The cast is well chosen and does what it can with a weak adaptation. "Northanger Abbey", though delightful, is one Austen's least adaptable novels because much of the action is inside the heroine's head. The book is about how Catherine's romantism is always being thwarted by mundane reality. This adaptation tries to remedy the issue by staging the heroine's fantasty sequence. It's a good choice but the film doesn't stick with it. Instead when the action shifts to Northanger Abbey itself, the film tries to pretend that the Austen material is actual gothic romance rather than a sly parody of it. The whole comic logic of Austen's tale thus falls apart. The lush green locations that were shot in Ireland are breathtakingly beautiful but they also confuse the adaptation by being too romantic for a story about the shortcomings of romanticism. Still, the choice and direction of actors here is good. Costumes are beautifully done and nicely restrained. It's not a silly adaptation of Austen like the recent "Emma" but that in itself is not enough of a reason to recommend it.
Review of Northanger Abbey
