Peter McGinn
I recently watched this production of Jane Austen’s Persuasion after not seeing it for many years. It is not the best version in my opinion, but it was well worth watching. Like most British productions of this sort, it depends upon a talented ensemble cast rather than a few superstars as top billing.
It has also been a long time since I have read Jane Austen’s that this movie is based upon, and after seeing how this and two other versions stray from each other’s, in small ways that is, I would be curious to know how often each one remains true to the original. But that is not necessary to enjoy this well made production; it merely makes we wish I could take my favorite parts from all three versions to create a new whole. Failing that, I will merely say that this production, as with the others, should be acceptable to Jane Austen lovers who aren’t mortified by the least changes to her books.
I don’t know how easy it might be to track down this movie. As I understand it, it was originally released on British TV, but PBS in the United States had shown an interest due to a popularity of Jane Austen adaptations at the time, so that had allowed for an increased budget to film at actual sites in the book, built up some interest, and then was released as a feature film in theaters before it appeared on PBS, complete with an introduction by Russell Baker.
A lot of actresses auditioned for the lead role. Amanda Root apparently drew the directors attention by understanding that the internal nature of the book meant that the actress playing Anne would have to illustrate her state of mind his less dialogue than usual. An interesting history, that.
