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Rating:  - persuasion
Product arrived in timely manner. I have enjoyed this version of Persuasion however as others reviews have stated the last five minutes of her running thur the streets was a bit much.
Rating:  - Butchering Austen
I was quite disappointed in this adaption of "Persuasion", which is by far my favorite Austen novel, but where do I start with the problems?
1. Mary is silly and lacks the overweening need to be the center of attention and class consciousness. This version lacked those elements that made Mary stand out as an illustration of class consciousness.
2. I adore Anthony Head but I did not think him well suited to play the Baronet. There was none of the mincing foppishness that characterizes the Baronet in the book. Instead Head is angry all the time.
3. Anne would never run around Bath without a wrap and hat after the captain nor would she be so emotional. Anne controlled herself throughout everything, except when she stopped the captain to ask if he wouldn't stay for the concert. She also did not ask him to the concert but ran into him by his design.
Outside of the cinematography, the rearrangement of the plot was contrived and heavy on the romance without regard for the social commentary that is an integral part of Austen's books. The actors, while quite attractive, were miscast, outside of Benwick and Anne, and Anthony Head with a better script and more foppish characterization.
I was very disappointed and the 1995 version of "Persuasion" was much better all around. Note to director: Don't mess with perfection.
Rating:  - persuasion
I love this movie. However I wish they added more to the end
Rating: - Cringeworthy... just awful
*Some spoilers follow. You don't have to be an Austen "purist" to be disgusted at the end of this movie. And it was only so-so up until that. I love Jane Austen so much that I'm pretty forgiving with directors changing things here and there from the book, etc. if it works in the Austen spirit of things. (I thought the quirky "Mansfield Park" with Frances O'Connor was charming.) But THIS movie is bad using any criteria- the women were miscast, the acting was completely off for the characters, and the ending- let's just say it was atrocious beyond description.
Am I the only one to fail to see why this handsome Wentworth would see anything in this dowdy, incessantly-hyperventilating Anne? No chemistry here whatsoever, and rightly so. Her sister Elizabeth looked old enough to be Sir Walter's wife, and Mary was never meant to be portrayed as an arguably likable character. And I will reiterate others' conclusion that this was the absolute worst on-screen kiss in the history of film. Terrible! And Kellynch was entailed away from the female line, as I recall, and being inherited by William Elliot - wasn't it impossible to break these inheritances by outside purchase? Anyway, this movie just doesn't work. Sally Hawkins as Anne just doesn't work. The '95 version with Amanda Root has its flaws but it is far superior to this, and a very satisfying adaptation. By all means watch that instead!
Rating:  - Not a great version
This movie wasn't awful, but it definitely was not as good as it could be. The actress was very wonderful, she did an excellent job of portraying Ann Elliott. The actor opposite her was nice to look at, but his performance is a little weak. The story is true to Jane Austen's story, so that is a plus.
Now, for the problem. This movie was too short! There were many scenes that seemed rushed and incomplete. The part of the story there is is good, but there was some important scenes left out and some things were in the wrong order. For example, at the end of the story, Ann and Wentworth's friend, Bennet, are supposed to have a conversation about the constencey of men vs. women. It is while listening to this conversation that Wentworth writes the letter informing Ann that he has never stopped loving her. However, in the movie the conversation happens much earlier and Wentworth's letter comes as a result of hearing Ann is not engaged to Mr. Elliott. I think that the movie was done this way to save time, but it does kind of mess up the story.
Overall, this movie is OK, mainly because of the acting. However, it is too short and not great. It's a good alternative, but I would stick with the 1995 version with Amanda Root.
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