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S3.E7
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Northanger Abbey

  • Episode aired Dec 6, 1987
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
906
YOUR RATING
Northanger Abbey (1987)
Drama
Catherine Morland is a young woman who enjoys reading Gothic Novels. She is invited to Bath by a family friend, Mrs. Allen, and there she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor. Upon retu... Read allCatherine Morland is a young woman who enjoys reading Gothic Novels. She is invited to Bath by a family friend, Mrs. Allen, and there she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor. Upon returning to her home with her family, Eleanor invites Catherine to come along as her guest an... Read allCatherine Morland is a young woman who enjoys reading Gothic Novels. She is invited to Bath by a family friend, Mrs. Allen, and there she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor. Upon returning to her home with her family, Eleanor invites Catherine to come along as her guest and companion. There Catherine's imagination continues to flourish and she begins to suspect... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
906
YOUR RATING
    • Giles Foster
    • Jane Austen(novel)
    • Maggie Wadey
  • Stars
    • Katharine Schlesinger
    • Peter Firth
    • Robert Hardy
    • Giles Foster
    • Jane Austen(novel)
    • Maggie Wadey
  • Stars
    • Katharine Schlesinger
    • Peter Firth
    • Robert Hardy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 56User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos24

    Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Peter Firth and Katharine Schlesinger in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Katharine Schlesinger in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Philip Bird and Cassie Stuart in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Peter Firth in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Katharine Schlesinger and Googie Withers in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Ingrid Lacey and Katharine Schlesinger in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Katharine Schlesinger in Northanger Abbey (1987)
    Jonathan Coy and Cassie Stuart in Northanger Abbey (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Katharine Schlesinger
    Katharine Schlesinger
    • Catherine Morland
    Peter Firth
    Peter Firth
    • Henry Tilney
    Robert Hardy
    Robert Hardy
    • General Tilney
    Googie Withers
    Googie Withers
    • Mrs. Allen
    Geoffrey Chater
    Geoffrey Chater
    • Mr. Allen
    Cassie Stuart
    Cassie Stuart
    • Isabella Thorpe
    Jonathan Coy
    Jonathan Coy
    • John Thorpe
    Ingrid Lacey
    Ingrid Lacey
    • Eleanor Tilney
    Greg Hicks
    Greg Hicks
    • Frederick Tilney
    Philip Bird
    • James Morland
    Elvi Hale
    Elvi Hale
    • Mrs. Thorpe
    Helen Fraser
    • Mrs. Morland
    David Rolfe
    • Mr. Morland
    Elaine Ives-Cameron
    • Marchioness
    Angela Curran
    • Alice
    Tricia Morrish
    • Miss Digby
    Oliver Hembrough
    Oliver Hembrough
    • Edward Morland
    Anne-Marie Mullane
    • Thorpe Sisters
      • Giles Foster
      • Jane Austen(novel)
      • Maggie Wadey
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The "little shoemaker" Mr. Allen refers to while reading the newspaper is Thomas Hardy, who was tried for sedition in London in 1794 for leading a parliamentary reform movement.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Real Jane Austen (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      The Lancer's Quadrilles: Ladoiska
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Kruetzer

      [first dance in Bath Assembly Room on Catherine's first visit)

    User reviews56

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Well done, elaborate, intriguing adaptation
    When Jane Austen wrote 'Northanger Abbey' she intended to poke fun at the trashy Gothic literature of her day, aimed at silly, young, impressionable females. The story was meant to gradually draw the character of Catherine Morland out of the fantasy world she had built for herself, and into reality. The typical language, characters and themes of a Gothic romance were sent up the whole way through and were shown to be the epitomy of bad writing.

    However, this adaptation seemed to embrace and flatter what it was that Jane Austen was attempting to satirise. It retained a gothic feel throughout and seemed to 'put back' what it was that Jane Austen was trying to 'take out'. Northanger Abbey became the mysterious castle, Henry Tilney became the intriguing Gothic hero, and the 'secret' which Catherine believed existed at the Abbey turned out to be real. One cannot help thinking that the makers of this adaptation hadn't read the book very closely as they seemed to have missed the point.

    Unfortunately with an adaptation of this type, when Jane Austen was writing she was assuming that her readers would be familiar with the Gothic genre. Filmmakers today would need to explain to the audience what the Gothic genre was all about, explaining why this adaptation contains so many fantastical elements that Jane Austen was attempting to escape from.

    All of this aside, it works quite well. The adaptation keeps to the storyline pretty much, and retains much of Jane Austen's witty dialogue. The music helps contribute to the eerie atmosphere very well. One cannot help but wonder at the beauty of this version. Perfectly cast and impeccably acted.
    helpful•25
    8
    • Psyche-8
    • Apr 19, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 6, 1987 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • PBS (United States)
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Bodiam Castle, Bodiam, East Sussex, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • A+E Networks
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 28 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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