Fun Friday–Mansfield Park on PBS

Before getting into the discussion of this week’s presentation, let me take a step back to last week’s and say, for the record, how much I absolutely adored the new version of Northanger Abbey. As I wrote last week, I believe NA will be the triumph of the Austen Series. Now, on to Mansfield Park . . .

I may be one of the few people in the world who enjoys the full experience of Jane Austen’s longest novel, Mansfield Park. There is only one section of it that I routinely skip when reading it, listening to the audiobook, or watching the 1983 BBC version starring Sylvestra Le Touzel—who, by the way, played Mrs. Allen in the new Northanger Abbey this past week—and that’s the part when Tom brings a friend home and, in Sir Thomas’s absence, they start rehearsing a play. But I’m pretty sure that part’s been cut out. I’m a little concerned that what took them 312 minutes to show in the ’83 version (which still left out some stuff from the book, but not much), has been cut down to 90 minutes for this new release.

Here’s the synopsis from the PBS/Masterpiece Classics site:

“We all have our best guides within us, if only we would listen.”
— Fanny Price in Mansfield Park

Fanny Price (Billie Piper, Doctor Who, The Ruby in the Smoke) is plucked from poverty as a child and taken to live with relatives at stately Mansfield Park. Surrounded by entitled and vain cousins, Fanny forges a connection with one — Edmund Bertram (Blake Ritson, Inspector Lynley Mysteries). Years later, two neighbors fresh from a life in high society descend on Mansfield Park, sparking a labyrinth of intrigue and affairs. Fanny finds herself being pursued, but not by the longstanding love of her life. Can Fanny listen to her own heart and wait for her true love to notice her?

I’m trying to stay positive about this adaptation of the novel—not my favorite of the six, but still one that I’ve enjoyed—but a few elements do concern me:
1. Billie Piper

Maybe it’s because, with the exception of Gwyneth Paltrow in the theatrical release version of Emma (my least favorite of the six novels/stories), Austen’s heroines have almost exclusively been cast with brunette actresses, Billie Piper already doesn’t fit my mental image of Fanny Price. And there are two issues I have with this image: the costume, which looks like it’s about twenty years out of date; and her hair, which never would have been left unbound during that age (nor would it have been shoulder-length, nor would she have had bangs nor would she have obviously black eyebrows with blonde hair—okay, yes, I’m getting a little too critical).

2. Length which I’ve already mentioned.

3. The Ending. After reading the full synopsis at the PBS/Masterpiece site, I’m a little concerned that they’ve glossed over some of the important—the vitally important—events that occur near the ending of the novel . . . the most important of which is Fanny’s being sent back to Portsmouth after she refuses Henry’s first proposal. The synopsis says she is “left in solitude at Mansfield Park.” There is no way that will have the impact on the characters/story that her being sent away to Portsmouth has in the original story. Being sent away from Mansfield Park—and Edmund—and having to live in her family’s squalid quarters near the dockyard in Portsmouth, cut off from everyone she cares about, is the pivotal moment in the book when Fanny’s strength of character is revealed. Even though she desires nothing more than to get back to Mansfield Park, when Henry comes to Portsmouth and offers to rescue her, by way of renewing his proposal of marriage and an offer to take her back to the life/people she misses, she still refuses to lower her standards or compromise/give up her love for Edmund. So it’ll be interesting to see how taking this part out works.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So what am I looking forward to in this version?

1. Script by Andrew Davies. Just click back to last week’s Fun Friday post about Northanger Abbey in case you’ve forgotten why fans of Austen’s books love Andrew Davies. Even though I do have my concerns over the changes to the story, I trust that he will still have done his uttermost to maintain the integrity of the themes and characters. UPDATE SUNDAY, JAN. 27: I was misinformed about Andrew Davies being the screenwriter for this adaptation. Apparently it’s Maggie Wadey, and the only other book-to-screen adaptation of hers I’ve seen was The Buccaneers, which may go a long way in explaining what may or may not have been cut out of this story.

2. The Men. I’ve never been shy about admitting that I have a thing for British actors. And the casting director of this production seems to have outdone herself:

Edmund Bertram

Blake Ritson is just on that line between stodgy and good looking, which is perfect for the role of Edmund.

Tom Bertram

Though Ruth and I disagreed about the new version of Persuasion, I know she’ll completely agree with me in saying that any movie with James D’Arcy in it has at least one redeeming quality!

Henry Crawford

I haven’t seen Joseph Beattie in anything before, but just from this picture, he looks like he fits the role of Henry Crawford perfectly.

3. The Bertram Sisters. Maria and Julia are secondary characters in the book, but their actions have great impact on the unfolding of Fanny’s story. And here, the casting director seems to have done an excellent job as well:

Maria Bertram-Rushworth

My main exposure to Michelle Ryan was in her role as Katherine in the BBC miniseries Jekyll, but the majority of U.S. viewers may know her better as the latest incarnation of The Bionic Woman. She has just the right combination of beauty and haughtiness needed for the role of the condescending and ill-fated Maria.

Julia Bertram

I can’t recall having seen Catherine Steadman in anything before, but she is very well cast as Maria’s younger sister who has always lived in her more lively, more beautiful older sister’s shadow—especially when it comes to men. My only fear is that her character has drawn the short-straw in this adaptation, and she will not be shown to actually be the “good” daughter—as well as have a happy romance eventually sanctioned by her parents.

Links of Interest
Interview with screenwriter Andrew Davies on NPR
Listing on IMDb.com
Main page at PBS’s Masterpiece Classics site
Wikipedia Article on Mansfield Park
Full Text of Mansfield Park on Bibliomania

For more information on Jane Austen and all of her works:
The Jane Austen Society of North America
The Republic of Pemberley