"Mansfield Park" (1983) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Horse Riding | Dancing | Romantic Rivalry | Dog | Marriage Proposal

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert Burbage	...	Henry Crawford (6 episodes, 1983)
Susan Edmonstone	...	Mrs. Grant (6 episodes, 1983)
Nicholas Farrell	...	Edmund Bertram (6 episodes, 1983)
Gorden Kaye	...	Dr. Grant (6 episodes, 1983)
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Fanny Price (6 episodes, 1983)
Anna Massey	...	Aunt Norris (6 episodes, 1983)
Neville Phillips	...	Baddely (6 episodes, 1983)
Angela Pleasence	...	Lady Bertram (6 episodes, 1983)
Jackie Smith-Wood	...	Mary Crawford (6 episodes, 1983)
Snuff	...	Pug (6 episodes, 1983)
Samantha Bond	...	Maria Bertram / ... (5 episodes, 1983)
Liz Crowther	...	Julia Bertram (5 episodes, 1983)
Bernard Hepton	...	Sir Thomas Bertram (5 episodes, 1983)
Jonathan Stephens	...	Mr. Rushworth (5 episodes, 1983)
Christopher Villiers	...	Tom Bertram (5 episodes, 1983)
Gillian Martell	...	Mrs. Rushworth (3 episodes, 1983)

Also Known As:

BBC Classic Serial Mansfield Park (UK) (long title)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Finland:K-3

Filming Locations:

Brympton d'Evercy, Yeovil, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The mauve striped day dress worn by Anna Massey (Mrs. Norris) is the same costume worn by Samantha Bond (Mrs. Weston) walking with Emma in Emma (1996) (TV), by one of Miss Crawley's maids at Park Lane in the street in "Vanity Fair" (1998), and by Pauline Stone (Mrs. Martin) to Harriet's wedding in "Emma" (2009).

Movie Connections:

Version of Mansfield Park (1999)

Soundtrack:

I Sing Of A Maiden

Better...

It's true that this version is a bit long and should only be attempted by real aficionados of Austen's work. I prefer it to the 1999 version, but someone looking to be entertained for an afternoon ought to look elsewhere. I didn't mind the actress who played Fanny as much as everybody else seems to. I won't praise her acting, but found it not much worse than anyone else's. She looked the part so much more than Frances O'Connor and played it with the necessary timidity that the other actress completely ignored. Edmund, I thought, looked all wrong for the part. I suppose this is a debatable point, but I felt his features were too old and his expressions too severe. Edmund was meant to be serious but warm. It is a subtlety that I felt, unfortunately, neither he nor the 1999 actor got right. The worst choice was Henry Crawford. His portrayal was so off and confusing that I found it hard to focus on the rest of the film. The actor played Crawford so flamboyantly that it is hard to imagine he made so many girls fall in love with him. Those are all of my real complaints; otherwise I found it an enjoyable, faithful adaptation of a wonderful book.