Having read your previous comments, I am happy to accept a defensive screed! When I say least favorite, that doesn't mean I dislike the book - I've read it multiple times. My understanding (though you may be able to correct me on this) is that Austen was deliberately writing a character whose personality was the opposite of Elizabeth Bennet, and that she herself was very fond of Fanny. I haven't read enough non-Austen novels from the time period to be able to judge how innovative Austen was being in MP (I can get a much better sense from Northanger Abbey).

I don't think that the movie is an accurate version of the book by any means - though I would argue that at least in terms of the events, it's closer than the Keira Knightley P&P - it's clearly trying to remake Fanny as someone that contemporary audiences will admire as a romantic heroine, and I agree with you that Fanny isn't meant to be that. But I do also appreciate that it brings the issues regarding the slave trade into greater focus (if, again, from a contemporary perspective) than is clear from the book.

ETA - A large part of that was in my head last night when I posted my first comment but I was having trouble expressing it, and stuck to the shorter version. Sometimes I should sleep before commenting.