Northanger Abbey is Jane Austen’s
least-adapted novel, which is a shame, because it’s so much fun. Fortunately, though, it at least has this
delightful Masterpiece TV movie. Back in
2007, I saw this on TV on a whim (literally, I was channel-surfing and stumbled
onto Liam Cunningham’s name during the opening credits – how serendipitous!) I went into it knowing next to nothing about
it and not having read a single Austen book, and I came out a dyed-in-the-wool
fan determined to remedy my ignorance.
Novel-loving
Catherine Morland hopes she’s in for a real-life adventure when her neighbors
invite her to accompany them on a trip to Bath.
Her imaginative fantasies of what it will be like, based on the “horrid”
Gothic romances she reads, don’t quite match up to the real thing, but she
stumbles into some excitement all the same.
Her story sets her in the path of the charming and affable Henry Tilney,
some scheming opportunists, whiffs of rumors and scandal, and a beautiful old
manor that’s begging to share its secrets with her.
This is
probably the only one of Austen’s novels that could be satisfactorily adapted
into a less-than-90-minute film (Persuasion
and Mansfield Park both tried the
same year, but neither could pull it off,) and the resulting movie carries
itself very well and Austeny. It’s light
and enjoyable, has a hoot playing with the juxtaposition of Catherine’s wild
imaginings and the subtler intrigues of her real life, and is overall a fine
way to pass a little time. The story is
only mildy streamlined, moving along at a good clip without feeling like you’re
just scrolling through the highlights of the plot, and the film handles both
ironic and earnest tones with equal skill.
Like I
said, Liam Cunningham is the name that brought me to the film; though he’s
probably most familiar now for playing Ser Davos on Game of Thrones, I’ll always know him best as Capt. Crewe from A Little Princess. He does well as the possibly-menacing Gen.
Tilney, as do William Beck and Carey Mulligan as John and Isabella Thorpe (I
wonder if Mulligan will ever star in an Austen adaptation – she plays a
supporting role in the Keira Knightley Pride
and Prejudice, too.) I’m not
familiar with Catherine Walker, but she’s perfect as Henry’s sister Eleanor,
and Sylvestra le Touzel, former Fanny Price, plays Mrs. Allen – I always love
seeing Austen heroines pop up again in later adaptations.
But, as
you’d expect, the main attractions are our lead actors. A pre-Oscar-nod Felicity Jones from The Theory of Everything is cute as a
button as Catherine. I love the contrast
between her crazy imagination and her earnest naiveté; Catherine is on a
whirlwind, no doubt, and Jones makes us feel every bit of it with her sweet
performance. Equally great is J.J. Feild
as Henry, who captures Henry’s playful wit to a tee. There are moments when the story is a bit too
“Jane Austen’s first novel,” but these two gladly make you forget that
fact. Their engaging chemistry easily
carries the day – I love the banter the first time they dance together, and
it’s too fun to watch Catherine react to Henry so seriously and then gradually
realize he’s teasing her. Other Austen
pairings are sweeter or more romantic, but I think this one is the most
entertaining.
Warnings
A few
Regency-era sexual references.
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