I just borrowed a box of JA adaptations on my library, a welcome chance to watch older adaptations that I haven't seen yet. I have just finished MP1 and found it very charming and entertaining. As always, an adaptation has advantages and drawbacks and I would like to list my views on what works well and not so well.

Things I liked:

I generally enjoyed that there was ample time to unfold all the important plot points and that so much delightful dialouge was used.
The casting of all The Bertrams, The Prices, Mrs. Norris, The Crawfords were very much as I had imagined it and this Edmund was extremely attractive in my opinion - finally an Edmund that doesn't look weak and sickly! Lady Bertram was amazingly portrayed - she is one of the strangest creatures JA ever created IMO, but I finally "got" her in this adaptation. Mrs. Norris was just the right combination of pompous pride and revoltning presumption. Tom, Julia and Maria were spot on - Tom reminded me a bit of a rowdier Crispin Bonham-Carter, and I rather liked that! Poor Mr. Rushworth was just right in his boyish awkwardness. Mary Crawford was not as attractive physically as I would have imagined her, but her personality was spot on I think.
Lovely costumes through and through, though I think they could have done more for Fanny at her coming out ball.

This I found off-putting:

The casting of Fanny. Fanny is extremely difficult to cast, I am sure and I think this Fanny looks the part well enough because she is dainty and angelic. But she also constantly appears frumpy, silly, slow of understanding, almost as dazed as Lady Bertram and generally not very likeable. Mansfield Park needs a Fanny that shines like a beacon through a delicate frame in order to convey to us the love she inspires in the people around her. As it is, this adaptation implodes because the major plot with two men falling for seems completely unbelievable.
The scene with Mr. Betram pressing Fanny to accept Mr. Crawford was embarassing because of Fanny's explosion of feeling which was so awkwardly performed. The level of screaming alone had me turn of the sound - badly done!
Mary Crawford's wig. All I could think of whenever she was on the screen was my desire to yank that horrible thing off her head - she looked more like a 70's disco star than a regency lady.
Mr. Yate's wig. Another disaster. Looked like a bird's nest on top!