Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2286 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-03-26
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis

Northanger Abbey is an Eighteenth Century drama adapted from the novel by Jane Austen. Catherine Morland arrives at Northanger upon the invitation of Henry Tilney, only to discover that the place is shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

Customer Reviews

Funny, exciting and lots of naughty looks!
I am a very very big fan of Jane Austen and I was so glad to hear that Andrew Davies (of the definitive, Firth/Ehle "Pride & Prejudice") was back! And I wasn't at all disappointed!

The production was true to the story - yet funnier, mainly due to the content of Catherine's fantasies! I also very much enjoyed the devilish glances from Henry - such naughtiness rarely comes across in other Regency-set dramas.

This was well acted and well scripted. Two very pleasant hours, especially for Austen fans and those who enjoy good period dramas. This is certainly one to go next to the BBC's P&P and Jane Eyre. TWO THUMBS UP!

I liked it very much.
First of all, it's important to bear in mind that this is not a big-budget Hollywood movie; it's just an ITV production so our expectations should thus be considerably lower. However for a mere channel creation I thought this adaptation was rather good. Catherine was the 17 year-old I imagined when I first read Northanger Abbey. One thing I really enjoyed about this was that when I read Northanger Abbey I didn't feel the growing feelings of Henry, in this you can see and feel it. Though I've always liked Northanger Abbey I've always thought the romance was weak, I didn't feel it was so in this adaptation.

Also for a production with a not-so-high budget I felt the costumes were excellent. In fact I preferred them vastly to those used in the Hollywood adaptation of Pride and Prejudice featuring Keira Knightly. I'm aware the director of Pride and Prejudice didn't want to use the empire waistline so he based his film before it was fashionable however the Northanger Abbey dresses looked much better and they flattered the figures of the actresses. It also made it all the more authentic. When one considers the difference between the budgets it's almost amazing that the ITV version of Northanger Abbey could be so vastly preferable.

I also felt the fanciful nature of Catherine's mind was acted to perfection; Catherine was a 17 year old, young woman, with an overly-active imagination. This is what leads her to believe the things she does about General Tilney. And yes okay, there are sexual undercurrents in her dreams, and no Jane Austen doesn't ever actually explore sexuality so bluntly but this is another's interpretation... Catherine being so interested in what was wicked could have been intrigued by sexuality.

Carey Mulligan plays her part so very well, it was easy to separate her from the more lovable roles she has played and dislike, nay, loath her as Isabella.

As for the actor who plays Henry, I actually really liked him, though not the most physically attractive man, his presented personality was thoroughly so and one could not help but be charmed.

The abbey itself was stunning, we see the Gothic in it as Catherine would see it and yet we're able to view it as a beautiful home, it does not seem so gothic when General Tilney is away from home, in fact it seem beatifically beautiful.

Unlike the casting of Billie Piper as Fanny Price in Mansifeld Park, I felt ITV had gotten it right by casting Felicity Jones as Catherine Morland.

Two thumbs up!

The best Northanger Abbey adaptation so far
I think this is a thoroughly enjoyable adaptation - very much better than the previous version with Peter Firth. It was excellently acted all round (J.J. Feild deserves a special mention as Henry Tilney) lovely settings, and it had pace, humour and a real feel for Jane Austen's book. Andrew Davies (as usual) added a few sexy undercurrants but they were not offensive and were mostly in dream sequences. Don't hesitate to buy.