Hm. There were a few minor omissions for which I really can't fault the movie, but increasingly more liberties were taken as the movie progressed. Overall, it is faithful to the book, and it includes the most memorable dialogue from the book.
Lady Russell was well-portrayed, and Admiral and Mrs. Croft were perfectly cast. Anne took quite a bit of getting used to, mainly because she was made to look so homely at the beginning. I was impressed, though, with how she became more attractive as time went on, just as she had done in the book. Other than those characters, everyone else had to grow on me - and some never did. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to make of Mrs. Clay in the movie, and both her and Mr. Elliot's parts didn't get resolved. Elizabeth came across as over-the-top unlikeable.
And what was with that circus procession at the end?!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Persuasion (1995 TV Movie)
★★★★
Hm. There were a few minor omissions for which I really can't fault the movie, but increasingly more liberties were taken as the movie progressed. Overall, it is faithful to the book, and it includes the most memorable dialogue from the book.
Lady Russell was well-portrayed, and Admiral and Mrs. Croft were perfectly cast. Anne took quite a bit of getting used to, mainly because she was made to look so homely at the beginning. I was impressed, though, with how she became more attractive as time went on, just as she had done in the book. Other than those characters, everyone else had to grow on me - and some never did. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to make of Mrs. Clay in the movie, and both her and Mr. Elliot's parts didn't get resolved. Elizabeth came across as over-the-top unlikeable.
And what was with that circus procession at the end?!
Hm. There were a few minor omissions for which I really can't fault the movie, but increasingly more liberties were taken as the movie progressed. Overall, it is faithful to the book, and it includes the most memorable dialogue from the book.
Lady Russell was well-portrayed, and Admiral and Mrs. Croft were perfectly cast. Anne took quite a bit of getting used to, mainly because she was made to look so homely at the beginning. I was impressed, though, with how she became more attractive as time went on, just as she had done in the book. Other than those characters, everyone else had to grow on me - and some never did. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to make of Mrs. Clay in the movie, and both her and Mr. Elliot's parts didn't get resolved. Elizabeth came across as over-the-top unlikeable.
And what was with that circus procession at the end?!
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First of all, I am beyond impressed (and a bit scared) by your thoroughness. LOL. I'm disappointed that you didn't enjoy this adaptation more. It is my favorite by far. I thought the actress who portrayed Anne was pitch perfect. I I thought all the actors were intriguing. I agree that the screenplay did not thresh out the Clay / Elliot relationship and that the circus procession was bizarre, but otherwise thought the movie was wholly believable.
ReplyDeleteHi JiHae! Oh, I'm so excited to see you here! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I admit, I think my being a fan of Jane Austen may have crossed the line to fanaticism... But once I got started, I just couldn't stop!
I remembered that this was the adaptation you recommended, so that did help to increase my regard for it. I still gave it 4 stars, so it's not like I was really disappointed in it!
Have you seen the 1971 BBC mini-series version? That one turned out to be my favorite Persuasion adaptation, maybe even one of my favorite Jane Austen adaptations overall! At first I wasn't even going to watch any adaptations before 1980, but like I said - once I got started, I couldn't stop! The production quality actually was not any worse than that of the BBC mini-series made in the 1980s. And I really thought that version was so well-cast.
I think in the end, how much I liked each adaptation came down to how well I thought the characters matched my own mental pictures, and of course that is entirely subjective. Almost all the adaptations were pretty faithful to the books, so that wasn't such a factor to judge on, unless the adaptation was way off - like the Mansfield Park movies were.
My library doesn't own the 1971 BBC version of Persuasion, so I submitted an interlibrary loan request for it. Looking forward to watching it, and I'll be sure to share my impressions of it with you.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen any of those 1970s or 1980s mini-series already? Just in case, here's a heads up on what to expect... The production quality is more like a videotaped play. The first time I watched one, it really made a poor impression on me, but once I got over it, I tried not to hold that against it. Also, it's weird, but sometimes it's like the 1970s fashions pervaded the production, even though it's a period piece... Most Jane Austen mini-series dressed their characters in monochromatic or at least simple-patterned dresses. This one, however, had some '70s infused costuming...