Review of Northanger Abbey (2007) by Marj L — 07 Dec 2008

This was a very strange experience for me as it was an Austen adaptation of a novel I've yet to read. Thus, I can't tell whether it was an odd film (considering it's an Austen adaptation) or it was a standard adaptation of an odd Austen novel.

It seemed more like Vanity Fair or Barry Lyndon than Austen at times. This of course was remedied in the end, but it forced me to wonder what was going on. It seems to be written at a time when Austen was still searching for her voice.

I dare say it is rather heavily influenced by other novelists of the time. The novel is better than the film, but neither can be any rational person's favorite. It is a bit hard to fully engage in the story or the characters.

They are not as well drawn or as admirable as in other novels. The story seems to be much more of a minor frolic than anything of truw weight, romance, and substance. Still, it is Austen so it eminently watchable and readable.

Felicity Jones is beautiful, but neither her nor her character are particularly interesting. I can't wait to read the novel now. I'll reserve final judgment on the quality of the film until then.