Kat's Film Reviews: Mansfield Park

Saturday, July 24, 2004

Mansfield Park

I'm on a Jane Austen flick fest, so you'll see more of them reviewed here in the near future. I've seen all of them before, but decided to watch them again after realizing that all of the films I have in the house from Netflix are dull, dreary, non-summery type films. Not in the mood; at least not this weekend. So, I started with Mansfield Park, maybe because it's the newest of them all (i.e., Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion; I'll be bypassing Northanger Abbey as it's supposed to be terrible; I may include Clueless since it's a blast to watch). I recognize the female touch, as this is the only one of the five to be directed by a woman. But I can't quite pinpoint what that touch is. Is it the overwhelming attention to the sensuality of Austen's novels? This film is almost like watching hands-off porn, in that respect. Is it the sly winks to the audience, in the form of the characters speaking directly to the camera? Patricia Rozema, the director, brought Austen's letters and journals into the scripting process, and some of that material is set apart from the tale. Or is it the director's concentration on the relationships to the exclusion of some important plot points? For instance, why does Fanny Price become so beloved as a poor relation in a rich household? Kind of important, and completely side-stepped. Never mind, though. The film is rich in the feel of Austen, and that's what counts in the long run.

year: 1999
length: 112 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178737/combined

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