Masterpiece Theatre: Northanger Abbey | 
 enlarge | Director: Jon Jones
Actor: N/a
Studio: WGBH Boston
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.87
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Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 383
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 86
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: WG42199
UPC: 783421421899
EAN: 0783421421899
ASIN: B000Z27HLS
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: January 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/WGBH BOSTON Rating: NR UPC: 783421421899 Manufacturer No: WG42199
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| Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews...
 Northanger Abbey: Masterpiece Theatre's Little Masterpiece August 18, 2008
This film adaptation of Northanger Abbey has been a long time coming for any true Janeite. It was absolutely dripping with the very charm and wit of Miss Austen herself, and maintained the integrity of the text. A dash of British humour, a gleam of gothic fright, and a full cup of the endearing romance from the Regency Era.
Cheers!
Finally, a real "Northanger Abbey" August 16, 2008
"Northanger Abbey" has never been a favorite with me; Catherine is too naive to suit my tastes. Still, I wanted to see what would happen with this one, and Andrew Davies shows again why he's a master.
Catherine here is displayed in all her glory. Her naviete is evident, but she demonstrates some very great character qualities; her eagerness to think well of people is very sweet, and her loyalty to her brother is beautiful. Felicity Jones shows very clearly but very properly Catherine's unhappiness and suspicion (even in Catherine Morland!) of Isabella Thorpe's flirtation with Frederick Tilney. Her sadness and regret when she discovers how easily she's been swayed by her Gothic novel reading is palpable. The writing is fantastic and Jones carries off the character brilliantly with all the wide-eyed innocence necessary for the role.
JJ Feild's Henry Tilney is fantastic. He's everything that he should be: smart, gentle, upright, friendly, and patient with Catherine. Tilney's the sort of guy people would have a drink with *and* entrust their children to, and Davies and Feild capture that. Sorry, Peter Firth, Feild's got you beat on every single count here.
I have to mention Carey Mulligan's Isabella Thorpe. Mulligan plays all that sweet-faced innocence while being a money-grubbing jerk underneath; she's fantastic. When she gets her comeuppance at Frederick Tilney's hands, it's hard to be sympathetic. Still, Davies puts in that moment when Frederick Tilney outmaneuvers Isabella and she gets her comeuppance - excellent addition - and Mulligan carries it off brilliantly. That momentary pathos Mulligan infuses into Isabella really manages to drive home Elinor's warning to Catherine that Isabella will be hurt.
Eleanor is lovely - a wonderful, female version of her brother Henry, with all the spirit and gentleness he has. (They're my favorite brother-sister pair in all of Austen.) Frederick Tilney is wonderfully rakish. The Allens are very cute.
There are flashes of Davies in the script. He sort of does the over the top sometimes, and the visualizations of Catherine's Gothic imaginings fit that over-the-top bill. Still, Davies is a master at catching Austen's humor, and the joke's on Catherine - which he manages to capture with brilliance.
Beating the 1986 Maggie Wadey-written "Northanger Abbey" isn't a huge feat (sorry, Ms. Wadey), but this version does more than that. As of right now it's set a pretty high mark to beat.
Lovely adaptation of the Jane Austen novel July 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been a Jane Austen fan for years! So I was excited to see the new PBS versions of the novels this last year, especially Northanger Abbey since this novel has never really been turned into a good movie (like S&S, P&P, and Emma). I loved this adaptation. The plot moves a little faster than in the book. But over all this movie was very pleasing. The actors were charming and Felicity Jones does a delightful adaptation of Catherine. The scenery is well done, although not quite the image of Northanger that I had in my imagination. The scenes of Catherine's gothic fantasies are funny, but work well with the plot. I wish they could've picked a more handsome actor for Henry, but hey, that's getting picky. Supporting actors are well cast, especially Isabella, Eleanor, and the evil General Tilney. I give this film an B+ to an A-. I love having it in my Austen-adaptation movie collection. Highly recommend it to any Jane Austen fan. Very sweet, lovely film with the happily-ever-after ending we all enjoy.
A disappointing Abbey June 16, 2008
For the first 15 or so minutes (maybe longer) I lived in hopes that this new adaptation of "Northanger Abbey" would stay closer to the original Jane Austen novel than the previous BBC production starring Peter Firth which had little of the wit of the original.
Perhaps it's impossible to do justice to Jane Austen unless one makes a miniseries the likes of the Colin Firth, Jennifer Erle "Pride and Prejudice". That said, Austen makes it quite clear in the novel that Northanger Abbey is an abbey in name only, that it is a modern, comfortable Georgian house with but the remnants of the original monastic building in the grounds - unlike the massive Gothic structure shown in the current version.
"Northanger Abbey" may be the slightest of Austen's works, however, even though this is an improvement on the previous attempt to present the piece on TV/DVD the novel deserves more than it gets in this version .
Wonderful Movie June 12, 2008
I saw this on PBS' Masterpiece and enjoyed it so much I wanted to own it and add it to our Jane Austen DVD collection. If you enjoy the movies that have been done bringing Jane Austin's writing to the screen you will probably enjoy this as well.
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