Mansfield Park - 1999

I loved the costumes, the scenery, the accent; not so much of the rest. I can't say if the film is loyal to the book or not because I read it a long time ago and don't remember much, only that it was in last place in my list of the Jane Austen's books I've read. When I'll read it again I'll be able to compare the two, for now, I can only say I did not like this film very much. I don't know if the book talked so much of slavery or of Tom's madness (the eldest son, assuming he was actually crazy; either that or Lord Bertram really did commit atrocities towards his slaves). I liked Johnny Lee Miller as Edmund. I didn't like certain scenes; I don't know if it's just me very unsettlingly sexual: the way Lord Bertram and even her own father looked at Fanny, for example, but I don't know, maybe it was normal in those times to look at girls and daughters like that, to value their beauty and therefore their worth like that. It's not too clear for how long Henry kept wooing Fanny, and I don't like how her 'no I don't trust you-yes I'l marry you kisskiss-no I'm not prepared, I can't marry you' pantomime is portrayed. I mean, I understand her feelings, I can totally understand her, but I don't think the film expressed them all very well. Still, Fanny like any girl on this world had every right to feel hurt when she found him in bed with Maria: she was also a married woman. It doesn't matter that Fanny had rejected him so there was actually nothing between them.
I love books and stories but I found Fanny's stories boring here. As I said, the only things I liked were the scenery and the costumes and the accent, the rest was rather disappointing.