Hope springs eternal
After being generally disappointed by the first two selections in ITV’s Jane Austen Season, as an eternal optimist (stop laughing) we are looking forward to Persuasion, airing tomorrow. From the beginning there has been an air of trying to get it right about this production rather than attempting to recreate it.
Alert Janeite Holly alerted us to a couple of articles about the film which only serve to increase our optimism. The Manchester Evening News has an interview with Sally Hawkins, who comes off as an intelligent and thoughtful woman. The article, unsurprisingly, discusses The Snog up front and center:
She adds: “I think the purists will have something to say about that but I hope they’re forgiving and understand that we’re appealing to a modern audience who expect it now.
Sally, seriously: if it’s not out of place, we Middle-Aged Austen Whores have no objection to a nice smooch. Really!
“The fact that Persuasion was written at the end of her life adds such an incredible poignancy to the story. She wrote it when she was dying. It’s so sad that she died so young.
“Reading Jane’s letters, she’s so engaged with the world and so interested in people.
“I had an image that she was quite cool and cutting. But, actually, she just doesn’t suffer fools and she’s interested in truth.
“It completely opened my eyes. She’s a diamond. I really fell in love with her. She’s the ultimate woman with the best qualities you can hope for.”
Hear, hear!
Filming in Bath helped Sally get into her character.
Ha! Ha ha! Take that, Northanger “Nobody Will Notice If We Film It In Dublin” Abbey!
“Seeing the same street names that Jane is writing about in her letters and novels, it was very easy to get into that. I’m a complete fan.”
Bless. 
The Hollywood Reporter (!) has a generally gushy review of the film.
Simon Burke’s insightful adaptation allows Anne to share her heart’s secrets as she writes her journal while now and then giving the camera a brief but knowing look. That device often doesn’t work, but it does here as her confidences help convey the complexity of the world Austen describes in one of her most satisfying novels. The dialogue succeeds too in supplying exposition and keen observation, while some terrific actors aid director Adrian Shergold in capturing the social niceties and hypocrisies of the time.
Cinematographer David Odd captures beautifully the locations at Bath and Lyme Regis, while David Roger’s production design and Andrea Galer’s costumes are equally handsome. Head’s witty performance as Sir Walter is memorable, as are the contributions by Stockley as empty-headed Mrs. Clay, Krige as presumptuous Lady Russell and Hale as the crybaby Mary. “Snoops” star Penry-Jones makes a dashing and sympathetic Wentworth.
Hope does indeed spring eternal. (We think that’s “Spooks” star Penry-Jones, though….)
The film, however, belongs to Hawkins, who is soon to be seen as Colin Farrell’s girlfriend in Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream” and is signed for Mike Leigh’s next film. She makes Anne not only intelligent and wise but also beautiful, and it’s impossible not to cheer her on when she decides to make a dash along Bath’s Royal Crescent in order to win her love.
Hrmph. *clutches shawl more tightly around Middle-Aged Austen Whoreish shoulders, calls for new pot of tea* That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?
In Six Degrees of Jane Austen news, we noticed something from the cast list on the Hollywood Reporter site, which is not on the IMDB page for the film:
Mr. Musgrove: Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell, of course, played Edmund Bertram in the 80s BBC series of Mansfield Park. (And anyone who saw the recent film Amazing Grace knows that Nicholas Farrell and Sylvestra LeTouzel–Edmund and Fanny–played a married couple in that film!)
For those in the UK, Alert Janeite Emma let us know that Thames Valley Tonight had a behind-the-scenes feature on the filming of Persuasion, which can be watched online.
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Wow! This sounds good…I need to review this film by myself!!
Better that it is real Bath 
Yes, it’s a good thing that it’s really filmed in Bath!
I think that will add a lot to the production. And Sally Hawkins seems clever indeed! 
And the best part is that Andrew Davies had nothing to do with this project.
If you want to prepare yourself for tonight’s version, read this virtually blow by blow account (massive spoilers):
http://www.a2mediagroup.com/?c=137&a=13986
Sally Hawkins will be (and is) a fantastic Anne Elliot indeed. And if she was half a foot taller and had a decent, intelligently written script to work with, she’d make a fantastic Jane Austen too
I’ve just read through the “blow-by-blow” account. Here are some tidbits:
What happened to the carriage ride when he whispers to Sophy to take Anne? That’s way more subtle than this. Anne Elliot is no “damsel in distress.”
Huh? The Anne I know and love never seriously considered marrying Mr. Elliot.
We’re not supposed to know he realises this. That’s part of the fun of the story.
WHAT???????????????????
I’m hoping this person’s account is not completely accurate. After all, there are quite a few misspellings in this article, so hopefully this means the author wasn’t paying too much attention.
Oh dear.
I’d read an article awhile back that stated that they had changed the ending to basically let Anne one-up everyone, and I’m afraid this added ending of having Wentworth buy Kellynch may be it.
When will they stop trying to improve Austen?
So far, I’ve not been impressed with ITV’s Jane Austen season (and I’m actually in their desired 18-25 demographic). Persuasion is my favourite of the novels, but I’m not too hopeful for the adaption.
There seems to be a trifle lot of running going on in that summary…..
Is Persuasion 2007 the worst ever adaptation of any Austen novel, EVER ?? I couldn’t even watch to the end. I cannot think of one saving grace for the entire production – direction, acting, characterisation, you name it – universally awful. Was there some point to be made in all those walks on the Cobb in torrential storms, or did they just pick an unfortunate week, weatherwise, and couldn’t afford to re-schedule? It was laughable watching them all get drenched to the skin as the waves crashed over them. And a carriage driving across a field on the way to Lyme? “Falls of a log while crossing a stream” – it was quite obviously a very small pond: you could see the end of it in shot. Why would they walk across the log instead of taking half a dozen more steps to go round the pond? The whole thing, or the three quarters of it that I watched, was just one howler after another. An abomination.
OMG. And I so hoped that “blow-to-blow” summary would turn out to be just an April prank.
How disappointing it was! I thought the actors did the best they could with a pretty feeble script (except for Mary who was horribly annoying), but the changes to the plot were sensationalist rather than necessary to cut the book down to two-hour viewing. What was with all that charging around Bath at the end? And I hated the fact that they felt the need to spell out Captain Wentworth’s state of mind the whole way through.
I have told all friends who haven’t seen it to rent the BBC Ciaran Hinds version instead…
A dismal adaptation of jane Austen’s superb novel . Don’t the makers read the novel beforehand ? This novel isn’t just a sad love story with a happy ending . Poor jane Austen must turn in her grave each time you try to change her book . She knew better and any alterations to her novel are inferior. Whose idea was it to have Ann Elliot jogging all over Bath at the end thus missing the point of Wentworth’s beautiful love letter ?
Please leave Jane Austen alone .You do not do her any credit.I certainly won’t watch any more. This was not a good season but a trashy one.
As a fan of the Andrew Davies adaption for the BBC of Pride & Prejudice (which originally got me hooked on JA books) I was looking forward to his version of Persuasion on ITV. Persuasion is certainly my favourite of all JA books. This programme was let down dismally by someone trying to squeeze all of the book into 2 hours and failing. When are TV programmers going to realise that you cannot do books of this kind justice unless you are prepared to make in to at least a two part series. If you are going to make more then please do JAs writing the service it deserves. The only saving grace was that the actor playing Captain Wentworth was as I imagined him!
Persuasion is one of my favourite Austen books and I was in dread of what would be done to it having watched the entire ITV season. I’m not as keen on the other two novels adapted so was not so disappointed as with this one. I thought the lead cast members were excellent, Mary excepted, but the makers have arrogantly tried to improve on Austen where no changes were necessary. No Austen character would ever have chased after a man as Anne did from the moment Wentworth left the concert, let alone run around Bath, having ignored all her acquaintance on the way, or kissed in the street. And his buying Kellynch…..
The recent adaptation of Jane Eyre has shown that with a bit of care you can bring a classic more up to date without changing the story. It’s a great pity ITV chose not to.