Whew. The Complete Jane Austen has been saved by the charming performances of J.J. Feild and Felicity Jones as Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey. Had PBS opted to follow ITV’s tepid Persuasion with the very problematic Mansfield Park, they would likely have lost scores of viewers who might not have returned for a third dose of another truncated adaptation of a Jane Austen novel.
Not knowing what to expect, I watched my preview DVD with some trepidation, only to lose myself in this sparkling and delightful adaptation. I have no illusions when it comes to comparing a 90-minute video to a complete novel written by a master writer: in my opinion the novel wins hands down every time. No debate. But director Jon Jones made the most of his short video time, combining dialogue with visual clues in such a deft way that one comes away from the movie feeling almost satisfied with this retelling of Jane’s gothic parody. Keep in mind that, as with all these adaptations, the subtleties and complexities of subplots and supporting character were scarcely given the passing time of day.
Be that as it may, the scene in which Catherine Morland and Mrs. Allen first enter the Lower Assembly Rooms in Bath demonstrates the director’s brilliant visual touches. Romance and regency authors frequently describe the “crush” at an assembly ball. This scene SHOWS it, with Mrs. Allen and Catherine elbowing their way through the crowd in dimly lit rooms and halls and doorways. One can almost smell the candle smoke and feel the heat of bodies pressing against each other, and smell the sweat of the dancers as they move energetically in a confined space. In her novel, Jane Austen took an enormous time describing Northanger Abbey both inside and out. Thankfully, the camera can show these descriptions in minutes, using interior and exterior shots as backdrops. For those of us who live outside of England, the scenery and sets alone make this production worth watching.
The casting was superb. J.J. Feild was smart, charming, and appropriately “almost handsome” as Jane described Henry Tilney. The adorable Felicity Jones was believable in her role as a naïve and gullible young woman who allowed her imagination to run rampant. In her fantasy scenes, with her thick dark hair flowing freely, Felicity convincingly resembled a lush and delectable maid in distress. Cary Mulligan as the flashy, brassy Isabella Thorpe nearly stole all her scenes. Liam Cunningham as General Tilney hit all the right villain notes, and William Beck was satisfyingly slimy as John Thorpe. My only major quibble with the casting was of Catherine Walker, whose drab Eleanor Tilney seemed to dissolve into the woodwork. Click here to view the characters and read a short bio about them.
As with recent Jane Austen adaptations, liberties were taken with the plot. Jane never described Isabella naked in bed after making love to Captain Tilney, nor does she have Catherine fantasize herself nude in front of Henry. Those who know me well know that I am no prude, but I attribute such scenes to the influence of Andrew Davies, who seems to think that a sexed up Jane Austen production is appropriate and right. Frankly, that’s a man’s point of view, and in this respect Mr. Jon Jones has sunk to the same level, thinking that sex will sell Jane to a new audience. Those of us who are comfortable using both sides of our brains know that Jane needs no such obvious and infantile interpretations to win fans over. Her words are good enough.
Speaking of fans, I am convinced this delightful production will influence many a young viewer to head towards their libraries to read a Jane Austen novel for the first time. And that thought gives me great pleasure. If you missed Northanger Abbey because of Iron Chef, check your local listing. Many PBS stations, such as the one in Richmond, have placed it on their schedule for a second night.
Technorati Tags: Jane Austen, Masterpiece Classic, Jane Austen Novels, Jane Austen Regency
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Thanks for this excellent review. I did enjoy this movie. I don’t agree with your critique of Catherine Walke as a drab Eleanor Tilney . I thought she was lovely and given how nasty the father was, wouldn’t we expect a slightly worn out daughter? But then, I haven’t read the book! Maybe I need to pick these up for my flight to Paris later this week…
I enjoyed reading your review, Ms. Place. I especially liked the conclusion where you said it might influence people to go pick up an Austen novel.
Thanks for your review. I too was delighted (and immensely relieved) at this charming adaptation. I agree they did not need to “sex it up” for today’s audience as people would not be drawn to her novels in the first place. But this is a great improvement over last weeks fiasco.
When in the UK earlier this year, I viewed this version of NA. Watched it again last night on my local PBS station – and there is at least one scene that has been omitted! The scene where Catherine imagines herself in a bathtub outside with Henry Tilney. Did anyone else in the US see this scene? I’m wondering if they took this scene out for PBS, or if this was just a local “cut” of the film?
They took the bathtub scene out, as well as the scene in which Catherine and Mrs. Allen sit uncomfortably in the Lower Assembly Rooms, knowing no one. As they leave, they bump into Mr. Tilney, which is where the scene picks up again for American audiences.
It is just as well that the milk bath tub scene was cut out: it really did not add to the story.
Excellent review! I loved this adaptation! It was so fun and over the top. It was such a different view of Bath than we’ve seen in other films; shockingly decadent!
My only question is whether you could really show up in bath and get dresses the next day in the shops. Ready-to-wear didn’t really exist at that time but I know women did want the newest styles right away. I wonder how quickly you could get a new dress in bath. Any ideas?
Loved your review! This was a new Jane Austen experience for me as I had never read or seen Northanger Abbey before. I was very happy with the overall production but wasn’t sure how accurate it was to the actual text.
By the way, wonderful blog!!
Sabina ~ barefoot in the orchard
I’ll admit, I loved it.
Although, you make an excellent point, it did feel a little “sexed up.” I actually went back to my book to see if I had missed something in Catherine’s reading of Udolpho. I was quite certain that there had been no mention of “bleeding breasts” in Austen’s original text. But, it has been a long since I read Northanger Abbey.
All of that aside, I did think it was a wonderful adaptation, compared with the other one . . . . Gag.
I was especially enthralled with the actor playing Henry Tilney. He was perfect! What a delightful countenance!
I am glad to finally have a version of NA that is worth watching!
I am so bummed that I missed watching!
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I am so relieved to hear that the bath(tub) scene was omitted from the version I saw! I found this version of Northanger Abbey delightful except for a few things, and I would hate to have another flaw to list.
And on the question of how long it would take to get a dress, we are distinctly told that Catherine and Mrs. Allen could not go out until three or four days had been spent finding out the latest styles and Mrs. Allen was provided with a new dress.
On the whole, I found this adaptation to be fairly delightful – also because of the casting, which was spot on. Catherine was fantastically well-played, and Henry was suitably ironic and clever.
Even allowing for the severe limitations imposed by a 90 minute made-for-TV series, there were some annoying omissions, and some additions that I thought did not add to the adaptation.
Did I blink and miss Henry’s “This is England, and we are Christians” speech, when he “explains” (ironically) to Catherine why murders and ghosts can’t possibly exist in their polite world of dancing and teas. And too little was made of his teasing Catherine by telling her a Gothic tale about NA itself.
The conversation between John Thorpe and Catherine where he “makes her an offer” was cut short, it was very funny in the novel.
The explanation of Catherine’s being turned out of NA is also missed out – i.e. that John Thorpe told the General that she was penniless. In the series, it’s explained that he misled the General about her supposed wealth, and then the General found out she was not as rich as he supposed. Why?
The sexed-up scenes with Catherine’s fantasy about Henry surprising her in her bathtub, and Isabella’s going to bed with Tilney were pointless additions – the latter being rather sexist – OF COURSE the lying social climbing woman sleeps with the man to induce him to marry her.
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You described Felicity Jones as “adorable”. It is hard to imagine this adjective constituting an understatement, but in this case, so it is.
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To me, this is possibly the second best adaptation of a Jane Austen novel ever, right after ‘Pride and Prejudice’ 1995.
I actually found the sex in this to make sense. Catherine’s dreams about appearing nude in front of Henry fit in with her fantasies about being a gothic novel heroine, and also symbolise her awakening as a woman, with Henry as her hero. As for Isabella in bed, I suppose they could have avoided the flesh, but the scene brought out the harsh reality for her. Isabella, in a way, is just as naive as Catherine when she asks, “So, are we engaged?” The scene itself wasn’t too overt; and besides, it’s implied that’s what happens in the novel anyway.
The only major quibble I had was that Henry gets angry with Catherine after finding out her suspicions, whereas in the novel he is sweet and understanding. If it weren’t for this ill-judged deviation, this adaptation of ‘Northanger Abbey’ would have been perfect.