Once again I find myself in the minority choosing one particular Jane Austen film adaptation over another. In this case I am persuaded that the joint 1987 A&E and BBC made for TV production is superior to the 2007 collaboration between Granada Productions and WGBH Boston.
Austen set her novel at the end of the 18th century at the time she wrote it-but it wasn't published until after her death approximately twenty years later.
Northanger Abbey is the story of a 17 year old girl, Catherine (Cathy) Moreland (Katharine Schlesinger) who whiles away her days enraptured by Gothic romance novels. The tale of the inexperienced Catherine and what happens to her was designed by Austen to satirically debunk the melodramatic stories that her heroine was drawn to.
With her parents' permission, Catherine gets the opportunity to take a trip to the town of Bath accompanied by the Allen's, a well-off childless couple played by Googie Withers and Geoffrey Chater. The two thespians with their cheerful demeanor prove to be far more engaging and realistic than the less effusive Desmond Barrit and Sylvestra Le Touzel in the 2007 version.
When Mrs. Allen takes Catherine to a ball hoping to broaden her horizons, note that the scene in the 1987 version is half the length of its successor. The earlier version has an economy of style with the dialogue moving at a fast clip. No such luck in 2007 in which the film's scenarists attempted to emulate Austen's drawn-out interior narrative. Of course that works much better in a novel than in a screenplay.
Perhaps where the 1987 version "gets it right" the best is the casting of Peter Firth as Minister Henry Tilney and his father the General (Robert Hardy). Henry is rightly depicted as far more mature and sophisticated than the naïve, innocent Catherine. Unlike the 2007 version, Henry is often times sarcastic and makes fun of Catherine. In contrast JJ Field plays Henry completely straight as the typical romantic hero of the Gothic novels that Austen was attempting to mock.
Similarly Hardy is perfect as the General hiding the seething anger beneath the surface through the mask of false manners. Liam Cunningham in 2007 unfortunately can only scowl and plays the General as basically a one-dimensional villain.
The interaction between Catherine and Henry prove to be the most engaging part of Austen's narrative. The sub-plot involving The Thorpe's perhaps is not as effective. After all the duplicitous Isabella is depicted rejecting Catherine's brother James and that happens off-screen. Not much suspense there-however, it's obvious that Austen interjected the Isabella sub-plot to emphasize Catherine's growing realization that the world did not run according to plan as depicted in the romance novels of the time.
Both Cassie Stuart and Carey Mulligan do a decent enough job as Isabella but I'm partial to Jonathan Coy as John Thorpe over William Beck in the 2007 version as he seems a bit more manipulative and sinister as someone who's just plain angry.
Many have indicated preference for Felicity Jones over Katharine Schlesinger in the role of Catherine. Is there really much difference? Both ably convey a wide-eyed teenager besotted with an older man.
I also noted that in the 1987 version Henry's break with his father is shown in great detail in contrast to it being glossed over in 2007. How to interpret Henry's reversal in asking for Catherine's hand? At one point he berated Catherine for "misinterpreting" the relationship between his father and his deceased mother.
I suppose he became less defensive after thinking about the true nature of his parents' relationship. Indeed he acknowledges to Catherine that her gut feeling about his father's shabby treatment of his wife was basically accurate. Coupled with his father's poor treatment of Catherine by kicking her out of Northanger Abbey probably led to guilt feelings and asking for her hand in marriage was partially his way of making things up to her.
Austen's novel may not have been as good as some of her other one's but I enjoyed the film nonetheless as a glimpse into the manners and mores of late 18th century England.
Austen set her novel at the end of the 18th century at the time she wrote it-but it wasn't published until after her death approximately twenty years later.
Northanger Abbey is the story of a 17 year old girl, Catherine (Cathy) Moreland (Katharine Schlesinger) who whiles away her days enraptured by Gothic romance novels. The tale of the inexperienced Catherine and what happens to her was designed by Austen to satirically debunk the melodramatic stories that her heroine was drawn to.
With her parents' permission, Catherine gets the opportunity to take a trip to the town of Bath accompanied by the Allen's, a well-off childless couple played by Googie Withers and Geoffrey Chater. The two thespians with their cheerful demeanor prove to be far more engaging and realistic than the less effusive Desmond Barrit and Sylvestra Le Touzel in the 2007 version.
When Mrs. Allen takes Catherine to a ball hoping to broaden her horizons, note that the scene in the 1987 version is half the length of its successor. The earlier version has an economy of style with the dialogue moving at a fast clip. No such luck in 2007 in which the film's scenarists attempted to emulate Austen's drawn-out interior narrative. Of course that works much better in a novel than in a screenplay.
Perhaps where the 1987 version "gets it right" the best is the casting of Peter Firth as Minister Henry Tilney and his father the General (Robert Hardy). Henry is rightly depicted as far more mature and sophisticated than the naïve, innocent Catherine. Unlike the 2007 version, Henry is often times sarcastic and makes fun of Catherine. In contrast JJ Field plays Henry completely straight as the typical romantic hero of the Gothic novels that Austen was attempting to mock.
Similarly Hardy is perfect as the General hiding the seething anger beneath the surface through the mask of false manners. Liam Cunningham in 2007 unfortunately can only scowl and plays the General as basically a one-dimensional villain.
The interaction between Catherine and Henry prove to be the most engaging part of Austen's narrative. The sub-plot involving The Thorpe's perhaps is not as effective. After all the duplicitous Isabella is depicted rejecting Catherine's brother James and that happens off-screen. Not much suspense there-however, it's obvious that Austen interjected the Isabella sub-plot to emphasize Catherine's growing realization that the world did not run according to plan as depicted in the romance novels of the time.
Both Cassie Stuart and Carey Mulligan do a decent enough job as Isabella but I'm partial to Jonathan Coy as John Thorpe over William Beck in the 2007 version as he seems a bit more manipulative and sinister as someone who's just plain angry.
Many have indicated preference for Felicity Jones over Katharine Schlesinger in the role of Catherine. Is there really much difference? Both ably convey a wide-eyed teenager besotted with an older man.
I also noted that in the 1987 version Henry's break with his father is shown in great detail in contrast to it being glossed over in 2007. How to interpret Henry's reversal in asking for Catherine's hand? At one point he berated Catherine for "misinterpreting" the relationship between his father and his deceased mother.
I suppose he became less defensive after thinking about the true nature of his parents' relationship. Indeed he acknowledges to Catherine that her gut feeling about his father's shabby treatment of his wife was basically accurate. Coupled with his father's poor treatment of Catherine by kicking her out of Northanger Abbey probably led to guilt feelings and asking for her hand in marriage was partially his way of making things up to her.
Austen's novel may not have been as good as some of her other one's but I enjoyed the film nonetheless as a glimpse into the manners and mores of late 18th century England.