C Siviter

‘Persuasion’ is widely thought of as the most sophisticated and nuanced of Austen’s novels. If you were hoping this film adaptation would carry even 1% of that feeling, I cannot say I saw it. If you are looking to watch this film from the perspective of knowing nothing about Austen nor the original story then you may appreciate it to a degree, however, if you know Austen and any of her novels don’t waste your time on it. I watched it right through to the end to see if perhaps the film could be somewhat redeemed with the revelation of Wentworth’s letter. It certainly was not. This moment was, for one thing, distracted by William Elliot and Mrs Clay making out in a corner in Bath and for another in no way reflected the sentiment it was supposed to. It just seemed inevitable, which is not the case whatsoever in the novel, nor should it be in any decent adaptation. To its credit, the scenery and locations were well chosen. In terms of the acting, it was undeniably mixed. The only excellent portrayals were from Richard E. Grant as Walter Elliot and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary, who captured the true sentiments of the characters with ease, amusement and honesty. The same cannot be said for the others…however, a great deal of this can be put down to the script. Anne is unrecognisable from the novel for a start, shown to be a developing alcoholic who pees behind trees whilst eavesdropping. Even the choice of breaking the fourth wall makes the portrayal of Anne even further from how she was written. It is true in the novel that Anne views some family members unfavourably, but in the film she not only thinks of them as practically irredeemable, but behaves towards them scathingly! She has none of her written tenderness and inner strength - she is portrayed as rude and as though she is inwardly (and outwardly at times!) laughing cruelly at them all. In terms of Captain Wentworth, the main issue is that the connection that is necessary between him and the heroine was not there. Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis may be objectively good actors, but the chemistry between them that was needed was not apparent in the film, making one of the greatest love stories of all time due to its subtlety and endurance merely expected and a bit of a relief. Overall, I cannot recommend this film - it has butchered Austen’s writing beyond recognition, and should not be the visual memory people have for such a beautiful novel.