[.ca] Mansfield Park

From Amazon.com:
In 1983, the BBC made this 261-minute miniseries from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park. Austen explores the well-tread theme of class distinction and the triumph of love, but Fanny Price (Sylvestra Le Touzel) is an original Austen creation. Fanny, from a large and poor family, is taken into the home of her wealthy uncle and aunt, the stoic Sir Thomas Bertram (Bernard Hepton) and the childlike Lady Bertram (Angela Pleasence, daughter of actor Donald). Also residing at the posh Bertram mansion are the oldest son, irresponsible Tom (Christopher Villiers), distant Julia (Liz Crowther), and the kindly Edmund (Nicholas Farrell). If you can get past Le Touzel's odd mannerism of making little chopping movements with her open-palmed hand for emphasis, this is a faithful adaptation of the novel. It's much slower than Northanger Abbey and lacks some of the passionate drama of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, but it still depicts a strong yet very kind heroine who stands up for what she believes in. When popular philanderer Henry Crawford (Robert Burbage) actually falls for and proposes to Fanny, she rejects him, much to the surprise and disdain of the Bertrams--except, of course, for our hero Edmund. For trivia buffs: Jonny Lee Miller, who plays young Charles Price (one of Fanny's brothers), has the role of Edmund Bertram in the 1999 theatrical version of Mansfield Park. --N.F. Mendoza

Amazon.ca:
Contre toute attente, Mansfield Park, inspiré d'un roman de Jane Austen, est bel et bien un film de Patricia Rozema. En prenant de grandes libertés avec l'histoire originale, la réalisatrice de When Night Is Falling a su concilier deux univers a priori opposés : celui de la célèbre romancière britannique du début du XIXe siècle et le sien, contemporain, urbain et nord-américain. Élevée par un oncle (Harold Pinter) ayant fait fortune grâce à l'esclavagisme, Fanny (Frances O'Connor) vit à Mansfield Park. Ni servante ni aristocrate, la jeune fille cherche sa place entre un cousin violent (James Purefoy) et un autre (Johnny Lee Miller), secrètement amoureux d'elle. L'arrivée d'un frère et d'une soeur intrigants (Allessandro Nivola et Embeth Davidtz) et les chassés-croisés amoureux qui s'ensuivent bouleverseront le fragile équilibre de ce petit monde sur le déclin. On retrouve dans ce film les mêmes jeux de pouvoir et de séduction que dans Sense and Sensibility, les mêmes tiraillements entre la raison et la passion que dans Persuasion, mais la cinéaste torontoise y a imprimé son humour, parfois mordant, parfois complice, une sensualité très fine et une assurance nouvelle. Si le rythme aurait pu être plus rapide, Mansfield Park reste un délicieux film d'auteur et d'époque. --Éric Fourlanty

Faithful to the book - but slow, also like the book:
I think that someone who hasn't read Mansfield Park is going to be bored by this production. And some that have read it, too. But if you have the time to invest, I think that this is about as faithful a rendition as we are likely to get. Mansfield Park is my least favorite of Jane Austen's novels, partly because Fanny Price isn't the same kind of heroine that you find in P & P, S & S, or Emma. So - a producer could make a video with an exciting Fanny Price, but then you wouldn't have Mansfield Park. I give it 5 stars because I believe this video does the best possible job with a complex plot, and because I believe that the actors were apt for the roles they were given.

Eightyish but excellent actors, & Faithful to the novel!:
I agree completely with the review written by Holli from the US, and the other anonymous viewer whose review is directly below (I think). - the series was a bit eightyish (made in the 8o's) so the picture quality wasn't as good as it could be, but I found it a great series- I loved all the actors & think they played their roles admirably- especially those who played ( I don't know their names) Fanny, Mary, Henry, Edmund, and most of all the actress who portrayed the indolent sofa-bound Lady Bertram. Much, much better than the Hollywood version, which although funny was really nothing like the novel!

An avid Jane Austen fan..:
This adaptation is true to the text but that is its only credit. The actors are not well cast for the roles they play, i.e Edmund Bertram is in his early twenties in the book! The woman who plays Fanny Price moves awkwardly(the hands) especially, which I found very odd. It was painful to watch it through. Aunt Norris and Sir Thomas's characters were cast and played well.

I liked it.:
I was surprised to read so many bad reviews for this; I thought it was pretty good. I like Jane Austen productions to be close to the book, and this really was. Fanny Price seemed to have stepped out of the pages of Mansfield Park; I thought she was well acted. Watching this production helped me to understand more deeply what Jane Austen was trying to do in Mansfield Park, which I have always found her most fascinating novel. I only wish it could have been longer and included more scenes and conversations straight from the book.

Faithful? Yes. Good? Absolutely not.:
One of the worst Jane Austen adaptations I've ever seen. The acting is awful...Sylvestra Le Touzel is pathetic as Fanny Price. The filming isn't great, but that's to be expected for older movies. Even if it is almost completely faithful to the book (5 hours of painful acting), this movie isn't even worth the time. Le Touzel's exaggerated mannerisms will make you wish the story ended in tragedy.