Northanger Abbey (2007) (TV)

Director:

Jon Jones

Writers:

Andrew Davies (screenplay) and
Jane Austen (novel)

Release Date:

20 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

When Catherine Morland is given the opportunity to stay with the childless Allen family in Bath, she...

Plot Keywords:

Abbey | Love | England | Georgian | Travel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Geraldine James	...	Jane Austen (voice)
Felicity Jones	...	Catherine Morland
JJ Feild	...	Henry Tilney (as J J Feild)
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Mrs. Allen
Desmond Barrit	...	Mr. Allen
Carey Mulligan	...	Isabella Thorpe
Hugh O'Conor	...	James Morland (as Hugh O'Connor)
Catherine Walker	...	Eleanor Tilney
Liam Cunningham	...	General Tilney
Bernadette McKenna	...	Mrs. Thorpe
William Beck	...	John Thorpe
Mark Dymond	...	Captain Frederick Tilney
Julia Dearden	...	Mrs. Morland
Gerry O'Brien	...	Mr. Morland
Liam McMahon	...	Sedley

Runtime:

Finland:93 min (excluding commercials) | 120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardbraccan House, County Meath, Ireland

Company:

Granada Television

Trivia:

The floppy mesh bonnet Catherine Walker (Eleanor Tilney) wears in the garden with Catherine is the same one worn by Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet) in Meryton when she learns Mr. Bingley has returned to Netherfield in Pride & Prejudice (2005), by an extra at church in Becoming Jane (2007), and by Emily Blunt (Victoria) in The Young Victoria (2009).

Quotes:

Henry Tilney: Your imagination may be overactive but your instinct was true. Our mother did suffer grievously and at the hands of our father. Do you remember I spoke of a kind of vampirism?
Catherine Morland: Yes.
Henry Tilney: Perhaps it was stupid to express it so but we did watch him drain the life out of her with his coldness and his cruelty. He married her for her money you see. She thought it was for love. It was a long time until she knew his heart was cold. No vampires, no blood. But worse crimes, crimes of the heart.
Catherine Morland: It was stupid and wicked of me to think such things as I did ...

Movie Connections:

Version of Northanger Abbey (1986) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The First of April

Redeeming ITV

This adaptation of Northanger Abbey has gone a long way to redeeming ITV's Jane Austen Season after a severely poor start with Mansfield Park starring Billie Piper. Where as Mansfield Park was dull and lifeless, Northanger Abbey was lively and highly amusing. It was actually funny, and kept well to the spirit of the book. Newcomer Felicity Jones was brilliant as Catherine Morland, so too was JJ Field as Henry Tilney and Catherine Walker as Eleanor Tilney. In fact the whole cast did a great job of entertaining throughout. The script was brilliant, and you felt that Andrew Davies was really enjoying himself when adapting Austen's novel. When I see Davies' name attached to a period drama I feel safe that it will be done competently and in good taste, and Northanger Abbey was. My only criticism, which isn't so much a criticism more of my wanting it to continue, is that the ending was cut a little short. Of course this was due to time restraints. This is ITV's best period drama for a very long time. Not since Emma have they done one so good. This is certainly one I would recommend to both Austen enthusiasts and newcomers alike, it truly is accessible to all, and can be enjoyed by many!