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Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), French, Dubbed
Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Mansfield Park is a sexy, entertaining comedy about a spirited young woman (Francis O'Connor) sent away to live with her wealthy cousins to learn the ways of proper society. While she learns "their" ways she enlightens them with her wit and sparkle.
"It's delicious fun." Stephen Hunter, The Washington Post
"...a gorgeous, enchanting experience." Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Editor's Note
This sterling adaptation of Austen's third published novel, set in early 19th century Portsmouth, England, concerns Fanny Price (O'Connor), an intelligent young woman who is sent to live with her mother's wealthy family. Settling into her new life, Fanny is treated poorly by everyone except her cousin Edmund (Miller). The pair connect immediately, and pretty soon deeper feelings emerge. The arrival of a conniving brother and sister duo cause a commotion, forcing Fanny to decide if she should succumb to her material surroundings, or remain true to her heart.
Plot Summary
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.
| Features | Commentary track | | Behind-The-Scenes Featurette | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Theatrical Trailer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 1/4/2005 |
| Running Time: 110 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 18305 | | UPC: 00717951004901 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Well-turned dialogue, acute social irony..." 9/6-12/1999 p.66-7Rolling Stone
"...[The cast brings] an erotic heat and stinging humor to Austen's social satire..." 11/25/1999 p.112 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...A tribute to Austen's storytelling skills....[The film has] dramatic and emotional payoffs..." p.40 Premiere
"...Rozema and her superb cast display a conviction uncommon to costume dramas....Much cinematic invention..." -- 4 out of 5 stars - Watch More Than Once 08/01/2000 p.88 USA Today
"...Rozema's untraditional approach to costume drama can be bracing....[The] performances are strong, and playwright Harold Pinter is particularly good..." 11/18/1999 p.4D Chicago Sun-Times
"...MANSFIELD PARK is a witty, entertaining film....This is an uncommonly intelligent film, smart and amusing too..." 11/24/1999 p.43 The New York Times 9 of 10
In the hands of a less talented filmmaker, this extensive tinkering and modernizing might seem irritating... But in peering beneath Austen's genteel surfaces and scraping away the Hollywood gloss that traditionally accrues to screen adaptations of Austen, Ms. Rozema has made a film whose satiric bite is sharper than that of the usual high-toned romantic costume drama. - Stephen Holden
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
...a witty, entertaining film... Frances O'Connor makes a dark-haired heroine with flashing eyes and high spirits... This is an uncommonly intelligent film, smart and amusing too, and anyone who thinks it is not faithful to Austen doesn't know the author but only her plots. - Roger Ebert
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  4 | | Plot |  5 | | Acting | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 Excellent, Charming, and Touching Romantic Comedy Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Khara from Harrisburg, PA
This relatively short film (I think it's under 2 hours, and if not it seems like it!) is one of my guilty pleasures! I'm more into action/mob movies-- my favorite is the Godfather-- but this is one that I've sat and watched two or three times in a row. For a "chick flick", it's an absolute delight, with the perfect amounts of romance paired with equal portions of feminine independence and strength to keep it from becoming another cheesy romantic feature. The characters are engaging, frustrating, inspirational, heartwarming, characters you love to hate and sometimes hate to love! It's a great film that manages to pack a lot into its time frame; in some areas, like a subtle yet perhaps under-focused look at the evils of slavery, sub-plotting seems a little underdone, but overall it's an accomplishment. Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 Great work of Austen! Friday, January 05, 2007
Lisa from Loris, SC
I almost didn't buy or watch this movie because so many reviews made it sound racy, but I would have really missed out on a treasure. For you other skeptical Austen fans, let me assure you this movie isn't any more racy than a good BBC movie on PBS! I thought Francis O'Connor wonderfully captured Fanny Price's simplicity and morality, yet conveyed her own intelligence (despite her humble roots) and her disdain for some of the "intelligents" around her. The chemistry between Fanny and Edward is captured beautifully on the screen. Like the newest Pride and Prejudice, I feel it may not be perfectly faithful to the book, but it better captures Austen's feel and the underlying messages she was sending in all of her social satires than do some previous film adaptations of her works. Mansfield Park has some of Austen's better villians, and the social commentary on the evils of the slave trade is not exactly subtle. Watch it, and I promise you'll love it. P&P is still my all-time favorite story (period), and MP's characters are just as well-written and in turn, acted. Was this review helpful?
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