Persuasion (TV 2007)

Royal Navy captain Wentworth was haughtily turned down eight years ago as suitor of pompous baronet Sir Walter Elliot's daughter Anne, despite true love. Now he visits their former seaside ... See full summary »

Director:

Adrian Shergold

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel), Simon Burke (screenplay)

Stars:

Sally Hawkins, Alice Krige, Rupert Penry-Jones

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Hawkins	...	Anne Elliot
Alice Krige	...	Lady Russell
Rupert Penry-Jones	...	Captain Wentworth
Anthony Head	...	Sir Walter Elliot
Julia Davis	...	Elizabeth Elliot
Michael Fenton Stevens	...	Mr. Shepherd (as Michael Fenton-Stevens)
Mary Stockley	...	Mrs. Clay
Peter Wight	...	Admiral Croft
Marion Bailey	...	Mrs. Croft
Amanda Hale	...	Mary Musgrove
Jennifer Higham	...	Louisa Musgrove
Rosamund Stephen	...	Henrietta Musgrove
Stella Gonet	...	Mrs. Musgrove
Sam Hazeldine	...	Charles Musgrove
Louis Shergold	...	Little Charles

Storyline

Royal Navy captain Wentworth was haughtily turned down eight years ago as suitor of pompous baronet Sir Walter Elliot's daughter Anne, despite true love. Now he visits their former seaside country estate, rented by his brother-in-law, admiral Croft, so the financially stressed baronet can afford a fashionable, cheaper residence in trendy Bath. First the former lovers meet again on the estate, where they feel vibes again, but neither dares admit them until it seems too late. Yet the truth becomes clear, both have moved, but meet again in Bath.

---

Plot Keywords:

love | navy | captain | poetry | duty | 

---

Taglines:

A new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jane Austen's Persuasion

Filming Locations:

Assembly Rooms, Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clerkenwell Films, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min 93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sheer, dotted muslin gown worn by Jennifer Higham (Louisa Musgrove) at Uppercross is the same gown previously worn by Kate Winslet (Marianne Dashwood) in Sense and Sensibility during the lawn bowling scene at Barton Park, and by Amelia Warner (Fanny Price, age 17) in Mansfield Park. The same costume was later worn by Charity Wakefield (Marianne Dashwood) in Sense & Sensibility at Norland Park.

---

Goofs

The statue outside the entrance to Kellynch Hall is obvious when Sir Walter Eliot is departing, but a minute later it is missing when Anne departs.

---

Quotes

Captain Wentworth: I imagined myself indifferent to her but I was only angry and resentful. Too late... too late I began to understand myself and her. Never have I met her equal in good sense or sweetness of character. She's perfection itself. I've never loved any but her.
Captain Harville: We are talking now of Anne Elliot?
Captain Wentworth: Of course! Who else?

---

Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: Affairs of the Heart (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"Symphony 25 in G Minor"
(uncredited)
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(concert at Bath Assembly)

User Reviews

Sombre in tone

Adrian Shergold's adaptation of Persuasion was the last in the ITV Jane Austen Season, and it ended on a high note. Very different style from the previous two, and is rather sombre in tone, as befits the story and characters in the novel. There is a voice over so as to enable the audience to get closer to the character of Anne Elliot played very well by Sally Hawkins. Rupert Penry-Jones is very good as Captain Wentworth, whose interaction with Anne is concise and to the point. They are not strangers, but they are estranged. Adrian Shergold employs a lot of hand held camera, and uses a lot of close ups in order for the audience to recognise the relationships between characters and their feelings. Quite often Sally Hawkins looks at the camera, and I felt this worked very well. My only slight annoyance with this adaptation was the director's unwillingness to have two people who are talking in the shot at the same time. Preferring to move from a close up of one to a close up of the other (shot reverse shot as it were) continuously. This works well occasionally, but when it is as often as it is in this adaption you become very aware of the camera and its movements, which detracts from the story and the conversation itself. This is my only slight problem with this adaptation. The supporting cast was brilliant, with Amanda Hale brilliantly playing Anne moronic younger sister. Alice Krige was great as Lady Russell, and Anthony Head as Sir Walter Elliot. This is to mention only a few. To say that ITV's Austen Season did not start well would be an understatement. However, with last weeks brilliant Northanger Abbey and this weeks Persuasion they have finished on a high. Each had its own tone and style, and forgetting Mansfield Park, they worked rather well. I would recommend this film to both fans of the book and newcomers to Austen's work. I have deliberately refrained from comparisons between this and the 1995 version, both are very good and this one has some very inventive camera work.