Persuasion
Thu 12 June 2008
Jacqueline Smith, Journalism
When a classic novel by a great writer is adapted to the screen it can be daunting, and for the most part this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is quite watchable. But, is being watchable justification enough for a new film version?
The film is visually pleasing and tightly edited with a well chosen cast, some of the filmic devices used in this new version of Persuasion lack effectiveness.
The hand held camera work is annoying and obvious at times, distracting the viewer from the most intense moments of the film. Also, the lead actress looking directly into the camera is not always effective.
In other films this device helps to draw the viewer in but in this case it prevents ‘suspension of disbelief’ through reminding viewers they are watching a film and not engrossed in a story.
The cast is excellent, particularly Anthony Head (Buffy) as the vacuous and pompous Sir Walter Elliot. Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) is wonderful as the forsaken Captain Frederick Wentworth and Sally Hawkins (Vera Drake) gives an excellent portrayal of the sensible and intelligent Anne Elliot.
The film, in general, holds to the spirit of Jane Austen’s novel, but there are some glaring inconsistencies in the adaptation by Simon Burke. While Jane Austen liked to give some of her female characters a lively spirit that allowed them to scamper and frolic at home, she would not have provoked society’s wrath so much as to allow Anne to run madly through the streets of Bath and kiss a man on the lips for all to see. Successfully navigating one’s life under such societal restraint is part of the joy and hilarity of an Austen novel.
This is a moderately enjoyable film, but in many ways only a tolerable adaptation.
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