May 4 movie: Mansfield Park. Finishing up the Mansfield Park miniseries, disc 2 covers Henry Crawfor's attempt to win Fanny, Fanny's trip to Portsmouth, and the scandal that brings everything about at the end.
Funny thing about this miniseries. I've never before understood the people who think that Fanny made the wrong choice. Apparently there are a lot of them among Austen fans, who think that Fanny should have chosen Henry Crawford, the ostensible villain of the piece, instead of Edmund. Watching this, I finally get it. I was rooting for Henry too! What's that about? Somehow they made Henry seem sincere in his affection for Fanny, and in his desire to become a better person for her.
By the end of course, it's clear that Henry was play-acting at reform, and that if he were truly sincere he wouldn't have gotten entangled with Mrs. Rushworth. But then again, maybe he was sincere, just weak. Maybe if Fanny had accepted him he would have continued to improve himself, and wouldn't have thrown himself into the path of temptation.
I finally get Henry Crawford! This miniseries is great.
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