Mansfield Park is another of British romanticist Jane Austen's novels to be given the big screen treatment. This production marks the first time this novel has been brought to the big screen, although a television mini-series version was made in 1983.
This is a light romantic comedy set in the early 19th century. It's what I call a fa-fa-fa-fa comedy. In order to get in on the laughs, one must adapt a certain upper crust British sensibility. One doesn't necessarily laugh because it's funny; one laughs because we like to show others our sophisticated appreciation of delightfully clever bon mots. To wit: "Bring all your horses. And your sister, too." Fa-fa-fa-fa. Brilliant. Did you catch that? How deliciously naughty!
OK, I'm being hard on the genre. I actually enjoyed Mansfield Park. It's a pleasant little diversion. Nothing earth shattering – nothing you simply must see. Just a simple story of a young woman named Fanny Price (Francis O'Connor) who is sent away from the filth and squalor of her home to stay with rich relatives. Young Edmund Bertram (Johnny Lee Miller) befriends her immediately and honestly (his mother tells the children that Fanny is not their equal, but that should never be apparent to her) and we sense a real connection between the two. But the oily Henry Crawford (Alessandro Nivola) pays particular attention to Miss Price and even asks for her hand in marriage. Despite Fanny's protestations, Mr. Crawford, who is not a poor man, shows himself to be genuinely in love, which plays no end of turmoil on the sensitive Miss Price. Particularly since the immensely agreeable Edmund is engaged to the overly confident Mary Crawford (Embeth Davidtz), the sister of Henry.
This film, made by Canadian writer and director Patricia Rozema, is not perfect by any means. Certain aspects of the story are hinted at but not explained, no doubt the victims of editing. It would have perhaps been best to exclude them altogether. Edmund's father, Sir Thomas Bertram (Harold Pinter) has some shady business down in Antigua, but its relevance is never made clear. Elder brother Tom falls ill, providing a plot point, but we learn too little of him. Perhaps most significantly, this production features a mishmash of styles, ranging from sly asides to the camera to anguished drama.
Still, the story and performances make up for these niggling faults. There is not a bad performance in the film. In particular, the bright-faced O'Connor shines as the saucy Price and Pinter is perfect as the kindly but tough patriarch. Fa-fa-fa-fa. Jolly good.
