Persuasion or Jane Austen's "What If? Biography"

Date watched: 6/29/09
Year made: 1995



Persuasion marks the beginning of my recent string of period dramas. I liked this one a lot but I will say the characters were a bit difficult to warm up to. That aside, by the end of this delightful tale, I remembered why I loved this type of film so much.

It had all of the necessary elements; The understated yet intense feelings of the time period, the ever-present love triangle followed by anguish and pining on the part of more than one main character finished off with the final ten minutes of bliss. Loose ends are tied up nicely, heartfelt declarations of love are made and passionate kisses are had.

Persuasion had all of these, but what made it stand out in my mind, was the amazing grace of Anne, our leading lady (played by Amanda Root). She wasn't the typical heroine with a headstrong attitude and a stunning face. She was beautifully understated. I thought her dull and painfully plain looking at first but by the end she had won me over and I saw her as a true beauty with amazing intelligence.

Anne was persuaded too easily earlier in her life to do what others expected and in the end lost her chance at happiness (or so we think). Then one day, her frivolous father and sister discover that they have squandered the family's wealth and they must rent their family estate to make ends meet. Her old flame Captain Fredrick Wentworth (played by Ciaran Hinds) shows up, wealthy now, and we see them both struggle with shyness, and the desire to please others. Thankfully Anne makes the choices that will make her happy in the end and ignores the persuasions of others.

Austen struggled in her own life with doing what others thought best and in the end she died a spinster. Although no one is 100% sure, people speculate that Jane Austen had been in love but that she was not able to marry because of social and economic expectations. Apparently, Austen wrote many detailed and private letters to her sister but she made sure that they were burnt after being read in order to protect her secrets from the gossip mill. Because of that, we don't know for sure how she felt but I have my own suspicions. This story feels like a bit of catharsis for Ms. Austen. I think that this story must have been dear to her. It was her last novel and I think of it as her "What-if biography."

If you get a chance, read the book, see the film, enjoy this lovely story.

Oh, and here is Ebert's very accurate review of the film:
Roger Ebert Review