Masterpiece Theatre Northanger Abbey Deals on Felicity Jones

Masterpiece Theatre: Northanger Abbey

Category: (DVD)

23 new, starting at $13.54

5 used, starting at $14.98

Editorial Reviews

In Austen's gentle parody of gothic fiction, Felicity Jones (Meadowlands) plays romance addict Catherine Morland. Invited to a medieval country house that appeals to her most lurid fantasies, she forms a close friendship with the younger son on the estate, Henry Tilney (JJ Feild, The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton), but their budding romance is mysteriously cut short. Adapted by Andrew Davies.

Customer Reviews

Not What We Expected!

Reviewed by S. Ferguson, 2010-03-06

We were surprised by this movie. My family saw the name "Jane Austen" and thought they knew what they were getting in to but we were highly disappointed after wasting most of the 86 minutes it took to watch it (by the way, be aware that you are getting a short version movie). The acting was great and the filming was fine (hence two stars). In addition to that, I can't argue that what was portrayed of someone else's life was not "realistic". That said though, I don't like having my family wade through other people's moral trash, shallow fantasizing and "wild oat sowing" to get to the 10% of what could be considered as the good "life values" in this movie. I'm all for strong family values and reinforcement of good character by modeling great character, but there was way too little of either of those in this movie. I'm not against juxtaposition in that process (it usually takes a bad setting to show good character) but I feel this movie is seriously imbalanced in the negative direction in that arena. Since I could not elevate the character values portrayed in most of this movie for myself, or for my family members, I would highly recommend not even watching it.

OK, but not great

Reviewed by Scholar, 2010-02-22

This should have been 2 hours long rather than 90 min. That way the producers could have put the whole story in it--as is, it ends rather abruptly.

The Best Adaptation Yet

Reviewed by Tanya Young, 2010-02-21

I have seen almost every adaptation of Jane Austen's books and was surprised that this one did not get a lot of press. This movie follows the book really faithfully and added some tidbits of fun with her dreams about the books she reads. The chemistry was great between everyone and the relationships where given a lot of attention. This movie is great one of my favorites, it is of course no Pride and Prejudice but it does come close in my books. Always a sucker for Jane!

sound quality poor

Reviewed by Linda Hartell, 2010-02-17

This movie aired on my local PBS station Sunday night (2/14) and I found that I was unable to view it. Again, the music drowns out the dialog (I have found this in previous PBS adaptations) I found myself straining to hear the words and wishing the music would just stop. I wonder if anyone is viewing the film before it is released to the public. Is this poor editing or just someone who is enamored with the musical score? I don't intend to purchase the DVD for this very reason.

In defense of of novels

Reviewed by B. Faulk, 2010-02-17

Do novels have an innate morality, and is it possible to OD on them? Northanger Abbey is Jane Austen's opportunity to wax eloquent in defense of fiction in general while taking a few not-so-subtle stabs at the melodramatic novels that gave fiction its reputation at the time. Considering the awesome content of the book, I've always been amazed by its relative obscurity and the impression most people inexplicably have that it is a dull story. The writing is hilarious, the characters intriguing, and the storyline a highly entertaining parody that still manages to contain more than a grain of truth. This from a kid who had a hard time making it through the Jane Austen monster masterpieces Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility. I always thought that Northanger Abbey would make a great movie, but when people kept telling me they fell asleep watching the older version, I somehow never got around to watching it. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see the 2007 version, but of course now it has been so many years since I read the book that I really don't know how faithfully I remember the intricacies of the story. I seem to recall a few differences of character, and a little less.... er... raciness in the original novel, but otherwise I the movie matched my memory fairly well, being almost as melodramatic and painful and delightful.

The story follows Catherine Morland, a daydreaming young woman who, we are informed on the first page, comes from far too stable and loving a home to really be supposed a heroine. Felicity Jones does a marvelous job portraying a character of whom Austen says "her heart was affectionate, her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind--her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and, when in good looks, pretty--and her mind about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is."

Unsurprisingly, sweet and simple Catherine is swept from her happy home into the path of societal convention and conniving through her friendships with the flirtatious Isabella and the kindhearted Eleanor as well as the attentions of each girl's brother, two gentlemen who are respectively, one might say, too oblivious and too self-aware to be traditional heroes.
Eager to discover that life imitates art, Catherine imagines a romantically dreadful gothic horror backstory for Northanger Abbey, the home of her friends Henry and Eleanor. Her search uncovers some unpleasant truths that threaten to cause irreparable damage...

But being a Jane Austen novel, lessons are learned, the requisite scandals occur at a tidy distance, and love is ultimately triumphant for our unconventional hero and heroine. And Northanger Abbey is both a refreshing change from and a complementary member of the Jane Austen gold standard.