Mansfield Park (1999)

At 10, Fanny Price, a poor relation, goes to live at Mansfield Park, the estate of her aunt's husband, Sir Thomas. Clever, studious, and a writer with an ironic imagination and fine moral ... See full summary »

Director:

Patricia Rozema

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel), Patricia Rozema

Stars:

Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hannah Taylor Gordon	...	Young Fanny
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

Storyline

At 10, Fanny Price, a poor relation, goes to live at Mansfield Park, the estate of her aunt's husband, Sir Thomas. Clever, studious, and a writer with an ironic imagination and fine moral compass, she becomes especially close to Edmund, Thomas's younger son. Fanny is soon possessed of beauty as well as a keen mind and comes to the attention of a neighbor, Henry Crawford. Thomas promotes this match, but to his displeasure, Fanny has a mind of her own, asking Henry to prove himself worthy. As Edmund courts Henry's sister and as light shines on the link between Thomas's fortunes and New World slavery, Fanny must assess Henry's character and assert her heart as well as her wit.

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Plot Keywords:

caught having sex | year 1806 | lesbian subtext | country estate | letter writing | 

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Taglines:

Jane Austen's Wicked Comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Familia din Mansfield Park

Filming Locations:

St Austell, Cornwall, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£103,266 (United Kingdom), 2 April 2000, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,608, 21 November 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,764,741, 5 March 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), HAL Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hugh Bonneville who plays Mr. Rushworth and Charles Green who plays Yates, both star on Downton Abbey. Hugh Bonneville plays Lord Grantham and Charles Green played Michael Gregson on Downton Abbey.

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Goofs

When Fanny is undressing after being caught in the rain, she undoes her corset by unhooking a metal busk at the front, this style of busk was not invented until the mid 19th century, and the film is set in 1806. Her busk instead should have been wooden or whalebone, and if it unfastened in front it would have been laced.

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Quotes

Fanny Price: To be at home again, to be loved by my family, to feel affection without fear or restraint and to feel myself the equal of those that surround me.

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Alternate Versions

One sex scene was cut from the US version in order to obtain a PG rating.

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

Djongna (Slavery)
Written and Performed by Salif Keita

User Reviews

Even cute-as-a-button "Frances O'Connor" couldn't save this pointless exercise...

They say the great thing about Shakespeare's work is that it is so open to interpretation. Every director can bring his or her fresh eyes to a play and make it new. Even so, I think we are obliged to stay true to the basic tennents of the text. Are the works of Jane Austen as open to interpretation? Maybe, but I doubt it; Certainly not if MANSFIELD PARK is anything to go by.

MANSFIELD was always my favourite of Austen's six novels. Many modern critics, while not denying its basic greatness, have problems with the book. Many find FANNY PRICE unlikeable, many find her judgemental, and feel that her Stoic, Augustan approach is hard to relate to. Stand-by, do nothing, and eventually he'll see the error of his ways and come to love you. Not very modern, is it?

OK, so if you don't like the main character, if you don't like what she has to say, then what do you do? Look for other aspects of the story you can relate to. In recent years some critics have chosen to see MANSFIELD PARK in Post-Imperial terms, as a critique of Slavery. After all, the family's wealth is based on plantations in Antiga, which were run by slaves. Is that what the book's about? Is it? I don't know. I think the evidence is a little slim, but who am I to deny the possibility? Maybe it plays a part in the subtext of the novel.

So, I'm a modern script-writer who doesn't like the novel, it's pre-occupations or even Fanny Price. What do I do? I completely re-write the story to take a possible minor sub-text (slavery) and turn it in to the driving narrative force. I then take smart as a whippet, stubborn yet passive Fanny and turn her into a ballsy version of Bridget Jones. With an attitude. I then string together a couple of scenes from the book with a few invented bridging scenes to advance the romance. Et Voila! I have a completely different story!

I don't know what this film is, but it isn't Mansfield Park. Enjoy it on its own terms, but don't ever get the idea that your watching Austen on the screen. But, jeeze. I think that if you're going to adapt a novel for the screen, you ought to at least like the source material; Otherwise, what's the point? If you don't like the main character, you shouldn't be able to completely re-invent her. Or if you do, you should have the decency to be a little ashamed.