Mansfield Park

Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relatives at Mansfield Park, where she quickly discovers she is treated as an outsider by most of the household. The Bertrams clothe privilege in chilly courtesy while she clings to quiet integrity. Edmund Bertram offers the only steady warmth, and his loyalty becomes a quiet heartbeat in the house. The arrival of the worldly Mary Crawford and her charming brother Henry unsettles the routine, stirring flirtations, ambitions, and the possibility of scandal. Caught between propriety and her own growing feelings, Fanny faces decisions that test loyalty, conscience, and what love should demand in a society that prizes status over sincerity. The film stays close to Austen's world with Fanny guiding it.

Directed by Patricia Rozema, this 1999 adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park places Fanny Price at the center. Rozema preserves the novel's social bite while reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens and a steady focus on inner conscience and character.

Box office: The film grossed approximately 4.8 million worldwide on an 11 million budget, signaling a modest reception despite its prestige cast and source material, already buoyed by adaptation incentives and the Austen audience in several markets and international sales.

Some critics noted the film's restrained, intimate tone and its emphasis on Fanny's perspective as a counterpoint to more glittering Austen adaptations. Its pared back visual style and strong performances influenced later period pieces that aim for interior rather than outward drama. The result is a moral, character driven drama.

Critically, Mansfield Park is seen as faithful in mood while offering a sharper focus on moral choices, class expectations, and agency. Reviewers praise Frances O'Connor's portrayal and the way the story balances reformist themes with romance, The screenplay's wit and actors' chemistry give the material relevance without sacrificing period texture.