A solid film, highly enjoyable and watchable. I am a Jane Austen fan and purist, and was not offended that this version did not stick avidly to the book.
The acting was solid and the characters believable (no strings, no wood) I am a big fan, have read the book many times and the characters were well matched to the actors, even if the central story deviated a bit.
I give this 9/10 for a chick flick period drama with a happy ending (as all in this genre should be) and a 6/10 for a strict version of Mansfield Park. This 6/10 does not detract from the enjoyment of the film in my opinion.
It states clearly in the opening credits that the film is based on "Jane Austen's letters, her Juvenilla stories AND Mansfield Park" so in this version the character of Fanny Price is given a generous nod to the characters and events in the life of Jane Austen, which is a new and interesting twist and nice for those who are fans of Austen and not just the 6 novels. Fanny in the film is not as reserved and put upon as Fanny of the book, but this is where the Jane Austen letters come in, and I would like to believe that Fanny of the film is just as worthy a heroine (because after all we all love Jane too).
As with all movies of a good book there are omissions that some may find frustrating, but the parallels with Jane Austen's life; her early writings of the Juvenilla stories and her reading them to her beloved sister, her first accepting then refusing the marriage proposal a day later, all added to the charm of this version.
I am pleased that I got over myself and the negative reviews I had previously read and decided to give it a go. It is worth watching, and to all the nay sayers out there, No it really is not that bad, there are many film version that are unwatchable, but this is not one of them.
The acting was solid and the characters believable (no strings, no wood) I am a big fan, have read the book many times and the characters were well matched to the actors, even if the central story deviated a bit.
I give this 9/10 for a chick flick period drama with a happy ending (as all in this genre should be) and a 6/10 for a strict version of Mansfield Park. This 6/10 does not detract from the enjoyment of the film in my opinion.
It states clearly in the opening credits that the film is based on "Jane Austen's letters, her Juvenilla stories AND Mansfield Park" so in this version the character of Fanny Price is given a generous nod to the characters and events in the life of Jane Austen, which is a new and interesting twist and nice for those who are fans of Austen and not just the 6 novels. Fanny in the film is not as reserved and put upon as Fanny of the book, but this is where the Jane Austen letters come in, and I would like to believe that Fanny of the film is just as worthy a heroine (because after all we all love Jane too).
As with all movies of a good book there are omissions that some may find frustrating, but the parallels with Jane Austen's life; her early writings of the Juvenilla stories and her reading them to her beloved sister, her first accepting then refusing the marriage proposal a day later, all added to the charm of this version.
I am pleased that I got over myself and the negative reviews I had previously read and decided to give it a go. It is worth watching, and to all the nay sayers out there, No it really is not that bad, there are many film version that are unwatchable, but this is not one of them.