Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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 | |
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Emma Roberts | ... | Louisa Musgrove |
Victoria Hamilton | ... | Henrietta Musgrove |
Eight years ago, Anne Elliot rejected Frederick Wentworth, the man she loved, out of a sense of duty and obedience. Now an ignored and faded spinster, she follows her financially stricken family from their home, only to be reintroduced to the now successful and wealthy Captain Frederick Wentworth. With their roles reversed and Captain Wentworth the eligible and wealthy bachelor, Anne navigates the scheming society that still tries to keep them apart.
It is annoying to read the comment describing this movie as Victorian since Austen died before Queen Victoria was born. It is remarkable that all her novels describe rural English life almost untouched by the violence of the Napoleonic Wars raging on the continent during her lifetime. This one at least alludes to the careers of British naval officers. It also calls attention to the "great age for poetry" in which the characters lived. This is one of a small handful of truly beautiful love stories on film which end happily; An Affair to Remember and A Room With a View are two others in my canon. Every actor/actress in this movie should have been nominated for an Oscar, a perfect ensemble cast, typical of the best subtle British cinematic style.