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The Jane Austen ITV Collection - Mansfield Park / Northanger Abbey / Emma (3 Disc Box Set) [2007]
![The Jane Austen ITV Collection - Mansfield Park / Northanger Abbey / Emma (3 Disc Box Set) [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BmXf57MqL._SL160_.jpg)
RRP: £39.99
Our Price: £11.49 (subject to change)
Not very Austentatious
Review date: 2008-10-06 Rating: 6 out of 10
I saw the whole short season of ITV Austen adaptations from which the three featured here were chosen and the main mystery to me is why it was that by far the the best of them - 'Persuasion', with Rupert Penry Jones and the excellent Sally Hawkins - was not included in this set.
This 'Mansfield Park' is especially poor, partly because Billie Piper - (a decent actress to be sure) is miscast. Even her looks, with her trademark bleached blonde hair and black eyebrows, are simply wrong for a lead Austen part.
For Mansfield Park, look for the greatly superior version starring Frances O' Connor as Fanny Price.
Similar Products
- Persuasion : Complete ITV Adaptation [2007]
- Sense & Sensibility : Complete BBC Series [2008]
- Becoming Jane [2006]
- The Classic Bronte BBC Collection : Jane Eyre / Tenant Of Wildfell Hall / Wuthering Heights (5 Disc Box Set)
- Miss Austen Regrets (BBC) [2008]
Reviews
Becoming a Jane fan
Review date: 2008-03-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
Well, I think I was a Jane Austen fan before. But to my shame I had read Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey only once and Emma only twice, so was not hugely familiar with any of these. Having watched them on TV, re-read the books and now re-watching on DVD, I think these are a great way of getting into some of her less well-known works.
Yes, they suffer a little from the 'Andrew Davis' effect of sexing up the original books that can be a little distracting. But overall they are a faithful enough reflection of the originals, well acted and good value in a boxed set like this - particularly as many of you will already have the BBC Pride & Prejudice and Ang Lee film of Sense & Sensibility (it is more in the school of these than the Gwyneth Paltrow film of Emma or the recent Keira Knightley Pride & Prejudice). It's just a shame they couldn't squeeze Persuasion into the same boxed set - if they could this would have got the full five stars. As it is, it'll get four stars and a recommendation for anyone who is an Austen fan already or who has enjoyed either Pride & Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility and is looking to broaden their range.
It's alright...
Review date: 2007-11-01 Rating: 6 out of 10
As the reviewer before me stated, if this is indeed the caliber of programming that comes out of ITV, then no, it does not rival BBC...HOWEVER, I was actually relatively entertained by these programs (as well as the Persuasion movie that was part of this season that isn't included here). They weren't quite true to the novels, but overall, they were each worth watching all the way through. Perhaps it is because I'm a fan of cheesy romance films, but I give it 3 stars for being alright in my eyes.
waste of money and waste of time
Review date: 2007-10-21 Rating: 2 out of 10
These were quite dreadful and very disappointing. I should have known ITV productions would not match up to anything produced by the BBC. I was fooled by Andres Davis' name!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
William Beck
Kate Beckinsale
Billie Piper
Samantha Morton
Liam Cunningham
Creators:
Billie Piper (Primary Contributor)
William Beck (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115245434
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2007-03-26
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 347 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)