Rating: 
Summary: One Star Is Too Many
Review: This by far is the worst attempt to bring an Austen novel to the screen that I have ever seen! Jane would turn over in her grave after viewing this one. To really appreciate Mansfield Park, buy the book by Austen, or the other video starring Anna Massey.
Rating: 
Summary: Liked It Better Than Novel and Video Series
Review: "Mansfield Park" is probably my least favorite of Austen's novels, especially with its plain, dull heroine, Fanny Price. I also watched the video series of it, made years earlier than this version, and found that series very faithful to the novel. I found it hard to get beyond the plainly unattractive, placid heroine. So I didn't like it very much either. This newest version is a more modern adaptation with a markedly different heroine, one who resembles Elizabeth Bennett of "Pride & Prejudice". I liked this version much more than the novel or the earlier video series. However, it still comes in behind the newest versions of "Pride & Prejudice" (Colin Firth) and "Sense and Sensibility" (Emma Thompson). I enjoyed the slave trade wealth of the family being brought into this film as well as (cousin) Tom's stunning drawings of the abuse of slaves, which Fanny discovers while he is ill. For the first time, I found Fanny's love interest attractive. This is her cousin Edmund, a future clergyman, played by Johnny Lee Miller, who is already a film heartthrob. The romance of the piece is a lot more believable with such attractive leads at the heart of it. The father of the family, acted by playwright Harold Pinter, is a much darker character than he is in earlier versions. This is a plus to this version as well. Austen purists may have problems with this film version but everyone else should give it a try. My husband, who is not a Jane Austen fan, liked this film better than the other film or video versions of Austen's works so he would probably give it a 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Certainly a brow-raiser, not in the way you'd think though
Review: After reading all of Austen's novels, I do consider myself a pretty ardent and faithful fan. And of course I have long waited eager anticipation for Rozema's daring adaption of Austen's most controversial and complex novel. I can assure you the after-taste of my fist viewing was quite nameless. First of all, no film should be condemned for being discursive from the book, and Rozema should definitely be applauded for what she attempted with this classic. The original novel is the darkest in theme among Austen's known works, and Rozema has a keen eye for the sparks lurking in the darkness of Mansfield Park and she captures them well with her camera and her dialogues. At times however, one feels the political aspect of slave trade is rather too patent, yet the arguments do provide a fertile ground for the character Fanny Price to blossom. Frances O'Connor subtly takes away the painfully shy, clumsy country girl and presents us a revolutionary young woman of the new ages. The rest of the cast is brilliant as well and they fit nicely into the niches painted by Rozema. Some say Austen would be rolling in her grave for the bold liberty Rozema takes: Sir Bertram's unexplored sexual exploits, virtue of wealth, and worth of love for example; but all works out for modern viewers who are more or less tempted by the same conceptual doubts, be it 2006 or 1806. So don't call me an infidel for giving this "rebel", brow-raiser 5 stars, only a true admirer of Austen's spirit can probe to such depth and uncover the courage of Fanny. After all, Austen was a rebel for her age, and through Rozema's witty script, superimposing Austen's own toiling youth against Fanny's literary fancies, are we able to sigh in relieve and curtsey in response to the towering strength of one woman.
Rating: 
Summary: flawed but enjoyable
Review: Considering the fact that Jane Austen was not exactly the most prolific novelist of all time - she basically completed about half a dozen lengthy works in her short lifetime - it seems inconceivable that, after the recent onslaught of films derived from her works, there remain any left available for adaptation. Yet, here is the latest, a film version of what many consider to be one of her weaker efforts, "Mansfield Park," a tale set, like all her stories, in the pleasant countryside of early 19th Century England. Faced as they were with the obvious inferiority of the source material and the prospect of building a film around what is universally admitted to be one of Austen's drabbest heroines, the filmmakers obviously decided to risk updating the material by bringing a more modern, socially conscious sensibility to the proceedings. Predictably, many Austen purists have balked at the screenwriter's injection of so sanguinary a subject as the slave trade into the author's carefully isolated and circumscribed world of genteel manners and quaint social customs. In addition, the film even provides a glimpse of passionate lovemaking that, while insignificant by today's filmic standards, may well jolt the true Austenphile into a state of palpitating agitation if not downright apoplexy (pass the smelling salts someone; I feel a case of the vapors coming on)!Actually, "Mansfield Park" emerges as a reasonably entertaining film, true to the spirit of Austen in its sharp-witted dialogue and its exploration of ever-shifting romantic relationships that are the staples of all the author's works. The protagonist, Fanny Price, sent off at a young age to live as the "poor relation" at her relatives' estate in the country, has been made less the passive observer she was in the novel and more a woman of action and decision. The film essentially concerns itself with the romantic travails of this kindhearted, clear-eyed young woman as she copes with the haughtiness, facades and deceptions of a number of the people around her. Even though the story seems at times a pale reiteration of themes and plot devices developed to more effectiveness in the author's "Pride and Prejudice," the complexity of both the characters and the storyline keep one intrigued for most of the film's running time. As with Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny discovers the realities of the true persona so often hidden beneath deceptively simple surfaces and learns to accept a world and the people living in that may not be quite in accordance with one's stubbornly held pre-conceived notions. As to the inclusion of the issue of the uncle's involvement in the slave trade, it is not, in and of itself, a matter for immediate dismissal. Just because Austen never included it in any of her works doesn't mean that it is necessarily irrelevant in helping to fill in the social background of the era presented. The problem, though, is that the subject is dealt with in such a superficial manner that it seems tacked on as a too-obvious attempt to render the time period more in tune with modern standards of equanimity and social justice - as if our liberal consciences could not indulge themselves guilt-free in the seeming triviality of these characters' over-sheltered lives if we were not forced to notice that such a lifestyle was possible only on the broken backs of human workhorses. (One wonders if, in a film set in modern times, we will now be subjected to discussions of the cruelty and inhumanity of the treatment of migrant farm workers every time a character indulges himself in a piece of fruit. It is always so much easier to point the finger of wagging shame at the barbarity of cultures long passed from the scene than at our own). Luckily, writer/director Patricia Rozema has been blessed with a first-rate cast of extraordinary actors, including Embeth Davidtz as a fully fleshed-out version of Fanny, and even playwright Harold Pinter, of all people, as Fanny's slave-owning uncle. Visually, the film is gorgeous, capturing the many-hued brilliance of the tranquil English countryside and the dreary, somber grayness of Fanny's impoverished seaside home with equal effectiveness. "Mansfield Park" is nowhere near the sparkling delight that "Emma" was. Still, it provides riches aplenty for those with a fondness for this time period and the uniquely special joys Jane Austen's works provide.
Rating:
Summary: The Scenery was Nice...
Review: If you happen to be a die-hard Jane Austin fan, please read as many reviews of this movie as you can before you watch it, but definitely watch it! This movie shows just enough resemblance to the book to be able to recognize Jane Austin as it's mother, but that's as far as it goes. You will not recognize Fanny Price. They call her Fanny Price in the movie, but her self-assured mannerisms and self-confidence bear no resemblance to the book. Fanny's older brother has been completely written out of the movie. And I can't quite put my finger on it, but there seems to be an overall attempt to make all the characters seem black and white, good or bad, which I found frustrating and annoying. This black/white thing is particularly annoying since Jane Austin had very few completely bad people in her novels. We, of course, interpret their actions as bad, but she always suggested that there was something redeeming in everyone whether they chose that path or not. I have a number of issues with this interpretation, but if you approach it as just another period movie, it can be quite enjoyable. Nice cinematography, nice locations, the pacing is good, and there are a handful of amusing conventions within it. I usually don't care for a movie whose characters talk directly to the viewers (except, of course, for Woody Allen movies) because it tends to distroy the viewers' suspension of disbelief, and that isn't a good way of presenting a dramatic story line. So, in summation, I was disappointed with this adaptation. I am one of those people who wish film makers could interpret a book faithfully to the author's intent, instead of putting their own interpretive mark on the project. But, as long as you understand that this movie will not actually be the Mansfield Park with which you are familiar, it is an enjoyable experience. As for the lesbian thing, I interpreted that as another in the many little details that the director used to attempt to make certain characters appear good, and others appear bad. It's disappointing that this film maker chose to make a character look bad by suggesting she might have lesbian tendancies (that sort of comment doesn't help our society get beyond stereotypes). She should have saved her social commentary for her own material, instead of tacking it onto a Jane Austin story! For those of you who have not read any of Jane Austin's writing, there are few references to sex, and none to lesbian relationships. Definitely rent it before you buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Lackluster adaptation
Review: Of al the recent adaptations of Jane Austen's works, this is the real disappointment. It lacks the integrity of Persuasion and the grand sweep of the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. There is a a sense of disjointment....very uneven stroy telling. A big disappointment, since it had so much to work with and could have been so much better.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome Austen adaptation!
Review: I highly recommend this new adaptation of Mansfield Park. I know many hardcore Jane Austen fans have complained about it bitterly, but I liked it. Fanny Price is not my favorite Austen heroine. She is so horribly shy and shrinking that I keep fighting an impulse to throw down the novel and shake some life into her. Director Patricia Rozema has given her some life. I like this Fanny! The movie is beautifully shot and intelligently scripted. My only complaint is Rozema's emphasis of the slavery issue. It was so obviously a personal issue with the director that it feels artificially imposed upon the story. The idea that Fanny would come across drawings of her uncle raping slaves in Antigua is preposterous to say the least. But, other than that, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie and it sits proudly beside the other recent Austen adaptations on my movie shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Take A Walk inside Masfield Park. You Wont Regret It.
Review: Since I was not fimilar with Jane Austin's books nor the films that were made based upon them. I really didn't expect much from this film. I did although see Emma and sad to say, I hated it. So there was another item that keept me from thinking that Masfield Park was going to be a dull and boring peice of film. Ohhhhh but Manfield Park is anything but. I found it very charming, amusing, and above all, very entertaining. I also found that Fancis O'Conner and Jonny Lee Miller had excellent chemistry together. There was also wonderful preformances from every cast member and the picture and music were both beautiful. And if you're not a big fan of English spoken films it's okay. I really wasn't either but I'm sure Mansfield Park will change all that. I loved this film and I also loved the way that Patricia Rozema wrote and shot the end sequence. It's perfect. Overall, Mansfield Park is an excellent film that's romantic, dramatic, witty, and everything else that makes up a good film.
Rating:
Summary: It could have turned out differently...
Review: This movie does not do Jane Austen justice. Where is the traditional apology of the father after he finds out his charge was actually right all along? What have they done to the Antiguan subplot, and where did all this comment on the Antiguan slave trade come from? What happened to the layabout lifestyle of the eldest son, and why was he suddenly sent to Antigua when in the book he was good for nothing? This movie leaves so many questions unanswered. The biggest one of all is why did the writers even bother calling it Mansfield Park, when it evidently is not. Henry and Mary Crawford's deception was never so obvious as in this movie. Their countenance was revealed in more subtle ways - the product of bored sibling minds. But what is this? Henry Crawford actually having sex with Mrs B? And don't even start me on the basket of fireworks and doves. Jane Austen would never have written such trite! Any good fan of Jane Austen will tell you that timing is everything in telling a story. Her novels are built to careful meter, with rigorous and thorough treatment of every situation. The movie however, manages to gloss over every intricate detail placed so intelligently by Jane Austen in an attempt to provide a more fast-paced account of sexual and mental betrayal. In fact, the movie tends to be slower than the book, and certainly less detailed (I'm not even sure that someone who hadn't read the book would understand what was going on half the time). Some would argue that a movie is only two hours and one cannot possibly cram a full book's worth of information into it. It would have been nice, however, if they'd managed to include some of the plot. As for the ending....well what can I say. It could have turned out differently - but it didn't. The only saving grace of this movie are the well-cast actors who play Edmund Bertrum and Fanny Price. The couple are adorable, and I'm sure that if Edmund's nostrils stop quivering, he will make a good actor some day.
Rating:
Summary: An enlightened take on a classic Austen
Review: I, similar to other theatre goers, had heard varied reviews of this movie before viewing it myself. It had been labled feminist and highly interpretive among other, less flattering comments, but upon seeing it myself, I discovered the film to be innovative, clever, and over all charming. The director of the piece felt that Fanny, while being a very strong character, could have been stronger without being vulgar. Miss Price played on the screen as a independent female figure, much to the original intention of Ms. Austen. I feel that the film is an accurate depiction of what the author would have written if she were alive in this day and age. Over all, a beautiful movie and one well worth the time and effort if not quite the one hundred and three dollars.
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