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 USA:

$85,608, 21 November 1999

Gross USA:

$4,764,741

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

The instrument played by Julia and Maria Bertram is an armonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.

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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

Maria Elizabeth Bertram: Father, I wish to speak to you about Rushworth.
Sir Thomas Bertram: Maria, yes. Now, you know how eagerly disposed I was to like your Mr. Rushworth...
Maria Elizabeth Bertram: ...but you think him an inferior young man, as ignorant in business as in books, with opinions in general unfixed, and without seeming much aware of it himself.
Sir Thomas Bertram: Well...

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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 The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

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Soundtracks

Djongna (Slavery)
Written and Performed by Salif Keita

User Reviews

A reader's opinion-and some plot details

Having just finished the book, I was somewhat disappointed by the film. The cast was delightful, and Francis O'Connor and Jonny Lee Miller captured the essence of their characters as written by Jane Austen. I realize that any film adaptation of a novel is bound to be lacking in some respects, but there were two major changes to the story which were too drastic for me to accept.

First, Austen's Fanny Price is steady and sure in her convictions, but the Fanny in the film is lacking the strength of character that makes her such a great heroine. Second, the film introduces an unnecessary and inappropriate subplot about Sir Thomas' involvement in slavery. It creates tension between Fanny and Sir Thomas and changes his character completely. Sir Thomas in the novel is a loving, if somewhat restrained, benefactor who develops a real affection for his niece; the film portrays him as a sometimes cruel and certainly callous man who feels he is doing a great service by providing his poor niece with the opportunity to better her station through a loveless but financially and socially beneficial marriage.