Updating Jane

I was going to write about hobbies and handwork today, but when I was watching “Mansfield Park” (while knitting), I decided to put off my hobby post in order to attempt to flesh out how this film version (Miramax) can completely renovate Jane Austen’s novel and yet keep it…Austeny, if you know what I mean. In several ways, I actually prefer this movie version to the book, but before you go sending me hate mail for my inconsistencies, I’ll get into the “why” of the matter.
The movie is described as a “fun and sexy comedy,” but I hate that description. Yes, for those of us who adore satire and irony, this is a witty and humorous film, but I think that if you sat down half of the population of America, they wouldn’t get the depth behind the humor. This is where we reach my first point on why, while forsaking much of Austen’s own design, the director has a film that feels like a legitimate Austen novel: she analyzes the relationships of her characters. Everything is worked out, it’s complete, it feels real. The reality of Austen’s characters has always been something that I’ve appreciated, and it’s the same with this movie.

The character changes in this movie would have to be the main reason that I prefer it in many ways to the book. I’ve been on many a rampage about how Edmund is a milquetoast and Fanny is a pushover, making them the worst of Austen’s heroes and heroines. In contrast, Henry Crawford was a fantastic character that I actually wanted to get the girl, however unworthy she may be. Austen knew that the bad-boy aura is captivating, but she also realized that there has to be a bit of reform to make them really accessible. Anne Shirley said it perfectly when she described her perfect man as having the capability to be wicked, but holding it back. Henry is that when he sets his eye—and loses his heart—to Fanny. Yes, I wanted a Fanny/Henry union. I also wanted Edmund to be thrown from a cliff a few times. In the movie, they redeemed Edmund! Sure, he’s still the same almost loveable milquetoast of a hero, but he has a bit more spine. When we reach the scene where he takes on Mary Crawford for speaking gleefully of his brother’s possible demise, he actually is quite masculine (something that, for one scene at least, his frightfully pink lips can’t take away). Because they build their romantic relationship up in scenes like the parting, the carriage ride and the post-affair, we can believe that they really have always loved each other. It also furthers the impression that he is pursuing Mary because it is what his father wants, something that begins soon after Sir Bertram returns from Antigua. (So that you aren’t confused, Sir B is advising Edmund that he could do a lot worse than marry “her”; Edmund thinks he is talking about Fanny [so we know where his heart is to start], but Sir B sets him straight and says that he’s talking about Mary.) Oh, and Fanny becomes a symbol for feminism, basically. She’s one sassy girl who, while obedient and generally demure, isn’t going to go against her own conscience for anything or anyone. Basically, three of the most important characters are just better.

I could go into how the film added some pointless elements of racism that redeemed Tom, but I’m not going to. They’re very deep and symbolic, I’m sure, but I’ve had enough of writing about issues like this for one year between my European history and literature courses—forgive me. Basically, there were new important elements. I wouldn’t say that these were useful additions to the story—just some clutter, really.

I’m going to loop back to Fanny again. I think the reason that this movie really feels like Austen is *drum roll* that the movie’s Fanny IS JANE, essentially. Her little asides throughout the film are, in many cases, things that Jane wrote when she was young, such as the “run made as often as you choose” bit—straight out of Lady Susan, the oft forgotten first (short) novel that Jane wrote. I think that the purpose was to give a heroine that modern viewers would connect with, and POOF! They realized that Jane herself must have been one sassy lady to write about all of the hot topics that she did. Thus was born this new Fanny, who I refer to as Phanny (because I can be extremely corny as the day goes on, yes, I do refer to her by a mix-up of her name and “phoenix”).

Ta-da! That’s why I love this film maybe more than the book it’s based on. This is a first, people! It’s also almost difficult for me to admit. Yup, that’s all of why I love the film. Pretty much.

So sue me; yes, I artfully concealed the fact that Jonny Lee Miller played Edmund. I was very upfront about how weird I feel about his strangely pink lips AND said he played a milquetoast. (Oh, and yes—I do love that word. A lot.)