Persuasion (2007)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

So much average

Best movie of this year hands down!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Coming from a person that loves Jane Austen movies and not ever to read her actual books, this movie was absolutely boring. I am used to the main character being.. Interesting, or the plot and the side stories to help with that. Anne was so boring I wanted to shoot myself, she barely speaks and she keeps blinking as though she has something in her eyes (drove me insane). She would often open her mouth and nothing would come out. Her hairstyle was dreadful, she was an unattractive female so it was very hard to believe that a good looking rich man would desperately want a quiet, unattractive woman that seems to have no backbone and that is easily "persuaded" to do what others want her to do. This is so far my least favorite of Jane Austen's movies, pride and prejudice is the best, following sense and sensibility.

It is difficult to emphasise how good this adaptation of Persuasion is - and it IS very, very good - without comparing it to the earlier 1997 version.Firstly, however, it is excellent in its own right. The performance of Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliott is flawless as she exudes a lovable warmth whilst also appearing desperately depressed and consumed with regret at her having rejected Captain Wentworth all those years ago. Some people dislike the end scene which features a long pre-kiss shot of Anne leaning forward waiting for Wentworth to meet her halfway to kiss. Without saying to those people who dislike this scene, "you just don't get it", I think that they are missing the beauty and subtlety of this amazing film. Wentworth is a man scorned, hurt deeply by Anne's breaking off their engagement, and her abandonment. In the end of the film, Wentworth is conflicted by his love of Anne, his resentment for her betrayal, and his fragile hope for their future as she again now accepts his offer of marriage - hence, he slowly and thoughtfully leans toward Anne to kiss her.I have watched only half of the 1997 version of Persuasion (the theatrical tone of the film annoyed me), and I have read Austen's novel. I personally found Anne, in the 1997 version, to be extremely blank-faced, lacking charisma (very unlike the character in the novel), and the acting to be really dreadful: the attempts to portray regret and sorrow, which Sally Hawkins does magnificently, just appears perpetually emotionless.Also, there were many deviations in the 1997 version, scenes and even characters added in the film which were not in the book. They didn't even add anything to the story.Now, THIS 2007 version does have some deviations from the novel but the heart and the tone of the film so accurately reflects the tone of the novel that I now find it difficult to distinguish between the two: almost like the TV series of Pride and Prejudice and the book. Anne's sister and father, who are depicted atrociously in the 1997 version and farcically, appear real in this movie, albeit extremely conceited.Finally, the scene in which Anne runs around Bath is THE BEST use of poetic license I have seen in any adaptation. It is not there for no reason. We, at last, see a strong female character who actively pursues her love-interest in this unique period drama. As Anne does similarly in the novel when she lets an eavesdropping Wentworth know that she "loves longest when all hope is gone" whilst in a conversation with his friend. The scene works so well because Anne, of course, is a very strong woman in the novel and this scene gives her some more sense of power and determination in the film.If you're looking for a film with brilliant acting, great script, and uncliched, artistic direction then this 2007 adaption of Persuasion will not disappoint.

I love Jane Austen's work, so I actually say with a heavy heart how disappointing this Persuasion was. Especially considering that 1995's Pride and Prejudice(in my opinion the ultimate Jane Austen adaptation), 1995's Sense and Sensibility, 2009's Emma and 1995's Persuasion have proved to be solid adaptations and succeed beautifully on their own merits.This adaptation of Persuasion isn't without redeeming values. The scenery and costumes are stunning and evocative complete with a melancholic atmosphere, the music is understated and beautiful and Anthony Head and Tobias Menzies are excellent and charismatic.On the other hand, the camera work is dizzying, the close-ups of Anne's face annoyed me after a while and it is annoying that when more than one person is talking not all of them are shown on screen. The adaptation is too short at two hours and consequently felt rushed so that we felt nothing for the characters or felt any passion coming out from the story.When it comes to the dialogue it was lacking the wit, poignancy and humour of the language of Austen, alternatively it didn't flow from line to line complete with some unintentionally funny moments such as Anne chasing Wentworth down the street, a somewhat modernised touch that stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the adaptation.Head and Menzies aside, the rest of the performances are disappointing. I love Rupert Penry Jones, but apart from his handsome looks I found him dull and wooden. Sally Hawkins fares better, her interpretation is confident, though she is let down by bad direction and the decision to make Anne spoilt rather than resourceful. The Musgroves are sadly underused while Amanda Hale is awful as Mary, acting as though she was in a completely different period.In conclusion, disappointing and one of my least favourite Austen adaptations, and this is coming from somebody who didn't think much of 1999's Mansfield Park(not yet seen the 2007 one) either. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Rupert Penry-Jones's Captain Wentworth behaved as a military man would be expected to behave. He is intelligent, disciplined, decisive, ego-driven. We aren't given histrionic acting, but a performance where a slight widening of the eyes, twitching of a jaw muscle, a gaze held a little long, convey what we need to know about Captain Wentworth's inner thoughts. His blondness contrasts with the darker coloring of the other young males and lends him a golden air. I think Penry-Jones is a fine actor, and found it sad that he writes in his quotes on his profile that "I've worked for years to get the career I have now, so to find I need a break is quite disappointing!". He has won two acting awards to date and he has several projects in the works, so I hope that he has received the break he wished for.Some see Persuasion as a book of a revenant made human, others as a second chance at love in a time of social change. If I had written the explanation of how Anne's home became Captain Wentworth's wedding gift to her, Sir Walter would have been totally bankrupt and forced to sell, William Elliot so disgraced that he renounced his entailment, and the duplicitous Mrs. Clay out of the Elliot's life forever.