April 30 movie: Mansfield Park. In the early 80s the BBC apparently did miniseries versions of Jane Austen's entire body of work. This one is from 1983 and it's pretty good. Well, it's excellent compared to the "loosely inspired" 1999 version directed by Patricia Rozema. Simply because Rozema's version was not Mansfield Park, and this one is.
Mansfield Park is one of my less favorite Austen novels, though it has grown on me over the years. I think it helps to try and understand Fanny Price in the context of her time. She translates to the modern era the least well of any Austen heroine I think. The book tends towards that sadistic piling-on I mentioned in the write-up of The Little Princess, where the heroine proves her worthiness by suffering over and over and fer-crying-out-loud-over again.
They handle this pretty well in the miniseries. Fanny is kind of nervous and jumpy, which doesn't really reflect how she was described in the book, but I think this is a good change. It helps explain why she puts up with it all, helps make her seem more sympathetic, less of a dishrag. Also helps bring her forward, since in the book she's completely passive, & her emotions are almost totally internal & therefore difficult to convey on film. I think also the actress playing Fanny is very good. There's one scene where Edmund, her close friend and secret crush/love, confides that he doesn't think Mary Crawford will marry him. With the tiniest, barely noticeable smile Fanny conveys relief and hope. Then her smile fades to (sincere) concern for her friend when Edmund turns his eyes to her. It's a beautiful little scene done in extreme close-up.
I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone who hadn't read Mansfield Park. It's pretty long, 312 minutes total, and I don't know that it has the broad appeal of the Jennifer Ehle Pride and Prejudice or the Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility. I do highly recommend it for anyone who has read the book or has an interest in Austen. Especially for anyone who was disappointed in the Rozema movie. Which may be a perfect fine regency romance in its own right, but as an adaptation of Mansfield Park it sucked.
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