Adaptation - (2007 BBC Version)
Persuasion
(BBC – 2007)
was able to capture the general mood of the Jane Austen’s novel and portrayed
the characters most faithfully. The material within the novel is almost all
there, and the changes that were made worked well as an improvement to the
adaptation. The small changes basically consist of the way Anne found out about
Louisa’s engagement to Benwick, the way she receives Wentworth’s letter,
letting us know about Wentworth’s feelings about Anne beforehand, the fact that
in the book Mr. Elliot never actually asked her hand in marriage, and in the
novel Wentworth does not buy Kellynch Hall for Anne, which actually does not
make much sense. It is interesting that they made a scene out of Jane Austen’s
first manuscript of Persuasion, which
was later deleted from the novel. There
scene consists of Wentworth asking Anne if she was engaged to Mr. Elliot, and
if she wanted the Crofts to leave Kellynch Hall so she could live there with
her husband.. It all worked really well, though, to maintain the rhythm and
verisimilitude of the movie.
The cast was really well chosen, so the actors were able to represent faithfully the particularities of each character. Sally Hawkins played the amiable and sensible Anne Elliot, conveying the hardships of being left aside for her father and older sister, and envied by the youngest. Being already 27 and is still unmarried, hunted by the guilt of having been persuaded against the man she loved in the past, the character is responsible for the melancholy mood of the movie. In this adaptation, Anne Elliot keeps a diary, which helps the audience to know what is going on inside her mind. Captain Wentworth was well played by Rupert Perry-Jones, who knew how to convey the duality of the character’s feelings: on the one hand resentful about Anne past actions, as he shows when at the dinner table he says how much he looks for a woman that is not easily persuaded against her wills, and on the other hand a man still deeply in love with the girl who once rejected him. The movie leaves it much clearer than the book that Wentworth still loves Anne, showing his reactions when he sees her, or his jealousy when she is being wooed by Mr. Elliot. Besides that, in this adaptation we get to know before Anne that he loves her, for we can see him confessing the fact to his friend Harville. All this demonstration of Wentworth's affection might be considered an improvement, since in the novel we remain clueless about his partiality until the end, which makes the happy ending seem a little unnatural.
When it comes to the other characters, Anthony Head played an excellent narcissist Sir Walter Elliot, who was always looking at mirrors, and walking and acting in a very self-confident way. Mary Musgrove is wonderfully portrayed as the annoying and hypochondriac wife, who was always complaining and who did not care much about her own children. Her husband, Charles Musgrove, helps the audience to see one of the problems of his marriage, for the movie let us see that his affections were once Anne’s. Lady Russell is well represented as a confident woman who let herself be blinded by rank and class, many a time misinterpreting people’s real character. Mr. Elliot was convincingly played by Tobias Menzies as a self-assured young man who believed that through his good manners and spirits he could deceive the experienced Anne Elliot.
It is always good to have a movie version of 18th/19th century novels, for the beauty of the settings, costumes and make-up makes everything more real and appealing. The landscapes from Lyme are beautiful and, together with the soft piano soundtrack, help to convey the melancholy mood of the movie.
The movie, like the novel, brings up some important themes such as the everlasting power of a first affection; the clash between self-will and duty; and the prejudice generated by first impressions. It is also interesting to notice how society worked back in Jane Austen’s time: the relationship between sisters, husband and wife, father and daughter; the difference between men’s and women’s education; gender roles; the standards of behavior of the time. The most important historical background represented in the movie, though, is the class consciousness and the rules of courtship.
We can notice the prejudice of Sir Walter against Admiral Croft – he said that he wanted his house to be rented by a gentleman – and against Mrs. Smith, just because she was poor widow. We may also notice the prejudice against Mrs. Clay, for Anne and Lady Russell did not want her to marry Sir Walter because she was inferior in rank. Besides that, Mary was ashamed of her husband’s relationship with Charles Hayter, and did not want Henrietta to marry him because he was not rich enough. The most important class prejudice in the story, though, is that one which made Anne reject Wentworth in her youth.
When it comes to courtship, it is interesting to notice how match-making is central in any of Jane Austen’s stories, including Persuasion. When a young man in possession of a good fortune comes to a neighborhood, all the young woman are interested, and the whole family starts making their bets about who the young man is going to choose. We can see this happening with the Musgrove sisters, who were disputing Wentworth’s heart. Some rules of courtship are really relevant in this story. For instance, if a man ever shows some kind of partiality to a woman, he should keep it and turn this into an engagement. Wentworth did not realize he was acting as if he was partial to Louisa, but when his friend Harville tells him he was doing so, he knows that now he must keep the engagement, otherwise he would be considered a rascal by her family.
To know more about the historical background of Jane Austen’s world, check the section Background Information in our website.
The cast was really well chosen, so the actors were able to represent faithfully the particularities of each character. Sally Hawkins played the amiable and sensible Anne Elliot, conveying the hardships of being left aside for her father and older sister, and envied by the youngest. Being already 27 and is still unmarried, hunted by the guilt of having been persuaded against the man she loved in the past, the character is responsible for the melancholy mood of the movie. In this adaptation, Anne Elliot keeps a diary, which helps the audience to know what is going on inside her mind. Captain Wentworth was well played by Rupert Perry-Jones, who knew how to convey the duality of the character’s feelings: on the one hand resentful about Anne past actions, as he shows when at the dinner table he says how much he looks for a woman that is not easily persuaded against her wills, and on the other hand a man still deeply in love with the girl who once rejected him. The movie leaves it much clearer than the book that Wentworth still loves Anne, showing his reactions when he sees her, or his jealousy when she is being wooed by Mr. Elliot. Besides that, in this adaptation we get to know before Anne that he loves her, for we can see him confessing the fact to his friend Harville. All this demonstration of Wentworth's affection might be considered an improvement, since in the novel we remain clueless about his partiality until the end, which makes the happy ending seem a little unnatural.
When it comes to the other characters, Anthony Head played an excellent narcissist Sir Walter Elliot, who was always looking at mirrors, and walking and acting in a very self-confident way. Mary Musgrove is wonderfully portrayed as the annoying and hypochondriac wife, who was always complaining and who did not care much about her own children. Her husband, Charles Musgrove, helps the audience to see one of the problems of his marriage, for the movie let us see that his affections were once Anne’s. Lady Russell is well represented as a confident woman who let herself be blinded by rank and class, many a time misinterpreting people’s real character. Mr. Elliot was convincingly played by Tobias Menzies as a self-assured young man who believed that through his good manners and spirits he could deceive the experienced Anne Elliot.
It is always good to have a movie version of 18th/19th century novels, for the beauty of the settings, costumes and make-up makes everything more real and appealing. The landscapes from Lyme are beautiful and, together with the soft piano soundtrack, help to convey the melancholy mood of the movie.
The movie, like the novel, brings up some important themes such as the everlasting power of a first affection; the clash between self-will and duty; and the prejudice generated by first impressions. It is also interesting to notice how society worked back in Jane Austen’s time: the relationship between sisters, husband and wife, father and daughter; the difference between men’s and women’s education; gender roles; the standards of behavior of the time. The most important historical background represented in the movie, though, is the class consciousness and the rules of courtship.
We can notice the prejudice of Sir Walter against Admiral Croft – he said that he wanted his house to be rented by a gentleman – and against Mrs. Smith, just because she was poor widow. We may also notice the prejudice against Mrs. Clay, for Anne and Lady Russell did not want her to marry Sir Walter because she was inferior in rank. Besides that, Mary was ashamed of her husband’s relationship with Charles Hayter, and did not want Henrietta to marry him because he was not rich enough. The most important class prejudice in the story, though, is that one which made Anne reject Wentworth in her youth.
When it comes to courtship, it is interesting to notice how match-making is central in any of Jane Austen’s stories, including Persuasion. When a young man in possession of a good fortune comes to a neighborhood, all the young woman are interested, and the whole family starts making their bets about who the young man is going to choose. We can see this happening with the Musgrove sisters, who were disputing Wentworth’s heart. Some rules of courtship are really relevant in this story. For instance, if a man ever shows some kind of partiality to a woman, he should keep it and turn this into an engagement. Wentworth did not realize he was acting as if he was partial to Louisa, but when his friend Harville tells him he was doing so, he knows that now he must keep the engagement, otherwise he would be considered a rascal by her family.
To know more about the historical background of Jane Austen’s world, check the section Background Information in our website.