It’s official; I’ve completed my first task for the Everything Austen Challenge!

Today I watched BBC television’s 2007 version of Mansfield Park. Since I’ve also previously seen the 1999 big screen adaptation I thought I’d do a comparison of the two.

Starring:
mansfield19991999’s movie stars Frances O’Connor as Fanny and Johnny Lee Miller as Edmund. Being a child of the 80s and 90’s I was already well aware of who Miller was from his stint in Trainspotting. O’Connor was relatively new to me as an actress but has since gone on to do quite a bit in Hollywood that makes her more recognizable.

mansfield2007The 2007 made for television movie was filled with more obscure British talent as the two primary leads. I was only moderately familiar Billie Piper as Fanny. Piper has formerly worked in the sci-fi program Dr. Who and then most recently in Showtime’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Blake Ritson, a young man who has played roles primarily in British film and television, portrays Edmund.


Plotting and Review:
Both versions are pretty strict adaptations of Austen’s work. However, as one would expect, there are some variations on focus.

It felt to me that there was more focus on the love story between Fanny and Edmund in the movie as compared to the BBC adaptation. There was far less interaction between the two (besides stolen glances and Fanny pining) in this most recent portrayal. I didn’t feel the love between them until the very end when Mrs. Bertram plotted to get them alone together to acknowledge their feelings.

I also thought the 1999 version displayed how conniving Mary Crawford really was so much better. Her social climbing was an element spoken of in the 2007 television movie but was not specifically displayed that much. In fact the older adaptation portrayed the entire Crawford element with much more depth than this 2007 version. We saw how Henry pursued Maria and eventually won her over to their affair, we saw how he pursued Fanny and eventually lost her, we saw how Mary wove herself into Edmund’s life by befriending Fanny, and we saw the two siblings interacting together behind the scenes. In doing so it gave far more meaning and significance to the eventual coupling of Fanny and Edmund, exemplifying why they were right for each other.

Much of what else was portrayed in both versions was fairly equal. The play at Mansfield Park, Tom’s illness, lady Bertram’s obsession with the pug, and Sir Thomas’ attitude towards Fanny and his family. They were all small parts of the larger whole but parts that assisted in giving the viewer perspective and variety.

I prefer the 1999 film to the 2007 television version of Mansfield Park. The fact that I was more familiar with many of the cast members (Miller, Purfoy, Nivola, Davitz) might have been a major influence. Having said that both were very good and worth watching, if you’re an Austen addict you’ll likely enjoy each.