Persuasion
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Movie Reviews of Persuasion
Movie Review: In defense of...
Summary: 5 Stars
To those who find the thought of a well bred lady running through the streets of Bath during the Jane Austen period incomprehensible, I recommend that we look to someone with an irrefutable knowledge of the time period. Jane Austen herself. In her book Northanger Abbey chapter 13, Thorpe has canceled an engagement Catherine Morland made with the Tilneys without her consent. In order to set the matter right she "walked in great agitation, as fast as the crowd would permit her." Nearing her destination "she nearly ran over the remaining ground till she gained the top of Milsomstreet."
I found it perfectly reasonable that after eight years of separation and with the prospect of her not being able to express to Captain Wentworth the depth of her feelings before he left, Anne Eliot might indeed run to find him. Granted, this is an artistic license on the screenwriters part that is not in the book but one that I found believable and well acted.
I enjoyed this version immensely. Considering that they managed to condense the book into 93 minutes without losing the essense of the story was remarkable (though I would have preferred a longer movie so that some of the minor characters could have been more fleshed out and more details shown). I think it greatly improved upon the 1995 version which suffered from having older cast members (Anne Eliot should have been about 26 while Amanda Root looked to be in her 30's), a confusing script (it was hard to understand in the beginning and viewers who had not read the book were confused ie. my dad), some poor acting (Amanda Root's Anne seemed very timid and rather pathetic and it was hard for me to root for her and Wentworth),and slow pacing. Though the 1995 version has merit and I enjoy it, I would definitely recommend this version over it.
Movie Review: I love this version.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't agree at all with the review that perceived Anne as a meek person who "cries when anyone hurts her feelings" in this wonderful version. In this production, the director has Anne engage the viewer eye to eye at the close of many scenes really taking in and involving the reader in her plight and situation. We get to know her real feelings and reactions as if we are another person in the room with her, someone in whom she confides. POV of the camera is very important. One has to really pay attention to more than just the dialogue to appreciate this version. Anne is no wilting violet when it comes to helping her young cousin John when he fell from a tree, She is the most capable and clear thinking of the lot. Everyone turns to her for guidance. And when Louisa falls in Lyme, even Frederick does, understanding that Anne has made the transformation from girl to woman. I loved the scenes in Bath - how the director chose to pan along the long blocks of homes, how she literally has to run to change her fate. And in the kissing scene between Anne and Frederick, she is the one who has to come more than halfway to him in every sense of the word. This is a woman who understands that she has to show her determination. I loved the direction in this version and will watch it many times.Movie Review: beautifully done
Summary: 5 Stars
I understand that many would give the movie less stars that it deserves because it's not word by word by the book. However it is a movie - there will always be moments and scenes missing especially when we talk about the subtle ones. It is impossible to make the movie like the book second my second, it just won't work. I love reading Austen, but this is not about reading it. I won't compare the book to the movie, but judge the movie on it's on. (Even the Pride and Prejudice of '94 isn't that faithful to the book and yet everyone's gaga over it :)
Now, I personally loved the movie. it was tastefully done, the cinematography was marvelous, and the characters were very convincing without overpowering one another. The suspense was built very nicely and the music, which indeed might be a bit of a cliche BBC, was appropriately used. I was moved by all of the characters and I think they were perfectly cast. I have seen the previous version (1999) and this one I like far better. Despite all of the missing bit and pieces from the book I will still say that the screenplay and adaptation were done very good indeed. It evokes the same emotions of the book and that's what counts (to me at least).
I highly recommend this movie to all Austen fans. It is worth your time!
Movie Review: So Romantic
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this adaptation a few weeks ago on PBS in the USA, and I was very impressed by it. The casting for the two leads was so complimentary, each achieving a sense of the loss of a great love, and the chance for fulfillment eight years later. They were of the appropriate ages to match Jane Austen's lead characters.
I taped the film, but it appeared very grainy, so I decided to order the DVD which arrived today. What a contrast and a delight. The colors, costumes and sets are wonderful. Also, I was able to view the entire production which includes several scenes which greatly enhanced the understanding of the story and the passing of time between the various episodes.
Particularly I enjoyed the clear delineation between the attitudes of Anne's family and that of the Musgroves regarding to social status. Fredericks' anguish over being continually degraded at every encounter with the snobby sisters and father of Anne were very apparent. It all made the story seem more real; the reason for all the sorrows and disappointments stemming from Anne's family's social status and their overbearing sense of entitlement and superiority.
In the end, I breathed a sigh of relief for the lovers finally together at last.
Movie Review: In defense of Anne's running
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll gladly stipulate to the objections expressed in many of these reviews that are based on a knowledge of either Jane Austen or the historical period about which she wrote. I possess neither. But I have to take exception to the scorn heaped on the scene where Anne runs through Bath. All of the criticism seems to stem from the same notion - that no "proper lady" of the time would do such a thing. But that's exactly why it has such power. To suddenly find yourself presented with the fleeting opportunity to undo the single most wrong-headed mistake you've ever made would make most "unthinkable" behavior not just plausible but dramatically logical. Played out against a perfect musical passage and Rupert Penry-Jones's caress of a voice, her abandoning of what's proper makes perfect sense and is my favorite scene in the film. Along with The Long Kiss, it struck me as completely right in light of what came before. Also, no one hates giggly camera work more than I do, but here it's limited mostly to the opening sequence where it serves well the storyline of a household being torn apart by financial ruin. All in all, I really enjoyed this film. Fine performances all around and an unobtrusively solid musical score were the highlights for me.