Writer-director Patricia Rozema has made significant alterations to the original text and her instincts have worked superbly.
Mansfield Park (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:66
Fresh:50
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Solid performances, bold direction.
Synopsis: Fanny Price, a precociously intelligent young woman, is sent by her impoverished parents to live with her mother's wealthy sisters and family in order to benefit from the intellectual and social... Fanny Price, a precociously intelligent young woman, is sent by her impoverished parents to live with her mother's wealthy sisters and family in order to benefit from the intellectual and social education, as well as material comforts, that their status affords. Fanny, of native wit, budding writing talents and a late-blooming audacity, responds well to the new environment, despite being treated as a second-class citizen by her aunts, uncle, and cousins -- with the notable exception of cousin Edmund, with whom Fanny forms a fast and close bond, and which later blossoms into love. When the smooth con-artist brother and sister act of Henry and Mary Crawford arrive and attempt to infiltrate the Betram social circle with eyes on marital connections and thereby, inheritance, Henry begins to appreciate Fanny's understated charms, and determines that she is the woman for him. Her luster, however, is due in part to her unspoken love for Edmund, and she flatly rejects Henry's advances, which she also regards as insincere. This causes great dismay to her uncle, who subjects her to heavy interrogation and pressure to submit. In the end, Fanny cannot betray her heart, and chooses to return to the veritable slums where her family still resides by the docks of Portsmouth. It's up to Edmund to realize, for himself, his love for Fanny, and hopefully provide a happy ending to the proceedings. [More]
Starring: Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola
Starring: Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Harold Pinter, Lindsay Duncan, Sheila Gish, James Purefoy, Hugh Bonneville, Justine Waddell, Victoria Hamilton
Director: Patricia Rozema
Director: Patricia Rozema
Screenwriter: Patricia Rozema
Producer: Sarah Curtis
Composer: Lesley Barber
Reviews for Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park works because it not only comes from the novel...but also from Austen's letters and journals.
While this version plays somewhat fast and loose with the original story, and even more so with the heroine's character, it is still much more Jane Austen than not.
While Mansfield Park doesn't boast the high calibre Hollywood star wattage and gloss of Sense and Sensibility, it offers a more thought-provoking viewpoint.
...busy nothings add up to motion picture somethings in one of the year's most charming films.
Despite such occasional flaws...Mansfield Park is a welcome treat for Austen addicts.
A powerful portrait of a determined young woman's quest to remain true to the vastness of her spirit and soul.
An uneven but ultimately stirring adaptation from Canadian director Patricia Rozema.
Rozema's thoughtful pacing and deliberately modern spin on the tale keep the rot from setting in.
This is merely another attempt at making a high-class art film that can't come close to the spirit of the literary book it is based on.
Even if you have never read Austen, you will sense that something is wrong here long before a nude scene that would have made the author hide under a table.
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