	...	Young Edmond
Amelia Warner	...	Teenage Fanny
Frances O'Connor	...	Fanny Price
Jonny Lee Miller	...	Edmund Bertram
Victoria Hamilton	...	Maria Bertram
Hugh Bonneville	...	Mr. Rushworth

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | Australia:M | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Charlestown, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Trivia:

The various stories Fanny Price writes are actually Jane Austen's Juvenilia, written when she was a teenager.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The harp that Mary Crawford is playing is a double action harp. The double action harp was not invented until 1810, while the movie took place in 1806.

Quotes:

Fanny Price: Maria was married on Saturday. In all important preparations of mind she was complete, being prepared for matrimony by a hatred of home, by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry. The bride was elegantly dressed and the two bridesmaids were duly inferior. Her mother stood with salts, expecting to be agitated, and her aunt tried to cry. Marriage is indeed a maneuvering business.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Soundtrack:

Djongna (Slavery)

An astonishing adaptation

I think this film illustrates the potential Austen's work offers to future filmmakers. While following the overall outlines of Austen's book, it departs in a number of astonishing but very effective ways. In many ways I find it the most satisfying Austen adaptation I've seen.

Modern eyes find the traditional Fanny Price to be too much of a, well, a "wuss". She shows a steely resolve that anyone would envy when faced with a serious moral choice, but most of the time she's portrayed as timid and resigned to being trampled upon. Her moments of joy and excitement pass quietly. Such a character isn't especially appealing to today's moviegoers, and it's hard to make such a character engaging.

Instead of giving us the traditional Fanny, Patrician Rozema (the director/screenwriter) has built a character with parts of Fanny and parts of Jane Austen herself. This Fanny will sit in her room during free hours and write stories home to her sister or write her "History of England" for her own (and her cousin Edmond's) amusement. She races down stairs, expresses her thoughtful but unorthodox opinions, rides in the rain, and does all sorts of other non-timid things. But her vivacity is squelched by Aunt Norris who constantly ensures that Fanny not forget her (low) status in the household.

Another important departure is the opportunity we're given to finally look behind the curtains that hide the inconvenient piles of dirt. While Austen didn't always sidestep messy things, most Austen filmmakere have. But in "Mansfield Park" examples abound of plain old shabbiness. Mansfield Part is a huge pile of masonry (seems almost a palace to naive American eyes) but it's partially a ruin and it's frugally decorated, especially when compared to similar homes in Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility". Austen indicates that Lady Bertram suffers from poor health, but the film portrays an illness fueled by regular doses of narcotic medicines. Sir Thomas' problems at his New World plantation seem to be tied to his use of slave labor (with an ironic resolution at the end).

As with the other '90s Austen revival works, this one shows much improved production values over the '80s BBC miniseries -- better use of musical scoring, more physical action by actors, and better use of locations and scenery.