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What you should know about me:

*I've read Mansfield Park once. It was in the winter/spring of 2006. I was not blogging or taking notes on what I was reading. I didn't enjoy the novel much. I remember fairly early on in the novel trying to read the last few pages to figure out just what was going to happen to make me care.
*I watched Mansfield Park (2007) on PBS this past Sunday.
*I then decided to watch Mansfield Park (1999) on YouTube. I started it Sunday night and finished up yesterday.
*I am not a film critic. But I know what I like and don't like.

What you should know about Mansfield Park:

*Written by Jane Austen 1812-1814; Published in 1814.
* This was also the first of her novels which was not a revision of an earlier work. Elinor and Marianne was probably written in 1795 and finally revised and published as Sense and Sensibility in late 1811. First Impressions was written between 1796-97, and was finally published in 1813 as Pride and Prejudice. Mansfield Park, therefore, was conceived from its very beginning by a more mature Jane Austen than the previous two novels—written, as they were, first by the young Austen (~ 20 years old) and then the older Austen (~ 36). By the time Jane Austen began planning and writing Mansfield Park she had passed through her eligible years and, at 36, into confirmed spinsterhood.
*Mansfield Park is the most controversial and perhaps the least popular of Austen's major novels.
*Basic plot lines and character listings can be found here and here. And especially here.
*The main character, the heroine, is Fanny Price.

My thoughts on Mansfield Park (2007)

*Billie Piper's Fanny Price annoyed me. Greatly. Her blond hair and brown eyebrows irked me in a way that I would not typically admit to. Her hair was so un-Austen like. So un-Regency. So yuck, yuck, yuck in terms of being accurate to a period piece.
*I wasn't really pleased with the hair of a good many characters. Most notably why did almost all the guys have to have long, frizzy locks. Most especially Henry Crawford played by Joseph Beattie. Though Tom Bertram played by James D'arcy was not much better in terms of good hairstyles for guys if they want to appear attractive to the opposite sex. Note that I'm just talking hairstyles. Edmund's hair, on the other hand, was nice. I don't know if any of these would be historically accurate. I'm not a judge of such things when it comes to men.
*The book has roughly eighteen important/key characters that enter into the big plot lines. The movie narrowed it down to twelve. Of the thirteen they severely severed the importance of a good majority of those. Some characters only had two or three lines in the entire movie despite having played a good role in the book. For example, Miss Julia Bertram is of almost zero importance in the movie. Poor thing. Maria and Mr. Rushworth are also sadly lacking in importance to the movie. Though they have a little substance.
*None of the characters--almost none of the characters--have any depth, any heart, any soul. They're simply not characterized at all. It's not that Jane Austen wrote them as such. It's that they weren't given time, space, opportunity, and ahem LINES TO SPEAK that would make them be a character that was in any way human. Edmund and Fanny being the exceptions to the above observations.
*The movie moved too quickly. It forgot that for a movie to work, it has to make sense. Simple concept. I don't know how they forgot it. It's not enough that characters go through the motions and accomplish points one through three on their list. They have to show the WHY of it to make people care. Motivations. Intentions. Inner Thoughts. As it was, the movie was little more than a rushed choreographed dance with characters making hasty entrances and exits. Why should the audience care about the characters if there aren't any characters of substance to care about. Even villains need to be portrayed in such a way that their actions make sense.
*The camera work. Don't get me started. Maybe *some* people love the hopping up and down, can't-hold-a-camera-still, running and bumping along footage of which this movie primarily consists. But I'm not one of them. There was no need for Fanny to always be frantically racing and speeding all over the place whether inside or outside anyway.
*As far as the romance between Edmund and Fanny is concerned. It's thrown in as an afterthought in this movie. You don't really see it developing much if at all.



Overall, I'd rate it somewhere between a 1 1/2 and a 2.

My thoughts on Mansfield Park (1999)

*I've read that this movie is hated by Austen purists. The reasoning I take it for some is that this "Fanny Price" is too enjoyable, too likable. Perhaps that's not phrasing it quite right. The book's characterization is such that most people find it hard to like Fanny Price. To care about Fanny Price. The movie doesn't resemble the book. Same names. But largely different personalities assigned to those characters. If you hate the book, you might find yourself charmed and loving this adaptation. The characters are fleshed out. The movie's pacing is excellent. There is much development. The character motivations of both the good and 'bad' characters are easily discerned. The movie makes sense. It is largely enjoyable. One reviewer said that as an adaption it wasn't much. It was too different from the book. But that same reviewer said that as a movie--just as a movie without comparing it to the book--that it was enjoyable and entertaining.
*I loved Frances O'Connor's Fanny Price. She was witty. She was smart. She was spirited. She just was really likable. The other characterizations--especially of Mary and Henry Crawford--are more believable. Henry was a villain through and through in the 2007 edition. There was nothing remotely tempting or charming or attractive about his bad boy status. In this edition, however, it is easy to forget for a moment or two--or for longer periods of time in some places--that this guy is the bad guy. Instead of knowing 99.99% that Henry Crawford is a bad guy, you feel more 70/30 or 60/40. There are moments where you doubt. There are moments where you briefly entertain the idea that maybe just maybe this guy has changed. This Henry Crawford is likable even in those moments where you're sure that he's not quite as good as he seems. Mary plays the villain well in both movies. But she's portrayed as more human, more vulnerable in this adaptation.
*There were more than a few places where I wish the 1999 movie had gone a little differently. It emphasized a point that I must have completely missed in the book altogether. Slavery. Supposedly the book and this movie draw from the fact that the Bertram's wealth comes from owning a plantation somewhere (Antigua??) with many many slaves. The movie is very in-your-face with the slavery. They make it a huge issue, a point of contention between Fanny and her uncle Thomas Bertram. There are also several weird scenes a) there are two places where the director (I think that's the person I mean) has interpreted Mary Crawford as ambiguously bisexual. There is a weird scene where Fanny is standing in during the play reading scene and reads quite flirtatious lines while held a bit too closely by Mary while Edmund watches on. And the second is a weird scene where Mary is helping Fanny get undressed after she's soaked by a walk in the rain. b) There is a scene where Fanny discovers Tom's journal/sketchbook which depicts drawings of slaves and/or others (both races) in quite sexual and somewhat perverse ways. Those uncomfortable bits last only a few minutes each and out of the entire movie may make up five to seven minutes. Maybe.
*While far from perfect, this movie was infinitely more entertaining and enjoyable to watch than the other.

Since January 13th, I've watched Persuasion (2007), Persuasion (1995), Northanger Abbey (2007), Mansfield Park (2007), and Mansfield Park (1999). And during that time, I've formed many many opinions. I've done a lot of searching on YouTube, and I thought I'd share some of my goodies. Unfortunately the best goodies have embedding disabled. I think she (presumably it's a she) knew that if embedding wasn't disabled, these clips would go all over the place.

If you want to be absolutely terrified and scared off of Austen for life, then watch any of these clips from the 1986 version of Northanger Abbey. Clip One, two, three, four, five, and six. If you have time for only one creepy, freaky thing this week, make sure you watch clip #6. But your mind might need a bath after watching it. You'll need something to cleanse you.

[Northanger Abbey--the good and proper, the most excellent version is available on YouTube in sixteen splendid parts.]

Similarly, if you have time for only one wonderfully romantic video, make sure it's this fan music video for Persuasion (1995).

Music/fan videos for Northanger Abbey...





I've decided to make a separate post for my thoughts on the two Mansfield Parks. But here is a summary of my thoughts

Persuasion (2007)

Persuasion (1995)

Northanger Abbey (2007)

Mansfield Park (2007)

Mansfield Park (1999)

If I'm being honest, Northanger Abbey has never been one of my favorites. The book, well, the book just seemed to lack that magic spark, that sizzle, those ahhh life-is-good moments that Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion seem to encompass. It's not that I don't think the novel has its moments of charm. I do. The first sentence (or so) is magnificent: "No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her." In the first few pages, there are just some stand-out phrases that are pure wit (or satire or sarcasm). For example, "But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine; she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventful lives." And I love this bit, "She had reached the age of seventeen without having seen one amiable youth who could call forth her sensibility; without having inspired one real passion, and without having excited even any admiration but what was very moderate and very transient. This was strange indeed! But strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out. There was not one lord in the neighborhood; no, not even a baronet. There was not one family among their acquaintances who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door; not one young man whose origin was unknown. Her father had no ward, the the squire of the parish no children. But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way." I love that...."something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way." Perfect tongue-in-cheek beginning to a rather ordinary trip to Bath.

Our heroine--our want-to-be-heroine--Catherine is seventeen. She has been invited to go to Bath to be a companion to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, the Morland's friendly (and childless) neighbors. At first, their trip is boring. The Allens don't know anyone in Bath. They can't very well go about introducing themselves to strangers. Catherine who longs to dance and soar in popularity can't go about conversing with strange young men. All seems rather dreary until they are introduced to a Mr. Henry Tilney. Suddenly, Catherine's eyes begin to sparkle and her heart begins to pound. (And if Austen's imagined character resembles JJ Feild, no wonder, Catherine is so swept up! Anyone's imagination would be prone to getting carried away all of a sudden. (Pictures of the cast can be found here and here and of course the Masterpiece Theatre site.) Soon after, the Allens meet the Thorpes. Mrs. Thorpe and Mrs. Allen having been school chums several decades before. Isabella Thorpe. Soon to be Catherine's instant new best friend. and (Perhaps we should all learn a lesson about people that are that clingy and chummy from the second you meet them.) A further coincidence occurs a bit later on when Mr. James Morland--Catherine's older brother--and Mr. John Thorpe suddenly appear on the scene. James is smitten with Isabella. And John is smitten with Catherine. (Catherine, however, remains smitten with Henry. Which girl wouldn't stay true, I tell you. Especially if the competition is John Thorpe. A man who was giving off creepy vibes almost from the very beginning. So the ThorpesMorlands are all chummy in a way. When the Tilneys reenter the scene. Mr. Henry Tilney is now accompanied by his father, General Tilney, a genuinely spooky and temperamental fellow, and his sweet and gentle sister, Eleanor. Miss Eleanor Tilney and Catherine while getting off to a bit of a bumpy start, soon become friends. Is Isabella happy? No. Just the first sign of trouble from her. So we've got Catherine being pursued by both John and Henry. Isabella being pursued by James and the noticeably arrogant Captain Tilney. (Henry's older brother who just happens to drop by and takes a noted interest in wooing Isabella away from her intended and straight into his bed.) All this drama and we haven't even heard mention of Northanger Abbey!

Well, I don't want to spoil this for anyone. Drama--some real, some imagined--is what you'll find in Austen's Northanger Abbey.

I read the book on Saturday afternoon/night. I liked it. It was okay. But on the screen it sizzled. It just worked. It was practically perfect in every way. Henry Tilney was the perfect hero. He was so thoroughly charming and witty. So adorably there for the girl. Always knowing just what to do, just what to say. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. But my appreciation for the movie goes beyond the chemistry of Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland. Everything just worked. The mood. The tone. The music--the score. The dialogue. They truly captured the essence of this book. And in my opinion--and it is just my opinion--improved on it. Maybe it just works better--the plot, the characters, the dialogue--acted out instead of read. I am no expert on Northanger Abbey by any means, but to my reckoning it was true enough to the book that if it did in fact deviate at some point it wasn't glaringly, obviously, punch-you-in-the-gut contrary. That being said, it SPED things up considerably. Instead of showing the Allen's out of their element and bored and wondering what to do about it for a week or maybe two weeks, they meet Mr. Tilney at the first social gathering they attend. That wasn't in the book. And it happened several times. The book shows things happening gradually--slowly. There is more detailed action and characterization. (For example, the movie doesn't show James wooing Isabella at all. Or hardly at all. They just don't focus on that aspect of the book.) But do we lose the heart and soul of the story by watching things develop so quickly? Yes and no. Quite honestly, I would have LOVED this one to be two or three hours long. I wouldn't have been bored with more story, more details, more of everything really. I would have been happy. But still, there aren't any complaints from me. They got it right this time. It is just fun and delightful and enjoyable and happy-making. I think it says something when my mom and I both wear the same silly ear-to-ear grins at the end of a movie. I would imagine, I would hope, we're not the only ones out there who loved that oh-so-magical ending.

Here is an early clip of the movie. (We're about five or six minutes into the movie when this starts.) I chose this because I didn't want to spoil the movie for anyone, but I wanted to show something of Henry and Catherine.


A continuation of the scene--the all-important boy meets girl and starts to flirt scene.

Tonight the second Austen movie will be airing on PBS. (Check local listings for time of course.) I finished reading the novel last night. But I want to wait to review the book until I've had a chance to see the movie. That way I can review both all in one post.

If you've seen and/or read Northanger Abbey, I'd be curious to read your thoughts. Please share your experiences in the comments.

It's not too late to share your thoughts on Persuasion either. (Just saying.)

It's not too late to join up for the Jane Austen mini-challenge. Read or watch ANY two books and/or movies. :)

Here are the current participants:

Chris from Stuff As Dreams Are Made On...
Ex Libris
Michelle (3M) from 1MoreChapter
Stephanie from Stephanie's Confession of a Bookaholic
Pattie from FreshBrewedWriter
Melissa from Book Nut
Debbi from My Reading Spot (? She didn't specify if she was joining the Austen and the Tolkien or just the Tolkien ?)
Ladytink_534 from The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog (She was one that was on the fence, but considering it...)
Kate (didn't specify if it was Austen and Tolkien both or just one of the two...unless I hear otherwise...I'm assuming she's in for the Austen)
Jehara
Shannan
Naida
Gautami Tripathy from My Own Reading Room
Angliophile Football Fanatic
Booklogged
Susan from Susan Loves To Read
Alisonwonderland from So Many Books, So Little Time
Curiouser and Curiouser
Webster Twelb
Alix
Chris from Book-a-rama
Historia from BiblioHistoria
Journey From An Inquiring Mind
Kirsten from Nose in A Book
Lisa
Lindy
nsr (?)
Sarah R.
KatLuvr
Marina from Book a Tea
Full time in NM
Bridget
Joy of Thoughts for Joy
April of Cafe of Dreams
Jenny up the hill
Maria
Sonya
Mandy
tvtime
Jen
sprite
Susan from You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Dewey from Hidden Side of A Leaf
Nessie from The Biblio Files

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

Persuasion by Jane Austen has to be--without a doubt--my favorite, favorite Austen novel. I've only read it twice, but each time was oh-so-magical. Though I will *admit* that it perhaps isn't a book that will "grab" you from page one. It might take some patience and effort, but give it a chapter or two (or three) and you might just find yourself swept up in the story of Anne Elliot.

Sir Walter Eliott, of Kellynch-hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Barnetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs, changed naturally into pity and contempt, as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century--and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed--this was the page at which the favorite volume always opened: Elliot of Kellynch-Hall.

See what I mean about NOT being an opening that will hook you? Long story short...or three reasons why you should read Persuasion despite its verbose, pompous opening....

1) It is the story of Anne Elliot. A middle child, a daughter obviously, born into a pompous and atrocious family muddles through the best she can while waiting for her Prince to come. (Okay, she's not really waiting for her Prince to come and rescue her. She's all but given up on love since she's also, at age 27, an "old maid.")

2) Despite coming from a ghastly, horribly obnoxious family, Anne herself is not only intelligent and genuine but she's also thoroughly enjoyable and likable. She has a wit and cleverness about her. She actually sees the world around her. She isn't blind to reality like so many of the other characters.

3) Persuasion is all about second chances. Anne Elliot, a girl who truly deserves good things because her family is so rotten, lost her one chance for love and happiness eight years before our narrative opens. Her heart belonged--then and now--to a young man, a sailor, Frederick Wentworth. But her family and friends deemed him unworthy and unacceptable. And forced into choosing between her family and her love, she chose her family. A decision she regretted from the moment she broke her lover's heart.

When Persuasion opens the reader learns that hard times have come to the Elliot family--a family mostly known for its arrogance and pride. The family is *forced* into renting their out their estate to an Admiral Croft and his wife. The Elliot family--all but Anne--will reside in Bath year round. Anne, poor Anne, only Anne, will be parceled out as need be between Bath and her father and older sister, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Mary.

What can I say about Mary? Mary is interesting--and by interesting I mean obnoxious and annoying--in a completely different way than her father, Sir Walter, and her sister, Elizabeth. Mary is married to Charles. Charles Musgrove. Charles and Mary and their two children live on the estate--in a smaller house--as his parents and his sisters. They live in the "great house." Anne's time spent with her sister and her sister's in-laws is interesting to say the least. Mainly because someone has just arrived in the neighborhood. A Captain Wentworth. Captain Frederick Wentworth.

Just the sight of him makes her heart skip a beat--or two or three--she loves him like she's always loved him. But he's out of reach. He's now courting--of all people--one of the Musgrove sisters.

Love. Requited. Unrequited. Broken hearts. Regret. Jealousy. Disappointment. Frustration. It's all there with just a little more besides.

I do not want to spoil this one for anyone. Really. I don't want to. So please, please, please stop reading if you haven't read the novel. I mean it.

S
P
O
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There are just a few scenes--one really big scene--that makes this novel oh-so-magical. That takes it from nice to really really great.

I love, love, love the conversation between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville. Their discussion on which sex--which gender--loves most, loves deepest, loves truer is one of the best dialogues ever. Seriously. Mostly because of the heart-felt letter that is the result of Captain Wentworth overhearing that conversation. That letter? The best, most romantic love letter of ALL TIME. Who could not love this guy?

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, week and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.

The letter goes on, but I think you get the idea. Anyway, as much as I love Pride & Prejudice (and I do) I've just got to give the award to Anne and Captain Wentworth when it comes to love and romance. Okay, it only wins by a small margin--because Darcy is quite a letter-writer as well. And he is oh-so-dreamy in his own ways. But Anne, Anne is what makes this book so wonderful. She's a heroine that has nothing to recommend her but her self--her true self. A self that only a few recognize as a thing of beauty, a thing of great worth.

Let's compare Wentworths...first the 1995 Persuasion, then the 2008 Persuasion.




Now let's compare Anne Elliots...first the 1995 Persuasion, then the 2008 Persuasion



There is a cool character chart for the new movie.

As for the movies, I think I will *always* prefer the 1995 version. Even though none of the characters are glamorously beautiful, they're real and genuine. And that movie is *closer* to the book than this latest version. The real crime--in my opinion--is that they DID NOT HAVE the ultra-romantic scene with Captain Harville and Anne Elliot. They abbreviate that conversation down to a few lines, put it very nearly in the beginning, and have it taking place between Anne and a Captain Benwick. Therefore Wentworth can't overhear it, and doesn't have the *proper* motivation to write that beautiful, beautiful letter. Instead they invent a new excuse or else completely gloss over motivation entirely and have the letter showing up without provocation or reason. It's just suddenly there in the script. Silly, silly writers. Why mess with the majesty of the perfect scene???? If the new movie HAD bothered to get it right, perhaps there would be some competition between the two.

Persuasion has just aired as part of PBS's Complete Jane Austen. If you're part of the Jane Austen mini-challenge, you might have been watching as part of your challenge. But even if you're not "officially" part of the challenge, I'd be curious to hear what you thought about the movie and/or book.

I'm reserving judgment at the moment. I am a little over halfway through the book. (Anne has just gotten to Bath. The last thing I remember is her going to visit her friend Mrs. Smith.) But generally speaking, I thought the movie was good. It's always interesting to see how adaptations are cast. How other people envision a fictional character looking. But I must say, I was pleased with what I saw for the most part. Mary, in particular, looks like her character in my opinion. I would have thought Mrs. Clay might have been cast a little uglier, since they make a point of that in the book, but overall I was happy.

The storytelling was rushed, but I suppose that is to be expected in such cases. An hour and a half for such a complicated plot doesn't leave much time for enjoying the details and mellowing in the atmosphere. I do feel that if you haven't read the book at some point, you would probably be confused by the chaotic introductions of new characters and overwhelmed by the fast-changing scenes. If you'd stepped out of the room for five minutes or so, you could come back and be completely lost as to who was who and what was going on. But even if you missed a few of the details along the way, the heart of the story was simple enough to follow. And the romance strong enough that you *wanted* to keep watching.

What did you think? (Or should that be what do you think?) If you've watched the movie, does watching it make you want to read the book at some point? And if you've read the book, do you feel compelled to watch this version or another movie version? If you've both read and watched this one...what do you think? Did the movie do it justice? Which did you prefer?

If you've posted about the movie OR the book, feel free to leave a link in the comments. If you don't have a blog, or would prefer just to write your thoughts in the comments, that's fine too. I'm really curious to see what others think.... Read the rest of this post

To read all about the Austen Mini-Challenge I'm hosting, read this post.

Masterpiece Theatre can be tricky. So you'll need to double check with your local listings of course for air times and dates, but I did find the schedule for The Complete Jane Austen airing in the Spring of 2008.

Persuasion (January 13, 2008)
Northanger Abbey (January 20, 2008)
Mansfield Park (January 27, 2008)
Miss Austen Regrets (February 3, 2008)
Pride and Prejudice (February 10, 2008 through February 24) (Will be shown in three parts)
Emma (March 23, 2008)
Sense and Sensibility (March 30, 2008 and April 6, 2008)

Here are the participants for the Jane Austen Mini-Challenge.

(The original post announcing it is here. The goal of this challenge is to read and/or watch at least two Jane Austen novels/movies in 2008. Masterpiece Theatre is showing all 6 movies in the 2008 season. I am going to be aiming for all 6. But if you want to just watch two movies and blog about them, that is fine too. It would still be participating. For those that may not get PBS, rent (or buy) two Austen movies--any version--and you'll still qualify as a participant. Want to read an Austen biography as a substitute for one of the novels, go for it. Or watch Becoming Jane as a substitute for one of the movies. I'll allow it. Just read two Austen-related books. OR watch two Austen-related movies. You can always read more or watch more. What about audio books? Sure. Listening would count as well. Whatever you want. It's supposed to be fun.

It is not too late to join in on this one. It officially starts in January. But I won't be rigid with the sign up date or anything :) When you sign up either at this post or on the original, I'll add you to the list.

And in case anyone lives in Canada...here is what I found out...

The North American premieres of ITV’s Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion can be seen on TVOntario (TVO) in December 2007, a month before PBS’ Complete Jane Austen begins:

16 December ….. Northanger Abbey
23 December ….. Mansfield Park
30 December ….. Persuasion

All three films will air Sunday nights starting at 9:00 p.m.