Join JASNA-NJ to discuss the cinematic adaptations of Mansfield Park on Saturday, February 18th at 2pm over Zoom. You can register here.
We will focus primarily on:
* The BBC serial (1983) available on BritBox.
* Patricia Rozema’s adaptation (1999) which can be streamed through Starz or Hulu or rented through Amazon, Apple, or at your local library on DVD.
* The ITV adaption (2007) which can be rented on Amazon.
Yes, three, only three major adaptations exist of this Jane Austen work, in contrast to last year’s focus on Pride & Prejudice. With P&P, we could have easily had an additional meeting just to discuss some of the second-tier or less famous adaptations we didn’t have time to cover.
Not even Wishbone tackled Mansfield Park! We can only assume he is prejudiced against Lady Bertram’s pug, versus Fanny Price.
However, although the watch list is shorter, there is no shortage of topics to discuss. The 80s BBC version is fairly straightforward and features some interesting wigs. Rozema’s take blends Jane Austen’s own character and letters with the text (as well as stresses its anti-slavery themes). The 2007 version, well, it, um has a Doctor Who companion starring as Fanny Price but alas no Tardis.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
(Looking a little less forward to being bombarded with links to all of the radio adaptations, animae, operas, puppet shows, and other adaptations I didn’t classify as major, but what the heck, you can always @me on social media and point out my blind spots.)
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 