Mother’s Day was spent, in part, watching dramatizations of Jane Austen novels. I’ll freely admit that this is not a tiresome chore for me.
I love Austen’s novels, as does my wife, and we have nearly every dramatized version of every Austen novel, so we often have discussions of which version is best. The answer often boils down to, “This version is best for a lazy Sunday, but this one is best for a Friday night.” That sort of thing.
But I have decided that there is one Best Austen Dramatization, and it is the BBC’s 2007 version of “Persuasion.”
Full disclosure: Persuasion is my favorite of the Austen novels, but I do believe I was sufficiently objective in my decision.
BBC remade “Persuasion” in 2007 and followed it with a remake of “Sense and Sensibility” in 2008. Both of these movies are by far the best versions of their titles, though neither has received the sort of accolade that earlier versions were given.
In “Persuasion” especially, the attention to period detail is exacting, and the use of locations exquisite. Costuming, sets, art design, lighting, cinematography, all achieve a level of excellence that is rarely seen but which provides so much depth to the story. The soundtrack is simple, clean, understated, and builds the mood on the screen rather than setting it.
The screenplay is thoroughly faithful, keeping all the critical lines from the novel while compacting the rest into a seamless whole. While I do miss some of the scenes cut from the action, I realize that adaptation is a necessary evil in moving from book to screen, and of course, all of the emotions and information from those dropped scenes is retained.
Sally Hawkins (as Anne Eliot) and Rupert Penry-Jones (as Captain Wentworth) are superb, and the supporting cast, including Alice Krige and Anthony Head, avoid the caricatures of previous versions.
But where this movie shines is in its direction. The movie begins with Anne running about Kellynch Hall and ends with her running about the streets of Bath. The shots show us how Anne is repeatedly forgotten, left behind, ignored, as the invisible but reliably capable daughter of a self-absorbed baronet, and the direction takes the time to convey the complex emotions without words.
Breaking the fourth wall is a rarely used technique in drama, but it is done so well here that it is worth specific mention. Almost from the very start, Anne’s character breaks the fourth wall, looking directly at us, bringing us into her story. We become her diary. We are her intimate confidant. She glances at us knowingly, sadly, saying “What can I do?” As the story progresses, her glances our way are delayed, increasing our anticipation, building our bond with her, until finally she does look up and we connect with her again.
And, of course, this “Persuasion” has one of the best on-screen kisses. Ever.
The Best. Defined.
k
[…] « Defining Best […]
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… I shall withhold judgment until I’ve seen this version, though I find it very difficult to imagine that anything at all could ever dethrone the 1995 Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds version.
But man, would I love to just plop down with you and your wife over a glass of wine looking out on the Sound and chat Jane Austen. ❤
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The Root/Hinds version _was_ my favorite, and still has some scenes and pacing that I miss in this version, but overall, the direction in this version put it at the top of my list.
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I will put this on my list of movies I must see, then, though I find I am remarkably biased toward the first version of anything I experience, be it movie, song, book…
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I don’t like remakes as a rule. In my mind, a remake starts with a couple of strikes: it has an original it must better, and it has to bring something new to the party. Tough to do, when the original is a good one. “Psycho” (1998) is the epitome of “Why?” remakes; I mean, a shot-for-shot remake. I’d rather eat a car.
Please come back and comment once you’ve seen it. Coming from a similar mindset, I’m interested if it’ll be your new favorite or not!
k
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*deep breath*
Okay. I watched it.
I will watch it again this weekend, just to be sure… but I have to say that after the first viewing…
I wasn’t overly impressed.
I don’t mean it was bad, by any means. No, it was a fine movie. It just… wasn’t… *right*. Too many smooshed scenes, too many misplaced actions, too many rearranged quotes… and none of the right faces! I realize it was a shorter version and that accounts for much of it, but that doesn’t mean I have to *like* it.
And now, the part you’ll probably disagree with me the most on… that kiss. Oh god, that kiss… can I say ugh? It was so very, overly, almost ridiculously drawn out in that moment that I was just really annoyed with it by the time they kissed.
…
*hides in a corner*
Oh well, this is why different versions of everything exist, because tastes differ so greatly.
But as I said, I will watch it again this weekend… just to be sure.
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Ha! Okay, well, I certainly didn’t expect that disparate an opinion, but hey, tastes differ.
I certainly get the “wrong faces” idea, though. There are some movies where a remake will never measure up simply because the original was so iconic, in setting, in style, or in cast. E.g., there’s no way a remake of “The Big Sleep” would ever…EVER…be better (especially if you put Robert Mitchum in there…ugh). However, I’ve learned never to hold any rearrangement or compilation of scenes/dialogue against a movie (unless, of course, it’s an absolute hatchet-job). Adaptation of novel to screen is difficult. Oddly, though, this version is actually longer than the 1995 version (your favorite), so in theory it should have felt less smooshed, not more. Interesting.
For me, the broken-fourth-wall intimacy with Anne and the (I felt) greater emphasis on Wentworth’s internal emotional struggle made it so much better. I got emotionally tied up with this one, whereas not so much with the other.
Thanks for the follow-up!
k
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Maybe that’s what it is… maybe it’s because I identified so much closer with how Anne was portrayed in the other one. I felt much more connected to that sort of quiet resignation to always having myself brushed aside or expected to do some duty or other, always a little forgotten. It also feels truer to the book, though I admit it has been a few years since I’ve read it, I should do that again.
Was this one longer? It certainly didn’t feel like it.
I *try* not to hold rearrangements of dialogue against a movie, but when I’ve read the book it does get quite irritating to have the wrong person saying the wrong things… (something which greatly annoyed me about the Lord of the Rings movies, also.)
Ah well, life goes on! A glass of wine makes everything better 🙂
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Yes, 107 min vs 120 min. Didn’t seem that way, I agree.
Now, if we could COMBINE the two versions…Perfection.
k
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