Persuasion (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, Anthony Head

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Hawkins	...	Anne Elliot
Alice Krige	...	Lady Russell
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
Nicholas Farrell	...	Mr Musgrove

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.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | cousin cousin relationship | cousin marriage | cousins incest | cousin cousin incest | 

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Taglines:

A new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Persuasion

Filming Locations:

Assembly Rooms, Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clerkenwell Films, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The white windowpane-check gown worn by Rosamund Stephen (Henrietta Musgrove) during the long walk to Winthrop is the same gown previously worn by Honeysuckle Weeks (Alice Cottisloe) in Victoria Wood: With All the Trimmings (2000), in Sense and Sensibility (1995) by Emma Thompson (Elinor Dashwood), in The Regency House Party (2004) by Victoria Hopkins, by an extra at the London party where Annabella Milbanke meets Byron in Byron (2003), and in Mansfield Park (2007) by Billie Piper (Fanny Price).

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Goofs

On the walk to Winthrop, as the camera focuses on Ann overhearing Frederick and Louisa's conversation, a crew member with a red jacket is seen in the background (at around 38 mins) behind her.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Anne has been upset and flustered as she hurries through Kellynch Hall, marking an inventory of items throughout the mansion. She spies Lady Russell's carriage approaching and goes outside to meet her. They talk while returning inside]
Anne Elliot: My dear Russell!
Lady Russell: My dear Anne. You look quite done for. I came back as soon as I received your letter. I had no idea the position was so worse.
Anne Elliot: Unfortunately, a person who has contracted debts must pay them, even if he is a gentleman.
Lady Russell: Was there no ...
[...]

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Connections

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

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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.