MANSFIELD PARK (PART 2) (1990)

DAVID GILES

Literary Classics Drama 10th - 19th Centuries Television Recommended

Cast

ANNA MASSEY BERNARD HEPTON ANGELA PLEASENCE NICHOLAS FARRELL SYLVESTRA LE TOUZEL SAMANTHA BOND JANE AUSTEN

Plot

At 10, Fanny Price, a poor relation, goes to live at Mansfield Park, the estate of her aunt's husband, Sir Thomas. Clever, studious, and a writer with an ironic imagination and fine moral compass, she becomes especially close to Edmund, Thomas's younger son. Fanny is soon possessed of beauty as well as a keen mind and comes to the attention of a neighbor, Henry Crawford. Thomas promotes this match, but to his displeasure, Fanny has a mind of her own, asking Henry to prove himself worthy. As Edmund courts Henry's sister and as light shines on the link between Thomas's fortunes and New World slavery, Fanny must assess Henry's character and assert her heart as well as her wit. The first of two parts of this lavish BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. The BBC excels at dramas of this sort and this is no exception. A quality cast and production bring the plot to life.