The Perfect Persuasion Production (Persuasion (VHS))

Member Name: jane08

Product:	Persuasion (VHS)
Date:	01/08/08 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Faultless

Disadvantages: None

The novel Persuasion is one of the most popular of Jane Austen's stories and the last one she completed. Unlike her other novels the heroine isn't a young woman in the prime of life but a single 27 year old who has lost her bloom, perhaps that would not be considered anything unusual in our times but in the early 21st century a ladies prospects of marriage at this age were certainly slim. In 1995 the BBC produced a made for TV film adapted from this popular novel starring Amanda Root as the protagonist Anne Elliot and Ciaran Hinds the hero, Captain Wentworth.

The story is set some eight years after a young Wentworth, with little to recommend himself, proposed to Anne Elliot, the daughter of a wealthy and vain man, on the basis of their mutual affection. Anne having initially accepted him found herself persuaded to change her mind, a decision she has always regretted, and from that moment on never saw Wentworth again. When the story begins Anne is now twenty seven years old and still single, her bloom gone. Due to the excesses of her father, Sir Walter Elliot, the family must vacate their home and locate to Bath in order to preserve their style of living. Anne is a sensible woman but is neglected by her father who prefers to dote on his elder daughter. When the family relocates to Bath, Anne is initially left behind and finds herself newly acquainted by the now Captain Wentworth. Being in the presence of her former love, Anne begins to blossom once more and finds herself still attached to the Captain while Wentworth appears to have moved on with his life.

This adaptation of persuasion, while only being 107 minutes long, is incredibly faithful to Austen's novel, something that few adaptations seem to be capable of doing in the restricted time limit they have. It is a wonderfully subtle romance story about love that was lost a long time ago and is rekindled. The title pertains to whether Lady Russel was correct in 'persuading' Anne to reconsider her acceptance of Wentworth and also whether Anne was right in allowing herself to be 'persuaded'. Anne may regret her decision but it wasn't necessarily the wrong one.

Anne Elliot is played wonderfully by Amanda Root; I can't imagine anyone else playing her quite so well. Her quiet dignity and decisive mind come across perfectly and the transformation in looks throughout the film is done very well. While Ciaran Hinds is not what I would usually consider the epitome of the leading man, however he is perfect in the role of Captain Wentworth. The chemistry between the two leads is present from the very first moment of their seeing each other and from that point on the subtlety of their romance is done brilliantly. Corin Redgrave is a wonderfully horrid Sir Walter, just as he should be, while Sophie Thompson is very funny and annoying as Mary Musgrove, another perfect casting. Overall I couldn't fault the cast, the performances are all perfect and fit my image of the book completely.

It is not only the casting that makes this production so good. The script is perfect, it's such a relief to see the original story respected. I was especially delighted to see that they kept the letter as the finale, which has been changed in other productions for some reason. The lighting, particularly in the dining scenes, gave a very realistic feeling of candlelight which also added to the atmosphere of the film. The costumes were realistic and elegant and the locations were chosen well.

It took me a long time to pick up this adaptation of a book I loved for the simple reason that the front cover of the DVD put me off. It isn't the most enticing image and I don't think it conveys the feel of the production very well, so don't let it put you off as well. This is a wonderful film and almost certainly the most definitive version of Persuasion you're likely to find. ITV also recently did a version of this book but it doesn't come close to the charms of this production. For an Austen fan this is a necessity for your collection.

Summary: The definitive Persuasion adaptation