Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 10, 2017

Whenever there is a book turned into a film -- and there are a lot of books turned into films -- controversies are sure to follow. Many who read the book will prefer the book while others who have not read the book may not find as many faults -- some obvious, some of a more nitpick-y variety -- with the film. One author who has, posthumously, of course, seen her works transitioned to the screen on numerous occasions and in various adaptations is Jane Austen. And her rabid fanbase is not easy to please. While it's easy to understand that some elements of a source novel must be altered to meet the various parameters, requirements, and constraints of the film medium, there comes a point when bibliophiles can shout no more and only shake their heads in disbelief, mourning the loss of their story and silently questioning how or why a particular story has been reduced to a shell of its original self. PBS' Mansfield Park is a prime example. Austen fans will likely find it revolting, seeing the film as having little resemblance to the classic novel, simply sharing some names and basic plot mechanics with Austen's original. Viewers watching the film without having read the novel, however, may enjoy it as a romp through 19th century England life and love if they can look past a few overt idiosyncrasies and out-of-the-way anachronisms.

PBS’s Mansfield Park condenses the story into a film length version of the novel without losing all of its core essence, the basic narrative ebbs and flows that make it Mansfield Park. It opens as Fanny (Bille Piper) is sent to live with her relatives at the tender age of 10. The film then skips ahead almost a decade, breaking with the novel as it ignores any meaty explorations of her relationships with her aunt, uncle, and cousins, and focuses on her time as a burgeoning adult when her various cousins begin to fall in love and search for homes and families of their own. Fanny is in the awkward position of navigating the intricacies of British society as someone on the fringe of society, neither a cherished child nor a servant. The film shows much of the novel’s middle but exorcises some important parts, such as Fanny’s journey to visit her parents later in the story.

Mansfield Park makes for quasi-enjoyable light viewing for its story particulars and, of course, away from the rallying cries against this take on the tale. It does get some of the little things right. The film chews its scenery with fashionable flair and favor, exploring all of the well-appointed areas in and around the mansion, even as the film leaves out the lavish ball that's an important part of the novel. It further helps solidify the contrast between the family's wealth and the servants' relative poverty. Viewers familiar with the period of history may find Fanny's loose hairstyle out-of-place, but the film does make sure to dress her in clothing less desirable and ornate as that worn by her cousins.

Performances are fine under the film's approach. Billie Piper's portrayal of Fanny doesn't set the world on fire, but she brings adequate emotional depth to the part as a shy yet outspoken character while exploring her emotions as she's forced to watch her love interest fall for another woman and, throughout the film, live as, essentially, a second-class citizen to the larger family circle around her. Blake Ritson delivers a distinguished performance as Edmund, a man who has chosen the path of the cloth but who has nevertheless fallen in love, or at least infatuation, with the lovely Mary Crawford, a worldly woman whose only interest is the search for a wealthy man to marry. Ritson reveals his character’s conflict well as he tries to win her over without comprising his principles in the process. The relationship's culmination is beautifully performed. James D’Arcy offers an appropriately intimidating, authoritarian performance as Fanny’s Uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram. When Fanny declines an offer of marriage from a wealthy suitor -- which means she will remain his dependent -- D'Arcy reveals his character's duality as something of a villain and something of a caretaker who has his niece's best interests at heart. Maggie O’Neil delivers an intriguing performance as the overly opinionated Aunt Norris who never lets Fanny forget the poverty from which she comes.

Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mansfield Park holds at a stable midlevel mediocrity. PBS' 1080p transfer, which appears sourced from film, offers a halfway decent, but occasionally flawed, watch. Details are rarely exacting, The film is fairly soft by its nature, and even some of the would-be sharp, robust textures like brick and stone work fail to present with any serious edginess or tactile definition. Faces are soft and airy and don't show much pinpoint detail, and even the complex period attire lacks any serious in-depth nuance. Colors are a bit diffuse. Natural greens are decently saturated and offer some nice variation, but nothing in the film -- not the greens, not the red brick, not clothes, not lipstick -- shows any serious vibrancy, resulting in a palette that falls somewhere between "lively" and "lackluster." Noise spikes on occasion and grain can push a little sharp in some places and chunky in others. Macroblocking and struggling shadow transitions are obvious in lower-light shots. Black levels are a touch thin and flesh tones a hair flat and diffuse. The image looks decent enough at-a-glance but its limitations become clear upon closer inspection.

Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the video, Mansfield Park's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack waffles around the midrange, setting for a baseline complacency that sets the stage and handles dialogue well enough but offers little more. Music can be a little sharp and shrilly, but it does push through the sides well enough and finds adequate baseline definition. Light, flavorful atmospherics are commendably wide and engaging, though the lack of proper surround immersion is an obvious obstacle the track cannot overcome. Still, basic chirping birds, hooting owls, and light winds are appropriately well defined along the front and at least set a basic backdrop for various scenes. The film is predominately dialogue-heavy, and while there are a few instances of the spoken word going a little hollow, it's generally very clear and well defined with a natural front-center imagining.

Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Mansfield Park contains no supplemental content.

Mansfield Park Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

PBS' Mansfield Park is a decent enough movie, but as a strict adaptation of Austen's original novel it's a total failure. It's practically a fundamentally different experience, though for what it is it makes for a decent escape into the world of 19th century England and an exploration of the wealth gap and the human heart in matters of love. Basically, it boils down to this: Austen purists will loathe it while those without any emotional attachment to the novel of the same name might find it a more forgiving, even enjoyable, experience. The film does what it does well; the problem is that it doesn't do it as Austen intended. PBS' featureless Blu-ray offers midrange video and audio. Worth a look for anyone who doesn't mind that it's not exactly Mansfield Park as it was originally conceived.