The Jane Austen Project - Ranking ALL the Austen Movie Adaptations

Ok, just the ones I've seen

I am embarking on this mad project to rank all the Jane Austen movies.  Why?  Because I saw someone else had started to and I disagreed with them completely.  I was so put out by their rankings and reasons that I thought about it for days and decided to do my own.  So here we are.

I haven't watched all of the adaptations ever made, some of them are a bit harder to dig up and not all of them are worth the many hours of investment required.  This will be a discussion and ranking of the ones I've seen and I'll update this list if and when I see more Jane Austen movie adaptations.

Seriously though, why do we watch all these adaptations anyway?

I don't know about you, but when I watch adaptations of Jane Austen's books because I love the stories.  I want to be transported to a time with polite and proper manners, and conversation.  I want to revel in the beautiful gowns, scenery, and landscapes.  I watch Jane Austen movies because I want to glimpse life in another time, see the daily life, the manor houses and imagine Regency balls.  I want to imagine a time when gentlemen and ladies were held to a rigid code and be nostalgic for the idea of it while not having to give up my modern civil liberties.  There is something in the way that Jane Austen draws up her characters with rich inner lives and complex motivations that I love to watch play out every time on the screen.  For a few hours, I want to live in a world where real obstacles are overcome and good characters always get a happy ending despite all the odds being against them.

Public Service Announcement
Before I forget, you can in fact find all of Jane Austen's stories in the public domain.  That means, that you can find FREE digital copies of them on Kindle etc.  Also, because they are in the public domain you can find FREE audiobooks at https://librivox.org/.  Everyone should be able to access a copy that wants one.  Ok, now back to the rankings.

As much as I love Jane Austen, not all her stories were created equal.  Her characters are certainly not all created equal, some possess more wit and vivacity than others.  She has a way of portraying families and social dynamics, both good and bad that is utterly captivating.  And as much as we all seem to love these stories, the endless variations of film adaptations have produced the same varied quality.

This will be a slightly shorter explanation of what I like and don't like about all the adaptations. I will discuss all the movies at more length on pages for each book.  I'll have a page for Pride and Prejudice adaptations, Sense and Sensibility, etc. (links also to be found at the bottom of this page).

Here is my ranking of all the Jane Austen movie adaptations that I have seen.  Feel free to disagree with me and tell me so in the comments, if you feel so inclined.

1. Pride and Prejudice 1995 BBC mini-series 

Starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle

         What can I say?  This mini-series is number one of all the Jane Austen movies because it is perfect.  (These are my opinions obviously, you may disagree and even feel at liberty of commenting thus).  I love Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth.  I think she does the most amazing job of bringing the character to life.  I love the way they portray Lizzy in this series.  She's smart, she's witty, she's caring.  She's independent but not forceful.  She's realistic and hopeful.

         Colin Firth is excellent as Mr. Darcy.  He does such a lovely job of growing emotionally throughout the film with his facial expressions, starting from a scowl and ending with a more vulnerable admiration across the room when Elizabeth saves his sister from distress.  I do think that one gratuitous fan-pleasing scene with Colin Firth diving in the pond is silly.  But every other scene is rational and lovely.

         The length of the movie allows them to linger on subtle emotional scenes to achieve the correct tone as well as tell the story at a pace that unfolds naturally.  I love it.  The clothes, the scenery, the music, the pacing, it's all perfect.

         Why is this my all-time favorite of all the Jane Austen movie adaptations?  Well, I simply love the story, the characters, the nuanced performances of all the actors and I can't find any fault with this version.  So, I like it best.  I often put in just the last disc and watch the end of this movie whenever I need a pick-me-up.  I rewatch the whole version once a year during the summer with my mom and a healthy amount of tea and cookies.  By healthy I mean indulgent and luxurious.

2. Sense and Sensibility 1995 - starring Emma Thompson

          This movie is so perfect.  From the piratical and geographical leanings of Margaret to the small details of life at home with four women this movie is perfection itself.  It has an emotional subtlety that is conveyed with both grandeur and simplicity.  The scene where Elinor sits in the stairwell and drinks the tea she has brewed for Marianne while everyone has dramatically (and with tears,) closed a different door in her face is perfect.  The loneliness and bravery required to keep everything together for the family's sake when everyone else is so emotional is so obvious in this script.  Watching Emma Thompson portray the struggles of a sensitive but brave heart that cannot give in to any of her own sorrow is a beautiful thing.  Such nuance, such loveliness.

          It's cast beautifully.  Everything about this movie is lovely really.  Your heart breaks (and I cry) for Marianne while she quotes sorrowful poetry in the rain and for Colonel Brandon who loves her completely but has given up hope she'd ever think of him.  It's just perfect.

          Since I've expressed my views on how perfect this movie is why is it in second place?  I prefer the storyline and some of the characters in Pride and Prejudice.  The ladies do steal the show in Sense and Sensibility, I don't love the men as much as in Pride and Prejudice.  However, Emma Thompson's script is simply perfection, so it's number 2 for me.

3. Northanger Abbey 2007  - starring J.J. Field

            Oh my goodness I love this version.  I love the chemistry between J.J. Field and Felicity Jones.  I think Miss Thorpe is perfectly cast and believable.  Actually, everyone is perfect in it.  You believe that Catherine is young and a bit fanciful but she is thankfully not portrayed in an irritating way as they do in some other versions.

          Oh, and the falling in love montage, over apple picking, apple roasting, and the race to see his home in the rain on horseback.  Sigh.  The way he gently lifts her off the horse and reverently touches her face to remove the mud, it, well, it defies words.  It's perfection.  I love this movie entirely.

          This movie is third because, again, I prefer the story of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.  It gave a close run for second place because it's lovely, but the scripting of Sense and Sensibility done by Emma Thompson is exquisite.  Northanger Abbey is only third, one place down, by the slightest margin.  Even though this is not my all-time favorite Austen, I admit that I find Mr. Tilney completely dreamy in this version.  But who can compare with the incomparable J.J. Field?

4. Persuasion 1995

        This movie is fourth because it's a lovely version of Persuasion, my favorite version actually.  This story is about the very sensitive Anne, who is misunderstood by all her family, and even her friends.  So, the tone is a little more melancholy.  I do love the story but it's not quite as happy as other Austen's until you reach the very end.  In some ways, I relate most closely to Anne's character and story, so it can be difficult for me to watch her struggle some days.

         This version does a beautiful job of giving you the feeling of Anne's quiet and somewhat melancholy life at home.  The longing she has for a chance to live life on her own terms and the nostalgia for a time when she was more herself and happy with Captain Wentworth.

         I really like the chemistry between Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds in this movie as well.  It is a lovely, nuanced adaptation of such a sensitive work with such sensitive characters who have very rich inner lives. 

5. Emma 1996 - starring Kate Beckinsale

        The reason this is number six for me is because "Emma" is not my favorite story, but this is my favorite adaptation of Emma.  In this version, you can see the feelings that Mr. Knightley is developing for her.  I like to see him just a tiny bit jealous when you're watching and he doesn't know it.  The chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightley is lovely in this version.

          This Emma is also more likable as a person, less mean, just young, and naive in some ways.  The splendor of Mr. Knightley's wealth is fantastically displayed with the strawberry picking and a manservant to attend to each guest.  I love that detail.  Seeing how many servants must attend a strawberry-picking party and a picnic.

          I love that the story includes chicken thieves because it makes it just slightly more entertaining.  I love that it opens and ends with them.  I love that this is how they convince her father she should in fact marry Mr. Knightley.  It's adorable.  I love the chicken thieves. (since Emma is not my favorite Austen, that's enough to nudge it into first place of the Emma's for me).

6. Pride and Prejudice 1940 with Laurence Olivier 

This movie is a black and white version of Pride and Prejudice set more in the Antebellum American South than it is in Regency Era England.  But if you can get past the Antebellum gowns (which are great in their own way), and the black and white film, and the random dramatic 1940's obligatory staring out of windows, it's a great movie.  No, it's not strictly traditional or faithful to the book.  But it's a cute take adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and I prefer the charming but unfaithful additions in this film to the poorly written and awkwardly modern Lizzy of the new 2005 Pride and Prejudice.  For more on this version, see my Pride and Prejudice rankings page.

7. Pride and Prejudice 2005 with Keira Knightley

          Yes, it's good, no it's not as good as the 1995 BBC mini-series.  That's my opinion.  For a lengthier discussion see my opinions of all the movies.  But in short, there are several things I don't like about this version.

1. Lizzy is made to feel too forward and improper, she tells Jane to go visit an Aunt with no invitation given.  And they give her the lines about how much money would be needed to bribe Wickham.  It feels wrong.
2. This movie didn't take the time to give people thoughtful lines, they just have the characters lecture each other about how life works so that the movie can explain to the audience why certain things are happening.  That's a failure in my opinion.
3. I don't like the way they portray Mr. Collins in this version.
4. Lizzy wears terrible gowns to balls.  Yes, this may sound like a silly reason to not like the film best, but really.  Everyone else wears nice, white, pretty, fashionable gowns and she shows up in a sad-looking green thing that she could do gardening in.  Stop reinforcing the idea that smart independent women can't care about how they look, Hollywood!  Women can be pretty AND smart! 

          Ok, rant over, this is actually a good movie despite my opinions of its foibles.  Its soundtrack is gorgeous.  It is filmed beautifully.  It's really very good.

8. Love and Friendship 2016 with Kate Beckinsale

          I don't want to say too much about this movie, because it's awesome and you should watch it before I ruin it for you.  This is a movie adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan.  It's not exactly filled with the proper ladies fighting against an unjust society to win their happily ever afters.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a Jane Austen movie, but it's not like the others you may have come to know and love.  

          Lady Susan is a schemer and I have to admit that I cackled out loud at least three times while watching this movie.  I love watching a schemer use nothing but wits and charm to get her way.  And Kate Beckinsale, is perfection.  I would highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it yet.  I'll say no more.   

9. Emma 2009 mini-series with Romola Garai

          I have rather mixed feelings about this movie.  I feel like it starts out amazingly and I slowly have my opinion of it shift through the film until we reach the end and I'm not sure I especially like it anymore.  The opening is lovely and gives more context to the cast of supporting characters who are so important to our plot.  Emma is understandable, relatable, loveable, naive, well-meaning, and young without being a total brat or too proud.

          As the movie progresses Emma almost seems to become less sympathetic, as she also seems to become more modern.  She slouches more and she says things that are improper.  While Emma devolves in propriety and behaves badly, her protege, Harriet, has improved under her instruction.  Harriet feels more ladylike than Emma, sitting straighter, behaving well, being polite.

          It is a cute version of the story, however.  Mr. Knightley is charming and I enjoy his performance throughout.  And there is no nosebleed during the proposal, so it edges out the 2020 Emma, despite its own foibles and despite the many positive things going for the 2020 Emma.

10. Emma 2020

         This was a very close call and almost came in higher for a few reasons.  It's funny.  They lean into the comedy of this story and it's refreshing.  The clothes are gorgeous and I adore Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse.  I will probably watch this version more often than the mini-series, partly because it is shorter, and partly for the clothes.  Oh, I like that Miss Smith has a bit more character in this version.  There are also lots of beautiful shots in this movie.

         The reason I don't 100% love this movie is that although I do like that they lean into the comedy of the story they take a few scenes a little too far.  I don't know why they decided to give Emma a bloody nose when Mr. Knightley proposes to her.  It's distracting and awkward and not especially funny to me.  They make Mr. Elton a little too cringe for me to enjoy watching.  I know that Mr. Knightley wasn't quite old enough but that didn't bother me.  I quite liked this portrayal of Mr. Knightley.

        There is a LOT to love about this adaptation.  And truly it's a close call, but for me, the awkward went one step too far.

11.  Sense and Sensibility 2008

          This is not my favorite.  This version doesn't quite have the nuance or tone of Emma Thompson's script.  But it has something.  The rug beating scene, where Elinor is venting some frustration and meets Edward Ferrars, is very excellent indeed.

          There is a duel and also a hint of the seduction that Willoughby has committed.  So, that's kind of fun.  I do like this Elinor.  It's a perfectly decent adaptation.  But it just doesn't have the same magic for me as the script by Emma Thompson.

12. Persuasion 2007

This is only slightly under the 2008 Sense and Sensibility because they make Frederick cruel at the dinner table which is not true to him, they skimp on the note reading and have five minutes of running.  Its charming parts are very charming.  Anne is as sensitive and emotional as we know her to be from the book.  The scenes that they add whole cloth, with Captain Harville telling Frederick he is expected to marry Louisa and later the buying of Kellynch Hall as a wedding present are all lovely. 

13. Persuasion 2022 Netflix

This movie had the potential to be truly beautiful or truly funny.  And it was disappointing because rather than choosing one it tried to do both and failed at both.  Set during the Regency Era it tries to undercut the romance of the story by making fun of the morals of the time.  

It was neither fully a Regency romance, nor a comedy.  It opened with a sweeping romantic scene set to piano of Anne and Frederick on a cliff in the English countryside. It's gorgeous and romantic and then it cuts to her telling us "she's single and thriving".  She is still more likeable than the 1971 Persuasion and has more feelings, a lot more, considering she drinks them away through most of this movie.  

Captain Frederick Wentworth is lovely in this version.  We see a lot more genuine emotion from him, which I appreciate.  He's also much more likeable than the 1971 Persausion version.  He's very real and hurt by Anne's dismissal of him.  

It really is a beautiful movie, it is stunningly filmed.  Half of the music is stunning as well.  If it didn't keep undercutting itself with random out of place modern things it would have been a much better version.  In fact, it would have rated a great deal higher on this list if it had just cut out some of the most glaringly modern things.  If she hadn't gone on about Frederick as her ex, or the characters hadn't gone on about self-care and being an "empath", or they hadn't included a scene where she almost peed on screen. 

It seems to have drawn on the 2007 Persuasion as well as the modern tone of Bridgerton.  There was a lot to love and a lot to be frustrated by.  I went back and forth on where to place this in the list for a long time.  

14. Emma 1972 mini-series

         This was a tough call but it falls further down the scale because as much as I adore the father in this movie, I can't stand Emma.  My favorite character in all of Emma is the poor father, he stole the movie for me.  Well, that and there is no awkward nose-bleed at the most ill-timed moment (the nose-bleed proposal scene of the Emma 2020 version is really terrible and almost cost it a higher ranking).  I don't love this portrayal of Emma, but Mr. Knightley is indeed a gentleman and I adore her father in this version.  

15. Persuasion 1971 mini-series

       I didn't like this adaptation.  It doesn't have the same magic as the 1995 version with Amanda Hines.  I think they portray Anne as confident and resigned where she is really meant to be much less confident, possibly hopeful and then despairing, and more or less profoundly emotional in Captain Wentworth's presence.  She's almost cold in this version.  I can't quite put a finger on what I do not appreciate about Captain Wentworth in this version, but there was something.  Did he feel duplicitous to me?  I am not sure, but I didn't like him.

          In this movie, I find the gowns are distracting because they don't seem to have paid any attention to the styles and fabrics that would have been worn.  Why is Anne wearing a giant bold plaid patterned fabric?  I know it's not the biggest deal, but I found it distracting enough to pull me out of the story.    I did like that Anne quotes some poetry about autumn on their walk but not enough to like the rest of this adaptation.

16. Pride and Prejudice 1980 mini-series

         I've seen it, it's Pride and Prejudice.  It's not an unfaithful adaptation of the story, but it's just not good.  There were a few things that didn't work for me.

          The biggest thing for me is that I didn't like Lizzy in this version.  She feels like an arrogant smart-ass.  Lizzy and Darcy have no chemistry from what I can see.

          Caroline Bingley is insufferable in this version, excessively mean.  Wickham lies to everybody extra obviously.  Lizzy is warned by everyone not to like Wickham and she takes no notice.  This makes her less sympathetic and even more arrogant feeling.  It makes more sense when you stick to the book and everyone has the general feeling that Wickham's great and then everyone finds out he's not at roughly the same time.

          I do like their version of Mr. Collins.  He's still a bumbling fool, but he's a believable person, you can imagine him existing (unlike the Mr. Collins in 2005 who is a cartoon).  This Collins is still a fool but you can see why Charlotte would marry him whereas in some other versions you really cannot, even knowing she's afraid for her future.

          This movie falls into 11th place (below an inferior Captain Wentworth and plaid dresses in the 1971 Persuasion and the awkward proposal nose-bleed of Emma 2020) because of one other big problem.  After Darcy's infamous failed proposal to Elizabeth, this movie has dramatic internal dialogues.  They are awful.  If you have to dramatically explain what's happening to the audience you haven't done a good job of setting up the scenes in the movie.  There is no excuse for this in this case as they had plenty of time to set up the scenes.  This particular mini-series is many hours long.  I can't stand it.

17. Sense and Sensibility 1981

          I've seen this one, it's fine but I didn't like it.   It was my first introduction to Sense and Sensibility and I just didn't take to it.  I didn't want to watch it again.  I don't find this Elinor compelling.  It wasn't until I found the Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility that I really fell for the story.  And it's such a great story.

18. Mansfield Park 1983 mini-series

       I still don't love this story (even if Fanny is faithful and good and long-suffering and some sort of Cinderella figure, I don't like the story, sorry Jane Austen).  It's not because I think Fanny is boring, or too good all the time, it's because the story is painful to live through every time I see it.  All the characters in it are pretty much awful and abusive to Fanny.  And I don't like watching it.

       There are things I like in this version.  Lady Bertram is pretty great in her quiet yet high pitched voice and her lounging ways.  This is a long but well-done version.  I just don't like the story.  I don't like the characters.  We mostly watch Fanny get abused the whole time and at the end, while I'm glad she's happy, I personally do not think that her cousin deserves her either.

19. Mansfield Park 2007

This version of Mansfield Park is not the most accurate, nor the most fanciful.  This Sir Thomas says unnecessarily mean things.  It's just not that good.  It's not terrible but it's kind of meh.  I like that this Fanny and Edmund seem to have decent chemistry.  I like this Edmund.  This Aunt Norris is suitably horrible.  I sort of like that Lady Bertram plays an advocate role for Fanny in the end.  But I really don't like this Sir Thomas.  And the whole thing is filmed in one location.  So it leads to some interesting choices.  

It is at least a coherent story that's not offensive for failing to address important social issues nor is it creepy or downright irritating and painful to watch.  So, it's above everything further down the list.

20. Mansfield Park 1999

       This movie is just different.  It's not really Mansfield Park.  The modernity and pacing in the filming of this adaptation do hold my interest and I prefer a shorter version of this story because it's not my favorite.  But they do leave out a lot that makes the plot a little harder to follow.  I like the way they portray Fanny as emotional and interesting, up until the end where they suddenly make her be uncertain and waver on Henry Crawford.  Making her a writer is a fun twist, but totally conflating her with Jane Austen herself is an odd choice.

       It does make her a more interesting character to be sure.  But I would have liked to see her be this interesting newly dimensional Fanny without being turned into Jane Austen herself.  I like to see her having wildly conflicting emotions in the corridors, where she feels very trapped and very aware of herself.

       The rest of this version is a bit too much for me.  I still hate most of the characters in this story (sorry Jane Austen).  There is an emphasis on slavery in this movie.  They make that the point of tension between Tom and Mr. Bertram, and we find art done by Tom that makes him a tortured, empathic, artist soul.  But we never address the issue with any other characters.  We don't do anything with it.  We go back to having tea and nobody says anything again.  If you're going to add slavery you have to make it more of a thing, not an "oh, we live off of blood money.  By the by, let's put on an extravagant play."  They didn't do enough with the theme.  It's almost disrespectful to introduce slavery but not do anything more with it.  I found it offensive anyway.

       The way it ends is also really an odd choice, to pull you out of the story to tell you how it happens all awkwardly, but not really tell you how it happens.  It was strange.  I did not enjoy this version.  I found it's lack of thoughtful treatment of slavery offensive, but it didn't give me nightmares, so it's just above the 80's Northanger Abbey.

21. Northanger Abbey 1987

             I watched this for the first time one summer afternoon with my mother and we were not prepared for it.  At the time neither of us knew anything about the story, hadn't read the book, or seen another adaptation.  We had expected something feeling like Pride and Prejudice.  We got this.  It was so odd.

             I didn't like the portrayal of Mr. Tilney, he was creepy, or Catherine who I also felt was weird and creepy.  I would not rewatch this version except for one single scene.
The one scene I particularly like in this adaptation is the bathing scene.  Everyone is in the baths with their bonnets on and full-length bathing costumes on while they parade slowly through the bath waters chatting with friends socially with floating trays of bath salts in front of them.  It was delightfully weird and awkward.  I loved it.

             But, as much as I loved that scene, I was equally horrified by the "Gothic" dreams that Catherine has in this one.  The scene with an old lady sewing her fingers together still haunts me to this day.  So I'm not a fan of this particular adaptation.

       

22. Emma 1996 with Gwyneth Paltrow

          I really don't like this adaptation of Emma.  It's a lovely movie in some ways, yes, but the portrayal of Emma is, to my mind, the worst.  In this movie, Emma is all the worst qualities of being young without anything attractive about her at all.  She isn't naive so much as she is mean.  She makes cutting remarks about everyone.  She's self-absorbed, in the worst way.  She's whiny, she pouts, she's generally irritating.  She's the protagonist and I can't stand her.

For a more balanced view of this movie, or more complete discussions of each adaptation, you can visit my individual pages for each book, links found below.

       

23. Pride and Prejudice: a latter-day comedy 2003 

Hands down this is the worst adaptation of a Jane Austen novel I've ever seen.  In fact, it was so bad it was almost hilarious.  I spent equal amounts of time cackling at it (not with it) and being utterly confused.  To say it had plot holes would be a massive understatement.  It was so bad my friend couldn't even finish watching it.  For further discussion on this disaster, you can find my full review on the Pride and Prejudice page, here.  And yes, if you're wondering, it is a rather Mormon interpretation.

The Not Quite Austen's 

Then of course there are the not quite Jane Austen's and retellings I've seen.  If I want to watch an adaptation I want to revel in the clothes and beautiful manor houses in England, the beauty of the time on display visually in a movie.  I do not want to watch a movie set in modern times and in high school, Clueless.  Unless it's doing something more, telling a different story, I don't want my adaptations to be set in modern times.  I couldn't quite place these on the other list.  But here is my ranking of the Not Quite Austen's and retellings.

1. Lost in Austen 2008

My favorite "not quite Austen".  An avid fan of Pride and Prejudice ends up inside the Pride and Prejudice story and has to figure out how to not ruin it or her own happy ending.  It's cute, it's interesting.  It explores the original characters as they deal with life in very new situations.  It is not faithful to the book, obviously.  I find it delightful.

2. Austenland 2013

Simply fun.  An obsessive Pride and Prejudice fan goes on an expensive holiday to a Jane Austen immersive experience.  There is romance and silliness.  The characters are over the top fans, actors, and airheads.  It's charming.  It's totally silly.  It doesn't take itself too seriously.  It's a feel-good movie.  And Kerri Russell and J.J. Field are utterly charming.

3. Jane Austen Book Club 2007

This one follows a book club that is reading all Jane Austen all the time.  Its charm is in the way it portrays real-life experiences and also explores how reading can liberate you, inspire you, and simply make you feel.  It's a literary discussion you get to enjoy without any work.

It's all the Jane Austen stories rolled into one.  And the characters live different pieces of all the different stories as they live their lives in the real world.  It has its rough moments, its tears, but it's also a celebration of endurance, humanity, friendship, and literature.  It's a better film than Austenland, but it's also slightly more about modern life than typical Austen stories, so it's third for me

4. Becoming Jane 2007

This is a lovely movie about Jane Austen's younger life before she is a known author.  It's romantic, moving and beautifully filmed.  This movie makes me cry.

5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2016

Well, it's Pride and Prejudice.  And it's not.  And it's good actually.  Surprisingly.

It is a well-done movie with funny moments and beautiful cinematography.  It has zombies so it's also gruesome and strange.  But it has a certain appeal.

I won't lie, I wanted to hate it.  But I did not hate it.  Much to my shock (and possibly my regret?  I mean I'm glad I didn't feel my time was a waste but do I feel as though I've betrayed my own taste in liking the movie if that makes any sense).  I really don't like zombie movies.

It is a proper retelling of Pride and Prejudice with some obvious alterations.  I love that it's still set in the Regency era.  I don't love zombies, so I was never going to love this movie.  However, I found it surprisingly well done and I do, in fact, mean to watch it again someday.  Though perhaps as a Halloween movie.

6. Miss Austen Regrets 2007

   

This is a movie about Jane Austen's life.  As one might suspect from the title this is not a light-hearted movie.  The story examines Jane Austen's life as she reaches her later years and dwells on both her choices and her regrets in life.   

Olivia Williams is a fantastic Jane Austen, but the portrayal of Jane in this movie is a little sharp and difficult.  Since we are seeing Jane mostly through Fanny's story, we jump around a fair amount and it can be a bit difficult to follow.

It's a beautifully filmed movie and it is entirely believable.  I love that we see beautifully put together scenes of daily life, with Cassandra and Mrs. Austen and Jane at home in their cottage.  The sets, the scenes, the landscapes, they're all just beautiful.  I love seeing the adorable scenes where Fanny is falling for Mr. Plumbtree, chasing each other about in the garden with a crimson ribbon.  It was beautiful, romantic, lavish, and tender. 

I'm just not sure that I love this movie.  I don't love this particular interpretation of Jane Austen's personality.  I like to imagine that Jane Austen was a combination of some of her heroines, the wit and ability of Lizzy, the self-assured confidence of Emma.  It was difficult to watch a deeply regretful, self-pitying, spiky Jane.  

It was definitely a good movie, but I had a hard time watching it. It is difficult for me to watch people suffer, especially those I have a fondness for, regardless of whether I've ever met them in person.  I mean, the movie is titled Miss Austen Regrets.  What did I expect?

It's a beautiful film but it's so sad.  It's hard to believe that I ranked it below Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I'm not sure I believe it myself.  But the leaps in the story, and the fact that this isn't how I'd like to imagine Jane Austen make this not as fun for me.  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was definitely fun.  I can't believe it either.  

7. Pride and Prejudice, Cut 2019

This was a cute little feel good movie that is worth a watch if you want something light and fluffy and familiar.  Our Lizzy is an American actress named Kate who is hired to be in a British film production of Pride and Prejudice with a seemingly snobby classically trained British co-star.  The cute thing is that while they rehearse P&P lines they are also living a Pride and Prejudice experience behind the scenes.  The parallel Pride and Prejudice storylines are rather cute.  It's more fun to watch than Miss Austen Regrets.  But it's not in the same class of film.  

8. Clueless 1995

I just never really liked this movie.  Yes, it's a retelling of Emma.  Yes, it's actually a decent retelling of Emma.  However, it's also a high school drama.  Emma wasn't my favorite of the Austen novels to start with, the high school drama was too much for me.  I don't like it, but I can see why some people truly do.  Cher/Emma is both self-centered and completely likable (unlike some of her more haughty counterparts in other versions like the Gwyneth Paltrow version).  You understand why she falls for the scolding tones of her "almost brother" as well.  Paul Rudd is a perfect cast for this role.

Bridget Jones's Diary - really fun, lovely movie, technically an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, has a Darcy, but is really not Austen.

Detailed Discussions of all the Austen Adaptations

For my discussion/ranking of all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Persuasion Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Emma Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Sense and Sensibility Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Mansfield Park Adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion/ranking of all the Northanger Abbey Adaptations, you can go here.

For my discussion of the Lady Susan Adaptation (Love and Friendship), you can go here. 
For my discussion/ranking of all the "Not-Quite-Austen's" you can go here.

I have a whole page dedicated to Jane Austen where you can find my rankings of different movie adaptations and essays etc.

All Things Jane Austen

Mansfield Park - Movie Adaptations Ranked

Mansfield Park

It's harder for me to like this story because I find so many of the characters unlovable.  Fanny is not the most exciting character, but I do like her.  She is constantly being used and abused by all her relations who keep reminding her how worthless and unimportant she is.  There is really only the one exception, her cousin Edmund.  But even he ignores her and overlooks her needs during his infatuation with Mary.  So, yes, she might not be exciting, but she's essentially Cinderella.  And how can she be an exciting character when they don't let her do anything?  They treat her like a servant and an unpaid servant.  But I think she's sweet and tries really hard to be a good person and I like her the better for it.

Everyone else is rubbish.  Oh, Lady Bertram is sweet, she's just useless.  But she does love Fanny and that's kind of sweet in a way.  Lord Bertram actually realizes she's better than his daughters but treats her harshly for not bowing to his will and marrying a bad man.

I do sort of wish that she could have ended up with the bad boy and reformed him.  But in reality, I also agree with Austen that he would never have changed and that she would have been miserable.  It's just that I don't think Edmund deserved her after the whole thing with Mary Crawford, but he, I guess, he wasn't so bad as all that.  Fanny was happy with him so I suppose it's all ok.

The sisters and Aunt Norris are simply intolerable.   I love the discussion of Mansfield Park in the movie The Jane Austen Book Club, more than I love the story itself.  Mainly because all the people aside from Fanny are so awful, I don't like watching the story unfold.

1. Mansfield Park 1983 mini-series

         This is long but a well-done, faithful adaptation.  I still don't love this story (even if she is faithful and "Horton Hatches the Egg", sorry Jane Austen).  All the characters in it are pretty much awful and abusive to Fanny.

         Despite their saying they will have to treat Fanny properly and with delicacy, they don't.  Sir Thomas is barely around, Aunt Norris is incredibly heinous.  Aunt Norris is always asking Fanny to do everything that is even remotely unpleasant because she won't do anything for herself.  And then she denies her a fire in her room and chastises her for being lazy when she has a headache.  Even the Miss Bertrams, who are also wretched, acknowledge that Fanny is the last person in the world who is lazy.

         Lady Bertram is pretty great in this version though.  Constantly lying about on couches and being useless.  Her quiet voice and sweet uselessness is charming in a way.  Everyone loves her, they accept that she is useless.  It's cute that she at least values Fanny's company and is not being abusive on purpose.  I love that she offers Fanny one of pug's puppies because she loves her and knows that Fanny will treat the dog better than her daughters would.

         I like that Sir Thomas Bertram is a busy man but the moment he found out that Fanny has been denied fires and such because of Aunt Norris he rectifies it.  When he realizes that Fanny is quite grown up and pretty, he throws her a ball.  It's a coming-out ball and she's immensely excited about it.  Fanny's brother gets to attend and they are so happy to see each other.  It's adorable.

         In this version, we have to listen to Edmund go on and on about Mary Crawford and how much he loves her and it's irritating.  This Edmund also takes her horse and essentially gives it over to Mary's use and ignores Fanny like everyone else.  I really don't think he deserves her.

         The Crawford's are exceptionally oily in this version.  As much as I wish that Fanny ended up with someone who saw her merits and cared about her, I don't trust this Henry any more than Fanny does.  In this version, there is even some weird trickery with a necklace.  Mary gives it to her only to find out later it was from Henry and then they try to claim she knew and it's all rubbish.

         Fanny is Cinderella in this version.  She is sweet, kind, hard-working.  She never has a mean thing to say about anyone, always treats everyone as she ought to and she never does anything wrong.  So, in this version when Mary Crawford tries to blame all the bad behavior of Maria and Henry on Fanny, it's entirely baseless and everyone knows it.

         At four and half hours long this is a faithful adaptation but I find it hard to watch that many hours of abuse towards Fanny, the only member of Mansfield Park who deserves good treatment.  I don't love this version, but it's certainly better than the confused and inconsistent 1999 Mansfield Park.

2.  Mansfield Park 2007

This version of Mansfield Park is not the most accurate, nor the most fanciful.  This Sir Thomas says unnecessarily mean things.  It's just not that good.  It's not terrible but it's kind of meh.  The story does take some detours from the original, but they are mostly in keeping with the tone of the original.  For instance, Fanny doesn't go home, but she is left behind at Mansfield alone to contemplate why she doesn't want to marry Mr. Crawford.  

I like that this Fanny and Edmund seem to have a decent chemistry.  I do like this Edmund.  I think he does a good job of playing the role in a believable and fairly sympathetic way.  This Aunt Norris is suitably horrible.  I sort of like that Lady Bertram plays an advocate role for Fanny in the end.  Helping to give them time alone in the garden so Edmund who has just realized he likes Fanny can have a chance to do something about it.  It is odd the way they have him realize suddenly and be chasing her through the house.  But it's ok.

I really don't like this Sir Thomas.  He is both a fool and a mean person.  He says unnecessary things to Fanny and they are mean.  He shows up at long last and says nice things to everyone and tells Fanny he thinks she hasn't improved one jot in the last eight years of growing up.  In a rigidly polite society who would say this?  Ok, Aunt Norris would say this, but not Sir Thomas.  Right in front of the whole family, he takes her down that way.  It's cruel for no reason.  I hate it.  

The whole movie is filmed in one location.  So it leads to some interesting choices.  They don't send Fanny home to Portsmouth.  Apparently, they didn't find any rooms in the house that they thought were suitable for dancing.  So, they hold the ball in the garden in the grass.  And they hold the wedding for Fanny and Edmund there as well in this movie.  

I don't really like this movie, but is at least a coherent story that's not offensive for failing to address important social issues nor is it creepy or downright irritating and painful to watch.  So, it comes in above the 1999 Mansfield Park for me. 

3. Mansfield Park 1999

         This movie is just different.  It's not Mansfield Park.  It's more of a retelling with some different twists.  It keeps the base of the story and adds a modern sensibility for social justice issues.   I can't stand it.

         What makes this movie unpleasant is not the added themes of slavery, or the new way they interpret Fanny, it's that the film is neither Mansfield Park nor a consistent modern retelling.  Slavery is introduced, and then not really discussed.  If you introduce slavery you need to have it be more talked about, all the characters need to engage with it.

         Tom is supposedly a drunken wreck because he is super guilty about slavery.  So, in this film, Tom comes home from Antiga early because he can't stand the slavery, shows up at home and basically says "yes, those lovely slaves who are all paying for this stupid party," and then we immediately cut to "oh, I've had a great idea, let's put on a lavish play."  We don't see much of the play preparations, but we see lavish costumes and indelicate rehearsals without a care in the world for expense.

I'm drunk because I hate our family and slavery

Five seconds later... I know! Let's have a play!

         So, Tom is upset that slavery is paying for Mansfield Park, but he sticks around to waste a ton of that money on an improper and extremely extravagant home theater pursuit.  You can't just drop slavery into the story and have a character be like, you're all a waste because your lavish lives are built on blood money, and oh by the by, let's hold a play, I feel like using up all that blood money for something even more foolish and less worthwhile.  I mean, really!  If he is going to be so guilty about slavery he won't stay home, he should have a more convincing character arc where he tries to use his influential position to abolish it, or something.  It's your modern retelling, do something better with it than this.

Also, I'm sorry, but what is this?  Is Tom in blackface?

         Let's not even mention the fact that this version is trying to be more bold and modern and they don't have any other characters really engage with the idea of slavery.  Fanny and Edmund talk of it in passing as a thing that pays for their lifestyle and neither says anything after that, guilty or otherwise.  The only time Fanny engages with it after that is when she flees from the house when Sir Thomas offers to hold a ball for her because she doesn't want to be sold off like one of the slaves.  Holding a ball for Fanny was actually a kind gesture, more akin to a birthday party, or rather a quinceañera to show that Sir Bertram notices she's grown up and is a lady now.  Fanny was excited about it, not afraid she was being sold off to suitors. 

This is how we're handling it?

Oh, I forgot we did have one moment more of engagement with slavery, the worst moment of all, Tom's art from the trip.  Fanny and the audience get treated to graphic depictions of rape and torture of enslaved black people at the hands of the white "neighbors" and Sir Bertram.  When Sir Bertram finds Fanny looking at this art he yells at Fanny to go to her room.  He smacks the book from her hand, shouts at her, burns the paper in the fire and we are expecting a really intense resolution to the whole thing.  Then we never discuss it again.  We jump straight into Fanny finding Crawford and Maria having sex.  And that is the emotional climax of the film.  That!  The whole family frets over Maria's misdeeds and we never mention slavery, rape, or torture again.  I mean really.  You cannot introduce rape and torture and not react to it or have the characters pretend it didn't happen or react to it.  It's upsetting.

There there, I know that sex is way worse than rape and torture.

         That brings us to Fanny's portrayal.  Fanny is meant to be a person of such solid morals that she never wavers on what is right and correct.  Not so in this movie.  In this movie, Fanny wavers on everything it would seem.  She goes home because she won't marry Henry Crawford.  Then she wavers on the fear of being impoverished and agrees to marry him.  Then she refuses him once again, very cruelly, the next day.  Her sister Susan asks Fanny "are you certain?"  Fanny's reply is telling for how they portray her "I have no talent for certainty, Susie."  Well, then you aren't the Fanny Price that we all respect.

I like you, you handsome devil.

I can't marry you.

Ok, I'll marry you.

         It is hard to feel sorry for a Fanny who toys with the emotions of others.  This version makes Fanny unsympathetic, despite all the abuse and unkind behavior she has suffered.  She is no longer the sympathetic Cinderella character we all want to find happiness.  She was cruel to Henry and that's a terrible shame.  Since this isn't a faithful adaptation and since they made Henry feel like a person who genuinely loves Fanny, is genuinely charming, and she abuses that with her poor behavior.  Agreeing to an engagement and then turning it down the very next day.  Fanny is accused of being responsible for the behavior of Henry Crawford and therefore his affair with Maria.  In the book, it's a baseless accusation and a way for Mary Crawford to excuse her brother from bad behavior.  If only you'd married him, they could have had an affair, you could have been miserable, and nobody would have to be disgraced.  Mary essentially says this but in the other version blaming bad behavior on the only person who has done nothing wrong is clearly ridiculous.  In this version, the accusation is not false.  A very strong argument could be made that Henry fell into the affair with Maria because Fanny broke his heart, by accepting and then refusing his proposal so cruelly.

You're handsome, but no.

Ok, why not?

         Since this isn't really Mansfield Park they should have let Henry reform under Fanny's influence and have them both be happy together.  They should have either reformed Mary and had her marry Edmund or both of them end up alone because they both used Fanny so badly.  Every time I encounter this story there's always a part of me that really wants to see Henry reform and Fanny end up with him.  This Henry seems to genuinely care for her and I can't stand how she treats him.  Also, I don't think Edmund deserves her after all he put her through while pursuing Mary Crawford.

Just kidding I don't think I will marry you.

         I never thought Fanny was a boring character.  I thought she wasn't allowed to do anything of interest because she is Cinderella in her family.  I did like that they portray Fanny as being emotional and crying in the corridors where nobody can see her.  I just wish they'd either kept her character strong or let her marry Henry and truly reform him.  I also like the detail of Aunt Norris having Fanny left on the doorstep of Mansfield Park for two hours and blaming Fanny for it, not apologizing.  I like that Fanny writes stories and sends them to Susie throughout.  I don't like that they use them as some sort of weird moral.  Shouting "remember, run mad as often as you like, but don't faint."  It's really odd.  Also, if you're going to turn her into a strange Jane Austen figure you should at least address that she is trying to get her work published (before the end when Edmund has done it for her), maybe even say she wants to support herself that way and not rely on slave money, that would be a nice way to make it all tie in.

I could have aspirations of my own I suppose, but I don't.

         In short, it is not the introduction of slavery that I mind, it's that it isn't carried far enough or treated thoughtfully.  If you aren't going to treat the subject properly you'd better not attempt it.  The movie toyed with the characters and neither gave them new arcs to suit their new portrayal and accommodate the theme of slavery nor allowed them to suit their old arcs.  They didn't make Mansfield Park or a new story.  They did half of both and accomplished neither.  This is precisely why the movie fell flat for so many people who wanted to like it.

         I wouldn't be surprised if a remake with more slavery, more engagement with the topic, more thoughtful and deep conversations on it didn't do better in the end.  Despite the claims to the contrary, this movie was not ill-received because it was too bold.  It was just badly done.  It's not the sex or the portrayal of dark things that are wrong with this movie.  It's the way they bounce from scenes telling you that slavery and rape/torture exist in the world to playing at theater and tea parties where the worst thing in the plot is that Maria has run away with Crawford.  The emotional climax is that Maria has run away with Mr. Crawford?  Directly after we found out about rape and torture?  Are you kidding?  Even our Fanny doesn't say anything more on the topic or write about it?  It's upsetting to have the topic introduced and brushed aside.

Rushworth is so shocked by this treatment of slavery in this film that he's nearly incapacitated.  Only Aunt Norris approves.

         I still hate the majority of the characters in this story.  I feel bad for Rushworth even though he is excessively dim.  I can't stand the Miss Bertrams or Aunt Norris.  Aunt Norris is more plainly cruel but in a smaller role in this film.  I hate Mary Crawford.  I like that Fanny thinks seriously about marrying Henry, but hate that she refuses, accepts, and then refuses him again.  So very dumb and inappropriate.  I don't trust Henry, but I do really want him to reform.  He was so much closer to reform in this adaptation that it's even more criminal what they do with the story.

Yes, one might be driven to drink in this Mansfield Park.

         I do like that the movie explains Lady Bertram's uselessness as part of an addiction to Laudanum.  I like the way we see how women are faced with difficult choices about their future security; but not the way this film makes Fanny accept and refuse the proposal of Henry.  It would have been enough to have her say her heart had changed many times on the subject of Henry.  Or even that she feared poverty but still couldn't accept him. I do like that they use the bit about the starling who cannot get out to draw parallels between the misery of any human trapped by circumstances, Fanny, women in this time, and slaves.

         I like that we see more feeling and nuance from Fanny.  Frances O'Connor does a lovely job with the part she is given, I just don't like the story the movie ultimately has her tell.  Young Fanny is also completely adorable and I love her in this movie.

         I can't stand the ending of this film.  Not only is there another awkward kiss (see Persuasion for the worst one) the scenes just before and after that try to wrap up the rest of the storylines are terrible.  I can't stand the way the rest of the arcs are wrapped by NOT telling you what happened.  A freeze frame with Fanny's narration "It could have turned out differently, I suppose. But it didn't" tells us nothing and truly irritates.  Julia gets a letter from Yates, and you only know what that means if you've read or watched other versions.  This version doesn't tell you she runs off with him.  She gets the letter and we're told "it could have turned out differently".  What could?  What happens?  Could it have been different than nothing?  What exactly did it turn out as?  Are you assuming we know the story you're telling?  Because that makes you a lazy storyteller for a start.  And since you clearly aren't telling the story of Mansfield Park,  how should we know the ending unless you tell us?  What rubbish!

Rather awkward long prelude to kiss

       
         What makes this all truly sad is that this could have been a better film.  Giving Fanny emotional performances allows her to have interest even as she is held back and restricted by her not being deemed equal with the Miss Bertrams.  This film could have allowed Fanny to really shine, but then we take back her cool newly dimensional character by making her not certain of anything.  This film could have addressed slavery thoughtfully I suppose, but it didn't.  It could have given life, and a modern twist, to the characters without taking it all back, but it didn't.  It could have all turned out differently, I suppose.  But it didn't.  Much to the ruination of both the attempts to address social issues and any hint of a coherent plot or character arcs.

         I can not be alone in thinking that this doesn't go far enough with the treatment of slavery.  And I can not be alone in thinking that this version of Fanny should end up with this version of Henry Crawford.

         So, I'm going to invent a new ending.  One that suits the story this version of Mansfield Park started to tell and then failed to stick with.

         I'm going to pretend that Fanny rides this white horse straight away to Henry Crawford and she accepts his proposal of marriage.  Maria runs away with someone else in London.  Fanny reforms Henry for the better.  They marry and are excessively happy.  He proves that love can change you for the better and he becomes a faithful attentive husband captivated by Fanny's beauty and wit.  I'm going to pretend that they run off to London to help abolish slavery and they come into better fortune as everyone at Mansfield Park becomes subject to its decline in prosperity on account of their abysmal conduct.  In my ending, both Fanny and Henry show all her rubbish relatives that they are happier without all of them and live happily ever after.  The end.

More Jane Austen discussions below:

To see my ranking of Every Jane Austen Adaptation, go here.
For a discussion of all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations, you can go here.
For a discussion of all the Persuasion adaptations, you can go here.
For a discussion of all the Sense and Sensibility adaptations, you can go here.
For a discussion of all the Emma adaptations, you can go here.
For my discussion of all the Northanger Abbey Adaptations, you can go here.

For my discussion of the Lady Susan Adaptation (Love and Friendship), you can go here. 

For my discussion of all the "Not-Quite-Austen's" you can go here.

I have a whole page dedicated to Jane Austen where you can find my rankings of different movie adaptations and essays etc.

All Things Jane Austen