Main Cast: Sylvestra Le Touzel, Bernard Hepton, Nicholas Farrell, Robert Burbage
Release Year: 1983
Country: UK
Run Time: 261 minutes
Plot
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen, the British miniseries Mansfield Park starred Sylvestra La Touzel as Fanny Price, a "poor relation" deposited at the doorstep of the titular country estate at age ten. Raised by her cynical uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram (Bernard Hepton), the ugly-duckling Fanny was ignored or rebuffed by everyone on the estate except for her cousin, Edmund (Nicholas Farrell). Eventually blossoming into a beautiful woman, Fanny found herself the romantic bone of contention between Edmund and neighboring aristocrat Henry Crawford (Robert Burbage). Though fond of both men, Fanny was not about to make an impulsive choice between them; both Edward and Henry would have to prove their mettle to her before either man could claim her hand in marriage. Telecast in six hour-long installments by the BBC in 1986, Mansfield Park was remade 13 years later as a theatrical feature film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This 1986 production has the right ingredients for a praiseworthy adaptation of a classic novel: loyalty to the author's vision, accomplished acting, and historically accurate settings and costumes. But modern audiences may balk at the lack of passion and glamor in the central character, Fanny Price (Sylvestra Le Touzel). She is shy, down-to-earth, primly upright, and merely pretty rather than beautiful. However, this is not director David Giles' interpretation of Fanny; it is Fanny as Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote her. Of course, in remaining faithful to the 1814 novel, Giles risks alienating viewers who prefer spirited, assertive Austen heroines, like the feminist Fanny (Frances O'Connor) in Patricia Rozema's 1998 adaptation of Mansfield Park. Critics both praised and panned that production, generally because their viewpoints reflected their acceptance or rejection of Rozema's revisionism. The 1983 film -- produced by the BBC as a TV miniseries -- is undeniably superior in at least one respect: its 261-minute running time, which allows it to present more of the plot and more of Austen's original dialogue. But it is undeniably inferior in its production values, appearing stagy, like a play, and the sound quality is only marginally better than that recorded by a portable tape recorder. In both productions, though, the acting and period ambience leave little room for criticism. In the end, the question of which is the better film ultimately depends on whether viewers prefer their Austen pure and straight up or spiked with 80-proof interpretation. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
