Masterpiece: Mansfield Park DVD

Fanny not as in-depth as I'd like

For this to be a Masterpiece Classic, I was expecting it to be along the same lines as the recent MC version of Emma with Johnny Lee Miller and Romola Garai. It's not. Not...Read complete review

For this to be a Masterpiece Classic, I was expecting it to be along the same lines as the recent MC version of Emma with Johnny Lee Miller and Romola Garai. It's not. Not even close. Having read this novel, I have to say that I prefer the version of Mansfield Park with Johnny Lee Miller playing Edward. Each version has its own strengths, mainly that this version keeps Fanny's favorite sibling as her brother William, not a sister as in the JLM version. The JLM version, however, shows Fanny's depth of character much better and delves more into the relationship between Tom and the father. This version makes Fanny's reluctance to delve into sensual pleasures or to disobey her uncle seem to arise more from timidity, not moral character strength, as the author writes Fanny. Could simply be the experience of the actresses playing the Fanny character. Had this MC version been longer, like their Emma, it could have fleshed out ALL the characters better. It's like watching a Cliff Notes version, in a way. If you just want to have an idea of Jane Austen's masterpiece Mansfield Park, by all means, buy it (on sale). If you want a better idea of what the novel is really about, watch both versions, and between the two, you will get a better feel for the author's intentions in writing the story.