ITV Northanger Abbey -- My Thoughts
Jan. 20th, 2008 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
olde_fashionedI've just finished watching the new Northanger Abbey, so here is what I thought.
Spoilers galore, and comments welcome! ;-D
First of all, I want to make it clear that I very strongly objected to the addition of "naughty" scenes which were not at all in the novel. Catherine reading The Monk (which she DID NOT READ in the novel and it was TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER for her to do so!!) squirming in her bed, and Isabella's one-night-stand with Frederick Tilney all threaten to diminish my enjoyment of this otherwise enjoyable adaptation. From what I can gather, we also had scenes edited out for the American audience yet again, although the removal of the infamous Bathtub Dream Sequence is rather a relief to me. ;-) Having said so, I dislike not knowing all of what is in this adaptation. But enough of this.
I enjoyed this much much more than I did last week's Persuasion, perhaps because I love the book Northanger Abbey much more than I do Persuasion. ;-) I could not help but notice the pirating of various gothic fantasy scenes from the old 1986 version of NA, which, despite it's deficiencies, is a favourite of mine, and as such, was vigorously compared to the new version as I watched it. So perhaps I am not the fairest judge of Andrew Davies' attempt. ;-) I did however find the "carriage attack" to be excessively diverting, especially with gouty Mr. Allen swordfighting the villains with his crutch! LOL!
When the casting for this new NA was announced, I was very pleased with Felicity Jones' appearance, and her performance did not alter my pre-determined opinion of her suitability as Catherine. She was every bit as naive, sweet, genuine, and innocent (barring the aforementioned questionable additions...) as she was in the novel. I found myself wondering if part of her screen test was to open her mouth wide enough to drive a bus between her teeth. I suppose this was to convey some of her awe to the viewer, but I for one found it highly amusing, and not at all in a negative sense. She is a very pretty girl, and I would enjoy seeing her star in other period films.
Now for Mr. Henry Tilney. ;-) Henry has long been a favourite Austenian hero of mine, and the only reason he is not *the* favourite, is because Jane Austen happened to create other heroes named Mr. Knightley, Mr. Darcy, and Colonel Brandon. *lol* I'm sure I am being nit-picky, but I was rather surprised to hear JJ Feild's voice. It's so deep! I did not expect that at all. (yes, I know, stupid me!) I did catch glimpses of him in To The Ends of The Earth before turning it off in disgust, but his character was so busy getting falling-down-drunk that he did not make much of an impression on me. The role of Henry Tilney is not that terribly different from that of a drunken sailor, other than that Henry is rather drunk with love for Catherine, as opposed to drunk with alcohol. *lol* He said "I must give you one smirk" but if I had been counting I am sure it would have reached one hundred! Are smirks supposed to denote charm? I'm not so sure if I were Catherine, I would be able to take so much teasing and snarky smiles without throwing a few barbs in his direction in return. ;-) At least JJ Feild was physically appropriate for the role with dark hair and eyes, which is more than can be said for Peter Firth! Overall I thought he (JJ) was tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.
Eleanor was satisfactorily depressed and quiet, as she should be, but I don't think she had exactly the right "chemistry" (for lack of a better word) with her brother. I think the relationship between Eleanor and Henry as brother and sister (not respectively, hahaha) is one of the most important in the entire novel, second only to Catherine and Henry. Eleanor brings out the tender side of Henry when he cannot fully display it to Catherine without betraying his affection for her, and Eleanor also is able to help form Catherine's opinion of him by showing (and telling!) what a good brother he is. I would have liked to see more than glances between the siblings to suggest their friendship.
The ride to Woodston. Pray, what was the purpose of that? Other than allowing Henry to caress Catherine's cheek, I mean. Heheheh. I thought Catherine's riding habit, if such a gauzy, flimsy thing can be called a habit. Any bets it's muslin? Which reminds me...
The muslin scene has always been a favourite of mine, so no censure there. I also love the journal discussion during Henry and Catherine's first dance, and when Henry glares at those men to give up their seats for Mrs. Allen and Catherine! Oh, I liked that part very much. Very gallant, I must say. :-D And the way he goes to fetch the master of ceremonies so that he can talk to Catherine was very well done. ;-) Their little repartee was very sweet, IMO. Very "Northanger" and I also was thrilled to hear the choices of the dance music! One of the pieces played I have on my English Country Dancing CD (the exact name of the song escapes me at the moment) and a few favourites from the '95 Pride & Prejudice also made appearances! I've noticed that AD adaptations often have the same music in the dance sequences. I wonder if he gets to choose some of them?
Carey Mulligan must have studied under the same voice coach as JJ, because her voice was almost so deep as to be unnatural, or at least I thought so. Also, the profuse amount of cleavage Isabella kept flaunting made me uncomfortable for the sake of all the male viewers. Does Andrew Davies' screenplay demand that Isabella bend over in front of the camera in every other scene? Really, we get the point that she's a flirt. Honestly. We're not all as ignorant as Catherine Morland! And again, the "romance" with Captain Tilney was pitiable at best, and discomforting at worst. Showing nothing more revealing than Isabella wrapped in a sheet, I still object to the inferences implied. If JA had wanted Isabella and Frederick to go so far, she would have written it in her novel. She did not scruple to have Willoughby seduce Eliza (OFF-SCREEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH) and adding that scene was quite unnecessary IMNSHO. I also think the character of Captain Tilney has been marred, for I'm not sure he was written as the heartless rake he was portrayed as in the film. I read him as more of a thoughtless flirt, who fled the scene of his "crime" once he'd realized Isabella had taken it farther than he had intended. *smooths ruffled hair and skirts and steps down off of soap box*
Did anyone else know that Mrs. Allen (Sylvestra Le Touzel) played Fanny Price in the 1983 version of Mansfield Park? I thought she made a horrible Mrs. Allen. Googie Withers in "my" 1986 version was infinitely superior IMVHO, showing all the folly and good-natured combination of silliness and sweetness that JA originally wrote. Mr. Allen was duly boring, but again, was not quite the foil to his wife that the 1986 Mr. Allen was. I did like the little Morland boy touching his gouty foot though! ;-)
Speaking of which, the Morland children were positively ADORABLE!! I loved them! The whole Morland family walking in a line according to size at the beginning was very funny, and the scene at the end when Henry comes riding up to speak to Catherine, and the two little sisters shout that he's riding a white horse (!) and when they hear their sister say his name, the look at each other and exclaim "Mr. Tilney!!!" in rapturous, unified little voices. Pricless! Henry also looking awkwardly at the presence of so many little ears (when he wants to propose to his love!) was also very amusing. I thought he was going to choke on that vile-looking lemonade, poor man.
The kiss was a good deal better than The Fish Gasping For Air, aka Anne Elliot. Kind of bungling, but in a sweet, cute sort of way. Makes me wonder if all first kisses are so awkward. ;-) Not that I would know, mind you!!! The voice over (which was a horrible sounding woman to play JA, I might add) reminding us that Catherine is 18 and Henry is 26 very nearly spoiled it for me, but I should be pretty used to large age gaps in JA novels by now!
Am I forgetting anything else? Hmm...let me see...oh, yes! John Thorpe! Absolutely disgusting, and even though I didn't see any warts, I'm sure they must be there somewhere. Perhaps lurking beneath his cravat? They simply have to be there. I also think he drinks the same brand of wine that General Tilney does, because they both had these perpetually sour expressions across their faces. John was supposed to be more of an idiot than a stalking creep, and the General did not have enough screen time or development for me to really judge him, so it's not really a fair statement for me to say I still prefer Robert Hardy as the General. (More soup, anyone?)
Are you bored yet? lol. Huzzah and hoorah for you if you've made it thus far! Perhaps I ought to call this an analysis, or dissection, rather than a mere review. It's way longer than I intended!
Spoilers galore, and comments welcome! ;-D
First of all, I want to make it clear that I very strongly objected to the addition of "naughty" scenes which were not at all in the novel. Catherine reading The Monk (which she DID NOT READ in the novel and it was TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER for her to do so!!) squirming in her bed, and Isabella's one-night-stand with Frederick Tilney all threaten to diminish my enjoyment of this otherwise enjoyable adaptation. From what I can gather, we also had scenes edited out for the American audience yet again, although the removal of the infamous Bathtub Dream Sequence is rather a relief to me. ;-) Having said so, I dislike not knowing all of what is in this adaptation. But enough of this.
I enjoyed this much much more than I did last week's Persuasion, perhaps because I love the book Northanger Abbey much more than I do Persuasion. ;-) I could not help but notice the pirating of various gothic fantasy scenes from the old 1986 version of NA, which, despite it's deficiencies, is a favourite of mine, and as such, was vigorously compared to the new version as I watched it. So perhaps I am not the fairest judge of Andrew Davies' attempt. ;-) I did however find the "carriage attack" to be excessively diverting, especially with gouty Mr. Allen swordfighting the villains with his crutch! LOL!
When the casting for this new NA was announced, I was very pleased with Felicity Jones' appearance, and her performance did not alter my pre-determined opinion of her suitability as Catherine. She was every bit as naive, sweet, genuine, and innocent (barring the aforementioned questionable additions...) as she was in the novel. I found myself wondering if part of her screen test was to open her mouth wide enough to drive a bus between her teeth. I suppose this was to convey some of her awe to the viewer, but I for one found it highly amusing, and not at all in a negative sense. She is a very pretty girl, and I would enjoy seeing her star in other period films.
Now for Mr. Henry Tilney. ;-) Henry has long been a favourite Austenian hero of mine, and the only reason he is not *the* favourite, is because Jane Austen happened to create other heroes named Mr. Knightley, Mr. Darcy, and Colonel Brandon. *lol* I'm sure I am being nit-picky, but I was rather surprised to hear JJ Feild's voice. It's so deep! I did not expect that at all. (yes, I know, stupid me!) I did catch glimpses of him in To The Ends of The Earth before turning it off in disgust, but his character was so busy getting falling-down-drunk that he did not make much of an impression on me. The role of Henry Tilney is not that terribly different from that of a drunken sailor, other than that Henry is rather drunk with love for Catherine, as opposed to drunk with alcohol. *lol* He said "I must give you one smirk" but if I had been counting I am sure it would have reached one hundred! Are smirks supposed to denote charm? I'm not so sure if I were Catherine, I would be able to take so much teasing and snarky smiles without throwing a few barbs in his direction in return. ;-) At least JJ Feild was physically appropriate for the role with dark hair and eyes, which is more than can be said for Peter Firth! Overall I thought he (JJ) was tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.
Eleanor was satisfactorily depressed and quiet, as she should be, but I don't think she had exactly the right "chemistry" (for lack of a better word) with her brother. I think the relationship between Eleanor and Henry as brother and sister (not respectively, hahaha) is one of the most important in the entire novel, second only to Catherine and Henry. Eleanor brings out the tender side of Henry when he cannot fully display it to Catherine without betraying his affection for her, and Eleanor also is able to help form Catherine's opinion of him by showing (and telling!) what a good brother he is. I would have liked to see more than glances between the siblings to suggest their friendship.
The ride to Woodston. Pray, what was the purpose of that? Other than allowing Henry to caress Catherine's cheek, I mean. Heheheh. I thought Catherine's riding habit, if such a gauzy, flimsy thing can be called a habit. Any bets it's muslin? Which reminds me...
The muslin scene has always been a favourite of mine, so no censure there. I also love the journal discussion during Henry and Catherine's first dance, and when Henry glares at those men to give up their seats for Mrs. Allen and Catherine! Oh, I liked that part very much. Very gallant, I must say. :-D And the way he goes to fetch the master of ceremonies so that he can talk to Catherine was very well done. ;-) Their little repartee was very sweet, IMO. Very "Northanger" and I also was thrilled to hear the choices of the dance music! One of the pieces played I have on my English Country Dancing CD (the exact name of the song escapes me at the moment) and a few favourites from the '95 Pride & Prejudice also made appearances! I've noticed that AD adaptations often have the same music in the dance sequences. I wonder if he gets to choose some of them?
Carey Mulligan must have studied under the same voice coach as JJ, because her voice was almost so deep as to be unnatural, or at least I thought so. Also, the profuse amount of cleavage Isabella kept flaunting made me uncomfortable for the sake of all the male viewers. Does Andrew Davies' screenplay demand that Isabella bend over in front of the camera in every other scene? Really, we get the point that she's a flirt. Honestly. We're not all as ignorant as Catherine Morland! And again, the "romance" with Captain Tilney was pitiable at best, and discomforting at worst. Showing nothing more revealing than Isabella wrapped in a sheet, I still object to the inferences implied. If JA had wanted Isabella and Frederick to go so far, she would have written it in her novel. She did not scruple to have Willoughby seduce Eliza (OFF-SCREEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH) and adding that scene was quite unnecessary IMNSHO. I also think the character of Captain Tilney has been marred, for I'm not sure he was written as the heartless rake he was portrayed as in the film. I read him as more of a thoughtless flirt, who fled the scene of his "crime" once he'd realized Isabella had taken it farther than he had intended. *smooths ruffled hair and skirts and steps down off of soap box*
Did anyone else know that Mrs. Allen (Sylvestra Le Touzel) played Fanny Price in the 1983 version of Mansfield Park? I thought she made a horrible Mrs. Allen. Googie Withers in "my" 1986 version was infinitely superior IMVHO, showing all the folly and good-natured combination of silliness and sweetness that JA originally wrote. Mr. Allen was duly boring, but again, was not quite the foil to his wife that the 1986 Mr. Allen was. I did like the little Morland boy touching his gouty foot though! ;-)
Speaking of which, the Morland children were positively ADORABLE!! I loved them! The whole Morland family walking in a line according to size at the beginning was very funny, and the scene at the end when Henry comes riding up to speak to Catherine, and the two little sisters shout that he's riding a white horse (!) and when they hear their sister say his name, the look at each other and exclaim "Mr. Tilney!!!" in rapturous, unified little voices. Pricless! Henry also looking awkwardly at the presence of so many little ears (when he wants to propose to his love!) was also very amusing. I thought he was going to choke on that vile-looking lemonade, poor man.
The kiss was a good deal better than The Fish Gasping For Air, aka Anne Elliot. Kind of bungling, but in a sweet, cute sort of way. Makes me wonder if all first kisses are so awkward. ;-) Not that I would know, mind you!!! The voice over (which was a horrible sounding woman to play JA, I might add) reminding us that Catherine is 18 and Henry is 26 very nearly spoiled it for me, but I should be pretty used to large age gaps in JA novels by now!
Am I forgetting anything else? Hmm...let me see...oh, yes! John Thorpe! Absolutely disgusting, and even though I didn't see any warts, I'm sure they must be there somewhere. Perhaps lurking beneath his cravat? They simply have to be there. I also think he drinks the same brand of wine that General Tilney does, because they both had these perpetually sour expressions across their faces. John was supposed to be more of an idiot than a stalking creep, and the General did not have enough screen time or development for me to really judge him, so it's not really a fair statement for me to say I still prefer Robert Hardy as the General. (More soup, anyone?)
Are you bored yet? lol. Huzzah and hoorah for you if you've made it thus far! Perhaps I ought to call this an analysis, or dissection, rather than a mere review. It's way longer than I intended!
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 10:01 pm (UTC)Yes, your reaction is similar to my own when I read about what had been added. *pats shoulder consolingly* That's one of the problems with watching before reading -- it can be "dangerous" if the movie misrepresents the novel!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-22 08:07 pm (UTC)*rages and bites things*
no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 03:03 am (UTC)Cable man??
no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 03:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 07:28 am (UTC)I was grateful my brother had gone upstairs by then....:-/
no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 02:50 pm (UTC)Yeah. I really need to watch it in a back room, so people aren't walking in at bad times.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-23 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-22 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-22 10:23 pm (UTC)