Review of Mansfield Park (2007) by Irene R — 03 May 2011

The more screen adaptations I watch, the more I realize how much of an image for each character I already have in my mind for having read the book first. In this case, I thought Miss Crawford and Edmund were well-portrayed, but the rest of the cast fell short of my expectations. Fanny's dark eyebrows were distracting, and she was much more gay and lively than the timid and frail creature presented in the book. Mrs. Norris was not at all the selfish, bustling busybody and Fanny's cruel oppressor that she was in the book, and she was actually rather reserved. Lady Bertram was improved upon nicely, but several characters were entirely omitted.

The movie managed to stay very true to some scenes in the book while taking very great liberties with others. Fanny hardly seemed to be the second-class family member that was so central to her character in the book, and maybe because of that, the movie did not include her visit to her family (as it wasn't necessary for this character's development). The movie also did not include any charming childhood scenes, which set the tone in the book for Fanny and Edmund's relationship. What was included was well-done, and the movie was well-paced.

As for the final scene - I have to admit, I'm not sure what the point was of having Edmund and Fanny show off a new style of dance, nice as it was to watch.