Persuasion

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Buy This Item Persuasion by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $11.49  on 9-21-2008     Movie adaptations of Jane Austen's classic novels were all the rage (relatively speaking) in the mid-1990s. <I>Clueless</I> updated Austen's <I>Emma</I>, which was more conventionally adapted in another version (<I>Emma</I>) starring Gwyneth Paltrow. <I>Emma</I> was produced yet again, this time for British television, as were a celebrated miniseries of <I>Pride and Prejudice</I> and this splendid film of Austen's <I>Persuasion</I>. <I>Persuasion</I> is the story of a love that survives eight years of dormancy and the frustrating obstacles of class prejudice in 19th century England. Anne (Amanda Root) is captivated when she meets the dignified naval officer Capt. Wentworth (Ciarán Hinds), but she is advised to discourage his romantic overtures because he has no fortune. They meet again eight years later, but now Capt. Wentworth has become wealthy while Anne's father is in reduced circumstances in the wake of reckless extravagance. A series of circumstances ensue which prevent Anne and Wentworth from expressing their mutual and inevitable love. The film's success depends entirely on the subtle, superb performances of Root and Hinds. The film builds slowly, occasionally leaving you wondering if anything at all is going to happen. When it does, you realize how carefully crafted a film this is, and the final result is grandly rewarding. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I> Reader Reviews In my opinion, this film is the very best version of film adaptations of Jane Austen's PERSUASION. The casting seems perfect and the subtle physical transformation of Amanda Root (Anne Elliot) is incredible. Having recently seen the new PBS/Masterpiece Theater version (didn't like the casting on that one), I think that the only place that it excelled over this version was in making the relationship between Mrs. Clay and cousin Elliot clearer--that the cousin wanted not only to marry Anne so he could inherit the estate, but to also have Mrs. Clay as his mistress on the side to prevent her from marrying Sir Walter Elliot and possibly producing a male heir to beat him out of the property. That flaw was probably due to some footage ending up on the cutting room floor. Overall, however, this earlier version is vastly superior and may be my favorite adaptation of all the Austen novels to date.

Persuasion Available from Amazon Price: $11.49 Updated on 9-21-2008.

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