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Northanger Abbey
I loved this film! I've never read this Jane Austen work, but now I'm going to.
Catherine Morland is a teenage girl who loves reading gothic romance stories. She has a vivid imagination, and often dreams that she is a character in a gothic romance. We get to see some of these dreams in the movie, which is very amusing.
When Catherine gets invited by a childless couple to accompany them on a trip to Bath, she falls for Clergyman Henry Tilney. But when she comes in contact with the Thorpe family, she is fed stories about Henry's mother dying in a suspicious manner. This is because John Thorpe thinks Catherine is wealthy and is out to marry her for her supposed money.
When Catherine gets invited to the Tilney family's mysterious home, Northanger Abbey, Catherine sets out to investigate Mrs. Tilney's death.
This film is terrific, and the cast is wonderful. Felicity Jones is perfect as Catherine, and she has chemistry with JJ Field who plays Henry Tilney.
Anyone have any thoughts on this adaptation of Northanger Abbey?
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Jan 27, 2008 11:33 AM
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You are right. The lead actors made the movie. As a matter of fact, JJ Field's performance made me think that his was the most appealing Austen male suitor, no mean feat considering how much I love Mr. Darcy and Col. Brandon!
He was that charming.
I had never read the novel, and was confused by one detail. Didn't they say at the beginning that Catherine is 15? Because at the end they said she is 18! Which is it?
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Feb 4, 2008 12:18 PM
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chattypatra, you are right. They did say at the beginning of the film that she was 15, and at the end that she was 18. I haven't read the book yet, so I don't know if they events were supposed to take place over 3 years. But, it didn't seem like 3 years in the movie.
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Feb 9, 2008 10:38 PM
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I, too, really liked this version of Northanger Abbey. The two actors playing Catherine and Mr. Tinley were terrific. This was much better than the earlier BBC version of all of Jane Austen's works. I actually fell asleep on this one from the BBC. Not normally something I would do on any Jane Austen work. I am an English Lit grad and know Austen inside and out. I have seen and own just about any version of Austen films there are. But, have to admit that Northanger Abbey would be the one book/film that I read or watched and never got into as much as the others. This new adaptation has changed my view of Northanger Abbey. So much so that I just bought the DVD of it on Amazon.
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Feb 9, 2008 11:43 PM
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