A lavish BBC production of Jane Austen's 1818 love story of an English officer pursuing the woman he loves through youthful rejection, long estrangement, and eventual, glorious... more...reconciliation.
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"Persuasion" is based on Jane Austen's final completed novel of the same name. I am reviewing the 1995 BBC version. It stars Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root in the lead roles, with a few familiar faces from other Austen adaptations in the smaller roles. The film opens with a shot of a ship at sea, Napoleon has been defeated and the men are returning home. We are then transported to a stately home with lush green fields, although it has a unique look to it compared with other period films.
Visually, this film is quite stark and less glossy than some other Austen productions. There is often a sort of bleak, unforgiving quality to the cinematography which, to me, reflects the inner drama of the main plot, the quashed love of the heroine, Anne Elliot, and Captain Wentworth. People's flaws are shown quite clearly; there are no shiny, heaving bosoms, or wet-shirted Mr. Darcys to be seen.
We are introduced to Anne and her family taking tea in a vast, bleached looking sitting room. Their stiffness is palpable, her father (Corin Redgrave in a hilarious turn) is complaining of having to vacate the house ("Retrench!"), while the elder sister is obviously a self-obsessed madame. And then there is Anne, looking downtrodden and resigned to her family's idiocy. Never has a heroine looked so un-romantic or forlorn; Anne's first flush of youth has passed, her plain-ness is unapologetic, yet also unamplified.
It unfolds that her father, Mr.Elliot, has squandered their fortunes (the Mother passed away years earlier), leading to them having to let the house out to lodgers, much to his sneering disdain. He feels it is beneath him to have a "Sailor" in his house, never once seeing his own inadequacies in the matter. A family friend, Lady Russell, reveals to Anne that the lodgers are a Navy Admiral and his wife, and it unfolds that Anne was once involved with the brother of the Admiral's wife, eight years prior.
Anne's anxiety and obvious discomfort still at the memories this bring back for her are all subtly, beautifully played in the reactions of Amanda Root . She brings so much inner character to this part that words are very often unnecessary, and that is where this film powerfully differs from many book adaptations, particularly those of Austen. The camera pans from the expressions of the characters in an almost documentary-like style throughout, resulting in the viewer feeling claustrophobically close to the proceedings. Very often, words belie actions; this is easily captured on the page, but rarely so well as this in films.
There is much humour in this film, in Jane Austen's usual style of mocking social airs and graces. However, even the greatest buffoons, Anne's father and her hypochondriac married sister, are played with such verve and conviction that, while they flirt with hamminess, they never veer into the cartoonish (something other films of her work have been guilty of). They provide a pleasant distraction from the central storyline, but never overwhelm it, delicate thing that it is. There is a good deal of tension and suspense within this film. It is slowly played out, but, for me, never drags.
Anne's first reunion with Captain Wentworth is prolonged, and then dashed, and just when you truly think it could not get any worse, he appears, and the unspoken tension between them is palpable in one of many awkward encounters. Ciaran Hinds (recently of "Rome" fame, the BBC's sequel to Caligula! ;-) is a real treat as Captain Frederick Wentworth: strapping, moody and terse, yet you sense his wounds are deep throughout the film.
There is a strong, underlying urgency in their every encounter, due to the hurt pride of Capt. Wentworth at being rejected, and Anne's obvious regret at her decision all those years ago. She was persuaded not to marry him by her friend, Lady Russell, as he was a poor sailor "with great wit, but nothing to show for himself" in those days, but it is obvious she has regretted it ever since (she has turned down other "acceptable" offers of marriage). Their pain is what draws them back to one another. It is more than just pride that keeps them apart, but a great deal of misunderstanding and sorrow. Anne's seeming hopelessness that anyone, much less the Captain, could ever desire her again is conveyed in wistfully touching, yet un-pitying ways. There is no "woe is me" about her, even though she is obviously in despair.
Capt. Wentworth has young ladies queuing up for him, and he seems quite amused by them. Anne is no damp squib, but she is endlessly patient with those who surround her. She is the most introspective and least flashy of all Austen's heroines; she reads poetry, not to appear clever, but because of deep heartbreak, which she shares in a touching scene with Captain Wentworth's widowed friend Captain Bennick. Her strength and decency in the face of any trial make her stand out time again, sometimes seemingly to Capt.Wentworth's perturbance. You sense he would like to forget about her, but cannot. These characters have little of the youthful vibrancy of most of Austen's main characters. They have lived life already, and been deeply hurt in the process. Throughout the film, Anne is reminded of her old maid status by her family: "No one will want Anne in Bath", etc., and this has worn her down over the years. She looks in the mirror and initially has no interest in what she sees, but slowly, as she starts to have hope again, her fine lines disappear and her eyes gain a sparkle that has been long since missing. It is so finely done, she visibly comes alive again. Amanda Root was absolutely robbed not getting more recognition for this role. It is one of the few instances where the character as written in the book was refreshingly well cast. With many other Austen film adaptations, the heroine is cast as supremely beautiful, which instantly saps much of the tension found in the books, where they are usually moderately attractive and thus have a bit more believability that things aren't already in the bag.
There is a good deal of missed opportunity (many stolen glances, a moment where Capt. Wentworth assists Anne into a carriage being wrought with more tension than any Hollywod sex thriller) and miscommunication that yet unfolds, with Anne unintentionally acquiring a new suitor (her overly charming cousin), and Capt. Wentworth having his own distractions in young Miss Musgrove. Somehow the level of tension between them is kept high throughout; they venture to Bath, and also the seaside of Lyme, so the action is kept going. The outdoors are featured often, which gives the film a realistic, natural feel.
The subplots are minor amusements that merely underscore the main story. There is some peripheral melodrama, but it is downplayed in favour of the main story. The plot never feels contrived to bring them together, in fact just the opposite. Capt. Wentworth does not save Anne in any grand gesture (as is often the case in Austen), but rather in many small ones. She clearly struggles to show her feelings as much as she can in the period's constraints, but it is not quite enough to convince him. It is not until all hope is (seemingly) lost that he is forced to confront his true feelings, and she hers. The buildup is thrilling and the culmination is simply sublime.
I hope I'm not making it sound too mushy or quaint, it really is as un-sappy a Jane Austen film you are likely to see. England is portrayed as the often harsh, rainy land that it is, beautifully green yet difficult and cold. There is nothing lavish, the wealth of Anne's family is gone and their clinging to social mores to keep up appearances is portrayed as farcical. The music is unobtrusive and sets the mood with sparing, stark piano arrangements. It reserves and simmers, it is a quiet film with a powerful punch, and one that is not quickly forgotten. It is Austen's most mature love story, supposedly partly autobiographical, and has a deep melancholy not found in some of her more well known books. I'd say it is best watched alone or with someone who can be quiet for an entire film(!)
This is a film only review. Having done a little research, the dvd extras are just cast bios, nothing to write home about from the sound of it. The dvd can be purchased on amazon for £8.97, might go and order it myself as noticed last night my tape is beyond knackered!
Persuasion
Director: Roger Michell (Notting Hill (gasp,horror it's nothing like it promise!), The Mother, Enduring Love
Cast: (main) Amanda Root: Anne Elliot Ciaran Hinds: Captain Frederick Wentworth Susan Fleetwood: Lady Russell Corin Redgrave (yes, brother of the Redgraves): Sir Walter Elliot Fiona Shaw: Mrs. Croft John Woodvine: Admiral Croft Sophie Thompson (Emma Thompson's sister): Mary Musgrove Richard McCabe: (Captain Benwick)
And that's all I'm typing ;-), the rest are on IMDB
Running time: 102 minutes
Classified U, nothing offensive here!
Persuasion won the National Review Board's Best Picture award in 1995.
* A side note, I am pretty sure "Persuasion" was largely the plot "inspiration" for the second Bridget Jones installment (more noticeable in the book as the film chopped it to pieces), if anyone wants to compare. (Pride & Prejudice is more obviously recognised as the inspiration for Bridget Jones' Diary down to Mark Darcy). This is clear in Bridget and Mark's breakup of misunderstanding, her thinking he likes a younger woman, and him introducing her to his morose friend, who promptly falls for her in the book but not in the film, amongst other things.
confusing, this BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel, Persuasion, develops into an elegant romantic comedy. Austin combines a subtle dissection of the folly of clas...
confusing, this BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel, Persuasion, develops into an elegant romantic comedy. Austin combines a subtle dissection of the folly of clas...
