Two things should be mentioned before starting to analyse it. It is inevitable to draw comparisons between this series and the 95 movie featuring Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root, which is considered by many Austen fans the best adaptation of Persuasion until today. Also it has a different ending from what Austen herself chose for the book since the scriptwriters decided to work with the second ending the author had written but dismissed in favor of the actual one. We don’t know the reasons for such decision but if anyone knows, we would be thrilled if you could share the information. Having said that we did enjoy the series.
This is the story of a mature woman, someone who is not seeking for a husband, who made a mistake when she was younger and regretted it all her life. Unexpectedly, a second chance knocks at her door… This adaptation was standing on Sally Hawkins shoulders. The movie is Anne Elliott and they chose to film her in plenty of emotional sequences, just her and the camera. That worked in showing Anne’s fragility, especially in the beginning when she feels life has past her by and she is to remain a spinster taking care of her sisters and nephews. As she begins to feel more sure of herself and of her feelings the looks she shares with Penry-Jones’s Wentworth were both eloquent and tender. As the end approaches we really were hoping they would let the past behind and start a new life together. Even accepting their ending (with it’s historical inaccuracies that for the sake of Anne and Frederick we were ready to overlook) didn’t that kiss seemed to drag a bit?
Some negative aspects are impossible to ignore, like the shaking camera, who could sometimes make us feel a bit queasy and some performances, like Mary’s (Amanda Hale) were just over the top. On the other hand, Anthony Head was a perfect Sir Walter Eliott, the snob and haughty baron who always makes us cringe.
In the end, this was another successful adaptation by ITV.
I have to comment on the kiss at the end. I HATED it! I enjoyed the movie right up to that bit – which should have been the great culmination of the movie, but instead I sat there shaking my head in dismay.
Do you think that the aim was to build tension? If so, it certainly didn’t work for me. I think it’s got to be one of the worst screen kisses that I can recall!
DITO, Dee. GAD that kiss was bad, but then I kind of didn’t like the whole film. And the jogging scene in the ending, brrrr.
First of all, whoever made Sally Hawkins coiffure should be — uh— yeah. Then, and I know I am the only person feeling thusly, but the film had a very unreal feeling to it, quite illusive and unreal. It’s too long gone now, but as opposed to eight times re-watching P&P and N&S, this one only got three viewings, and then only because I felt I needed to justify the purchase LOL.
But I have been promised that the Amanda Root version is MUCH better, thank heaven
I seem to remember Sally saying somewhere (maybe on the behind the scenes footage) that the kiss wasn’t written in the script. She and Rupert were just acting the scene and they felt like going for it since the director didn’t scream cut. In the end they decided to leave it. That might explain why it took so long – they were waiting for the cut – but not why it couldn’t be edited afterwards…
This was a badly done adaptation. It had a modern feel to it which it made weird. Sally and Rupert weren’t credible, and THAT KISS argh…
[...] Christmas season when a new one is brought to our attention. The 39 Steps is Rupert Penry-Jones (Persuasion’s Captain Wentworth) latest project. It’s an adaptation of John Buchan’s novel of the same name which [...]