Persuasion (1995) (TV)

Director:

Roger Michell

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel)
Nick Dear (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Plot:

Eight years earlier, Anne Elliot, the daughter of a financially troubled aristocratic family, was persuaded...

Plot Keywords:

Unmarried | Military Officer | Understanding | Old Flame | Aristocrat

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Amanda Root	...	Anne Elliot
Ciarán Hinds	...	Captain Frederick Wentworth
Susan Fleetwood	...	Lady Russell
Corin Redgrave	...	Sir Walter Elliot
Fiona Shaw	...	Mrs. Croft
John Woodvine	...	Admiral Croft
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Elizabeth Elliot
Samuel West	...	Mr. Elliot
Sophie Thompson	...	Mary Musgrove
Judy Cornwell	...	Mrs. Musgrove
Simon Russell Beale	...	Charles Musgrove
Felicity Dean	...	Mrs. Clay
Roger Hammond	...	Mr. Musgrove
Emma Roberts	...	Louisa Musgrove
Victoria Hamilton	...	Henrietta Musgrove

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief mild language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK | France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Abbey Green, Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Filmed completely on location, using all natural light.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the dinner at the Musgrove's, the Musgrove girls read from the Navy List that the Laconia is a 74 gun frigate. Frigates of that era had at a maximum around 44 guns. A ship with 74 guns would have been a "ship of the line".

Quotes:

Anne Elliot: My instinct tells me, he is charming and clever but I have seen no burst of feeling, warmth of fury or delight

Movie Connections:

Features The Bounty (1984)

Soundtrack:

The Minstrel Boy

Beautiful and understated

This is a very well put together, and yet very fragile movie that shows its budget constraints all too well. Beautifully acted and written, the direction unfortunately reveals the boxy nature of a TV screen. But despite the lack of impressive cinematography, the scenes are set up extremely well. The use of staging and visual metaphor are jaw-droppingly fantastic. Austen's relatively simple potboiler has been turned into a work of visual art that reveals the director's love for the material.

The music is done perfectly - it doesn't overpower or ever impose interpretation, instead it is just enough to maintain focus on the story. And I love the understated nature of the characters. It is easy to spot the hypocrites, but you can see why they are the way they are. It would be very easy to make Mr. Eliot into a simpering, unctious idiot - instead, he is played as a gentleman. It makes Anne a better character, and it makes the movie a better experience.