Today’s movie is
period drama with a scene that happens on December 22. Watch it tonight and
enjoy.
MANSFIELD PARK
(1983)
Sir Thomas Bertram, the owner of
Mansfield Park married Maria Ward and had four children Tom, Edmund, Maria and
Julia. Maria had two sisters - Frances who married Lt. Price of the Marines and
had eight children and another sister who married Rev. Norris, who is given the
parish at Mansfield Park. When Frances’s oldest daughter, Fanny, is 10 Mrs. Norris brings Fanny to live at
Mansfield Park. Fanny is not treated very well by Mrs. Norris and her cousins
Tom, Maria and Julia, who treat her more like a servant than a relation. Only
Edmund is nice to her and Fanny gradually falls in love with him. Her older
brother William, who Fanny adores, comes to see her before he enters the Royal
Navy. Things change when Rev. Norris dies. Sir Thomas had hoped that the parish
would one day be Edmund’s, but because of debts run up by Tom, Sir Thomas is
forced to sell it to Rev Grant. Sir Thomas and Tom go to Antigua to investigate
conditions on his sugar plantations. While he is gone, Mrs. Norris succeeds in
promoting an engagement between Maria and the extremely wealthy, but plain and
dull, Mr. Rushworth of Sotherton Court. Edmund trades one of his horses for a
mare for Fanny. Tom returns home. Then Henry Crawford and his sister Mary, who
are half-siblings of Rev. Grant’s wife come to stay with the Grants. Edmund and Mary soon develop a mutual
attraction. Then Edmund, Fanny, Maria, Julia, Henry and Mary Crawford along
with Mrs. Norris take a day trip to Sotherton Court. During this trip Mary Crawford
is upset to learn that Edmund is to become a clergyman, while Maria and Henry
Crawford develop an unhealthy attraction for each other. Tom invites a friend
of his John Yates to the house. He makes a proposal, which is eagerly seized
upon by Tom and Henry Crawford that they should put on a risqué play, ‘Lover’s
Vows’ as an entertainment. In spite of
very serious misgivings, Edmund is eventually persuaded to take a role in the
play. Fanny absolutely refuses to participate. Rehearsals are far along, with
Henry and Maria becoming very intimate when Sir Thomas suddenly returns. He is very upset about these proceedings.
Mr. Rushworth and Maria get married. Edmund and Fanny dine with the Crawfords
and Grants. After this Henry decides, as a jest, to make Fanny fall in love
with him. Fanny’s brother William comes to Mansfield Park. Sir Thomas proposes
to have a ball. Mary Crawford lends Fanny a chain on which she can wear the
cross her brother gave her. Then Edmund
gives her a chain as a present. On December 22, 1808 [Ep. 4 29:29 to 42:00] the
Christmas Ball is held at Mansfield Park. Henry Crawford tells his sister he is
going to marry Fanny Price. To curry favor with Fanny, Henry arranges through
his uncle, an admiral, for William Price, Fanny’s brother to be promoted to
lieutenant. Henry proposes to Fanny, but she absolutely rejects him, in part
because she has seen his improper conduct with Maria. Sir Thomas is upset at
this, as he cannot see any reason why Fanny should reject Henry Crawford. The Crawfords leave Mansfield Park. Sir
Thomas sends Fanny back to stay with her family for a time. Henry Crawford goes
to see Fanny in Portsmouth to tell her he has been paying more attention to his
estate and announces his intention of going back there to continue its
supervision. Tom becomes very ill. Instead of going to his estate, Henry stays
in London and he and Maria have an adulterous affair that becomes public. Henry
and Maria run away together. Julia elopes with Mr. Yates. Edmund goes to
Portsmouth and takes Fanny and her sister Susan back to Mansfield Park. Edmund
goes to see Mary Crawford and is stunned to learn that she is not upset at what
Henry did, only that he got caught. Edmund realizes he loves Fanny and returns
to Mansfield Park and proposes to her. Mr. Rushworth divorces Maria, who is
sent away to live with Mrs. Norris. Julia is reconciled to her parents and
Edmund and Fanny are married. Mr. Grant is transferred to Westminster, so
Edmund becomes the pastor at Mansfield, where he lives happily ever after with
Fanny.
A very good historical drama.
Sylvestra Le Touzel does a very good job at portraying the retiring, but
morally incorruptible Fanny Price. Very good scenery and costumes.
Mansfield Park by Jane
Austen (Kőnemann, Cologne, Germany, 1997) at pages 234-239 gives the date of
the ball
Producer – Betty Willingale
Director - David Giles
Screenplay - Kenneth Taylor
Runtime – 4 hours 30 minutes
Released - November 6, 1983
Starring –
Katie Durham-Matthews as Young
Fanny
Sylvestra Le Touzel as Fanny
Price
Christopher Villiers as Tom
Bertram
Giles Ashton as Young Tom
Nicholas Farrell as Edmund
Bertram
Alex Lowe as Young Edmund
Samantha Bond as Maria Bertram
Alys Wallbank as Young Maria
Liz Crowther as Julia Bertram
Sharon Beare as Young Julia
Bernard Hepton as Sir Thomas Bertram
Angela Pleasence as Lady Bertram
Gillian Martell as Mrs Rushworth
Jonathan Stephens as Mr Rushworth
Anna Massey as Mrs Norris
Peter Finn as Mr Norris
Robert Burbage as Henry Crawford
Jackie Smith-Wood as Mary Crawford
Gorden Kaye as Dr Grant
Susan Edmonstone as Mrs Grant
Robin Langford as Mr Yates
Kenneth Hage as Fiddler
Allan Hendrick as William Price
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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