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

Hannah Taylor Gordon (young Fanny) and Talya Gordon (young Susan) are sisters in real life.

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Goofs

Much is made in this adaptation of the evils of slavery. This is resolved in the final scene with Sir Thomas Bertram divesting from Antigua and investing in tobacco. Yet in 1806, when the film is set, tobacco depended on slaves.

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Quotes

Edmund Bertram: Fanny, I've loved you my whole life.
Fanny Price: I know, Edmund.
Edmund Bertram: No... I've loved you as a man loves a woman. As a hero loves a heroine. As I have never loved anyone.

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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

Version of Mansfield Park (2007)

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Soundtracks

Djongna (Slavery)
Written and Performed by Salif Keita

User Reviews

A good enough film, if you don't care about butchering the characters...

As a romantic comedy, this is a good film. The acting is fairly good - particularly Johnny Lee Miller, who makes an excellent Edmund. But the story is not that of Jane Austen's wonderful novel. The Fanny Price of the novel is a delicate wallflower, intelligent and warm but extremely timid. In the film, she's feisty and strong-willed, independent and almost rebellious. Fanny Price is not confident and witty; she is shy and thoughtful. This "new" Fanny may fit modern sensibilities, but I was severely disappointed; by completely altering the main character, the whole story seems different. I should very much like to see an adaptation of the novel that remains as faithful to the book as the BBC's excellent mini-series version of Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth / Jennifer Ehle version) or Emma (with Kate Beckinsale, not the Gwynneth Paltrow version). If you want a romantic movie, go for it. But if you're an Austen fan, you might want to stay clear.