Persuasion 1995 vs 2007 Comparison | Jane Austen Movies Analysis
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
- Do you love Jane Austen's Persuasion? Well if so, which is your favorite movie adaptation: Persuasion 1995 or Persuasion 2007? In this video I examine both, comparing them to each other and the book. So if you're up for a Jane Austen movie analysis, then this is the video for you!
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🕰 Watching Guide
00:00 Persuasion 1995 vs Persuasion 2007 Movie Comparison
00:58 Visuals
02:33 Casting and Anne's Bangs
04:32 Storytelling
08:09 You can do anything in Bath
09:14 Alternate Ending to Persuasion
11:21 2007: Running With No Bonnet & Almost Kissing
13:00 1995: Is the circus romantic?
14:43 Come Sail Away With Me... to Kellynch?
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#persuasion1995 #persuasion2007 #persuasionjaneausten #janeaustenanalysis
My favorite scene in the 1995 version was when Anne visited her sister, Mary, and every member of the family pulled Anne aside to complain about Mary while Mary pulled her aside to complain about them. Priceless. 😆
Yes that was great. The character of Mary is so realistic! I have a relative like her...alway feeling that everyone is mistreating her...
I think Sophie Thompson did a great job of playing Mary! Very much the underrated Thompson sister 💕
@@someonerandom256 Yes! And she was in the 90s Emma, with Gwynneth Paltrow. She played the spinster aunt of Jane Fairfax. Seeing her play that role gave me an appreciation for her acting range.
@@nhmisnomer Agreed, Sophie Thompson is an amazing character actress, never seen her in a main role, but every background character she does is so memorable (let's not forget her role as one of the brides in "4 weddings and a funeral!" :-) ) She's stellar!
Yes, Emma Thompson is a treasure, but Sophie Thompson is a kick to watch.
Mary Musgrove in Persuasion (1995); Miss Bates in Emma (1996); Rose Mundy in Dancing at Lughnasa (1998); Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1 (2010).
Very simple: 1995 is closest to the book, absolutely wonderful in its quietness. 2007 is a great movie in itself, a little less faithful, but done with much love.
The 2022 version is an *ABSOLUTE INSULT*
I love the 1995 version. Perfect and flawless. Trust me I sat through the first 14 minutes of the 2022 version and deserved a medal for that. Pure CRAP.
@@vonakenyon7981 I couldn't even finish the trailer. You have my respect 😄🎖
Well said!
@Laura-Bianca
What else could we expect from the 2022 version?!
Every version is mirroring the time it was made in and we are living in a time of pure and absolute insult.
@@lechat8533 I am trying to not agree, but you are right 😄
The end kiss scene in the '95 version is very, very dear to me. I've always felt that the circus passing them by, with all its ruckus and noise and random agitation, was meant to mirror the society and the world they lived in and how, at that point in time, finally reunited, their kiss existed detached from all that. British society and all the silly rules that had kept them apart, all the drama and the disconcertment, none of that mattered anymore. They had found peace together and everything else was just a silly circus, busy with its own tricks and tumbles.
Neither adaptation is perfect but I much prefer the '95 version overall. :)
I love this interpretation!
That is exactly what I feel it represents. The circus passes by and the last we see of them (in that scene) is them walking in the opposite direction, completely at peace.
@@annec8127 This is exactly how I saw it. The circus represents the tricks, tumbles, performances, sleights of hand of society, but finally, Wentworth and Anne are totally oblivious to it all. It passes them by, rather than capturing their attention, and they go off together. The fact that the circus looked a little seedy solidified that to me.
Every time I've ever been in Bath (only a few times, since I live in the USA), I've wished a parade of circus performers would pass by me.
Yeah, this is exactly how I interpreted their choice for this scene. This was a follow up to the scene where Mr. Elliot proposes again and Anne just blows him off casually. Knowing that she will soon marry Wentworth. The work up to this relates to the fact that Anne is always being controlled by other people, performing her duty and responsibilities to her family and society. Those pressures, general confinement and oppression define her world. So when Wentworth and Anne reveal their love for each other the idea is that nothing else in the world really matters. No family scheming, disapproval, no social obligations. Nothing. So she can just ignore Mr. Elliot's intentions, the family's plans for her, the loud circus performers, and they they can just go off together on a relaxing round the world honeymoon cruise...into perilous danger. The forever.....almost.....kiss bugged me too! I preferred the non shakey-cam, 1995 version of Persuasion. It had a feel of a documentary to me, which added a sense of in-the-room realism, representing the situation and characters as if I were there. The newer version also had much to enjoy as well, with excellent acting and a joyful after-ending, ending.
I just adore the '95 version. Both Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root so perfectly portrayed the angst, the heartache of Anne having been guided earlier to turn down Captain Wentworth. As to the "90's look" for all the Austen films of the time - they are much more authentic than so many later versions.
You are so right.
Completely agree
Too homely and old for my tastes.
Absolutely agree.
Totally agree. It's absolutely my favourite version.
I think the circus was in the 1995 version to show how indifferent they were to their surroundings; that an entire circus could go past and they would not even notice it.
Exactly
Lol 😂 good point
😂 So true!
absolutely, I just loved this moment in movie, the contrast between noisy circus and them calmly going opposite direction , having a quiet , intimate conversation!
If you think about it it was as if it was comparing what their whole journey has been. It being a circus on the outside but their love still remained inside it all in their own way.
The 1995 Wentworth had true character and you could believe a woman could love him and never forget him. The Wentworth from 2007 looks like a male model.
That’s a good point! 🤔
Yes!
I think the 95 was more realistic.
I haven't seen the 2007 version, but looking at him here, I think the 2007 Wentworth would make a better Elton in Emma then a Wentworth in Persuasion. He doesn't look like he's been through the rigors of a naval war of that era, Hinds fit that image better.
@@sdube001 yes! Absolutely agree
I always found the '95 version more relatable and endearing. I also thought the romance of the circus going by was not that it expressed their emotions, but that it didn't pull their attention away from each other. Throughout the movie, they could never have a full conversation, because they kept being pulled away from each other at the most inopportune times. But finally, they are focused only on each other and even a circus going through town (which was alluded to earlier in the movie) doesn't distract them at all from each other. They don't even seem to notice it and keep looking at each other as they walk away. It's highly romantic.
I really loved the 1995 version. Anne was cast virtually perfectly for me -- pretty enough that you could believe the people later in the novel who thought her more beautiful than her famous beauty of a sister, but in such a quiet, gentle way that while she has everything buckled down and her face shuttered earlier in the story, you don't necessarily see it, and can believe that most of the other people don't see it either.
About the ending: I side with those who believe that the purpose of the street circus is to demonstrate that anything at all could go marching past them in that moment, and they wouldn't even notice (let alone care). And I have to point out that the whole thing about her being happy on the ship is a sign of her compatibility with Captain Wentworth, and it was in the novel too!! Anne frequently demonstrates herself to be a natural Navy wife throughout the book. She understands and agrees when Mrs. Croft talks about how important it is to her to sail with her husband rather than wait at home for him. Her beauty and health increase when she's by the seaside at Lyme. She isn't afraid of the sea; she relishes it. She has an adventurous streak that makes her long to see other places, and she's sad to have traveled so little in her life that even a town as near her own home as Lyme is new to her. Finally, she loves the camaraderie of the sailors. "These would have been all my friends," she mourns to herself as she gets to know Captain and Mrs. Harville and Captain Benwick.
All of this shows that Anne is not the kind of person to simply be tolerating life on board in order to be with her Captain. She genuinely enjoys it for its own sake -- the sailors' character, and the sight and sound and scent of the sea, and the opportunity to visit so many places where she's never been before. Anne wants to emulate Mrs. Croft; that's who she wants to be when she finishes growing up. (Even at 27, her growth has been halted for a long while; she's still got some of it to do.) And she's off to a good start at becoming the kind of lady-adventurer that she wants to be.
Have to say I totally disagree with you about which is the better, although i agree they both have flaws.
Captain Wentworth of 1995 looks and acts like a ship's captain, including being rather weathered so looks older. I can totally imagine him on the deck of his ship during a battle! He's actually my ideal Captain Wentworth, who is my favorite of all the Austen heros. Persuasion has been called a love letter to the British Navy, so getting Captain Wentworth right makes or breaks the adaptation, imo. Meanwhile the 2005 Wentworth is too pretty and too quiet. He looks more like a lawyer (probably because he plays one so well in Silk, which is well worth watching)
I think the 1995 version is more in keeping with the Regency Era in several ways. Anne would never go running bonnet less thru the streets of Bath, that would be outrageous behavior unless you were running from a fire. And Wentworth would never be able to buy Kyllench Hall, as you pointed out. Even a circus, while not in the book, is probably something that happened in Bath as it was a place people went for fun. Plus it gives Anne and Wentworth cover to kiss in public which would be considered scandalous behavior for a lady!
I think the grittiness and hand held camera of the 1995 version was cinemagraphic short hand for being more "realistic ".
One last reason why I prefer the 1995 version is that they keep my favorite scene, which is Anne talking to Wentworth's friend about who loves more, women or men, while Wentworth writes her his letter ❤.
I think that scene with Anne and Captain Harville feels like the climax of the book to me, being the moment when Anne gets to articulate her feelings in earshot and Frederick responds in his letter. Skipping it just killed the 2007 version for me.
@@sarahanan7015 very true. For me too. I also didn't like the running thru the streets, that was ridiculous. They cut the best scene yet give time for that? Why?
Yes! She unknowingly bares her soul to Wentworth, which gives him the courage to write her that heart-stopping note. That is literally the climax of the story. It was absolute perfection. For the life of me I can’t understand why the changed THAT scene…
Andrew Davies said that the circus was an entertainment that would stop at Bath; I think they found a news article or read it in a letter. It gives a sort of privacy to Anne & Wentworth kissin’ in the street!
I so agree with your points.
The circus confused me too until someone pointed out that Bath is a circus, with all the "important" people performing for their connections, whereas Anne and Cpt. Wentworth have been consistently apart from that. So it's showing that they managed to rekindle their true love in spite of the circus going on around them. I still don't think the circus is necessary, but I understand its vulgarity now. Narrow is the road of true love, and most people would rather watch the circus.
It almost makes me wonder if one of the filmmakers misread something about The Circus in Bath: the historic ring of large townhouses...
@@delphinidin Or more likely they knew what it was and the live circus was a pun!
I think the main reason why Persuasion is so difficult to adapt is what you said: so much of the plot is basically a character study, conveyed through Anne's thoughts instead of actions - way different from Pride and Prejudice, in which there's something happening in almost every page. Actually, this video reminded me of a lecture given by Octavia Cox in which she says that one could assume that Jane's writing in Persuasion is almost an imediate predecessor for Virginia Woolf's writing and I was like that mindblown meme.
Jane Austen is certainly mind blowing! 😂👍🏻
Oh dear. You dissed family favorite Ciaran Hinds, our 1995 Wentworth. I forgive you ....
I'll say this: the 1995 "Persuasion" was the production that made me decide to give Jane Austen a chance after disliking her intensely during my high school years: I thought she was snippy, and mean to several of her characters, and I didn't like that. But watching this adaptation, and being with the quietly expressive Amanda Root, made me aware that there is another dimension to Austen, and brought me back to her. There's also the careful, delicate, feeling to the various environments and company kept, enriched by the extremely talented cast, and a score that includes Chopin for the Lyme sequence.
Sorry for dissing your family favorite! And I’m so glad it made you give Austen a chance! 😃
I’m partial to the ‘95 Capt. Wentworth because of Mr. Hinds as well. He played a similar character in “Mrs Pettigrew Lives for a Day”. Sweeping a woman past her prime off her feet to live happily ever after. It never occurred to me that he looked too old to be Wentworth.
I just think it's really funny that Ciaran Hinds played Mr. Rochester, a character who was famously ugly, AND Capt Wentworth, a character who was famously handsome, and they didn't make him up any differently for either of them!
Ah yes, the Chopin score was sublime!
Ciaran Hinds will always be Mance Rayder to me.
1995 version all the way for me. I saw it way back then when I was 21 years old and the story has stayed with me for ever. It is my favourite Jane Austen book. I knew nothing about it and had only discovered Jane Austen that year (watching the BBC 's Pride and Prejudice ). I think Amanda Root was brilliant as Anne. The subtle expressions on her face told more about what the character was feeling than 1000 words ever could. I love the fact that this version didn't look "pretty" . It looked real and authentic for the time period. I was so excited to watch the 2007 version but was disappointed with it. That running scene through Bath was complete nonsense!!
Yea Lorraine!! My feelings exactly! You've explained it brilliantly. I was in my 20s at the time and like you, the story and movie has always stayed with me. Best wishes to you from Northern California! :)
In the 1995 version, the director made the decision to not use makeup on the actors so that it would look realistic and imperfect. It helped to show the passage of time for Anne and Capt Wentworth. They weren't a young couple; Anne was about 27 years old in the story which, at that time, would have made her an old maid. I think this version is more mature than the 2007 one. ~ Anastacia in Cleveland
@@AnastaciaInCleveland I agree with you. The understatements in the 1995 make it more believable and emotional. It is such an elegant film. I empathize with Amanda Root's "Anne" throughout the entire movie. A great story and film don't need to be all bells and whistles. Warm wishes from Northern California! :)
I wad 15 when I first watched the 1995 version and I didn't appreciate Ciaran Hinds at all. I recently rewatched it as an older woman and his portrayal blew me away.
I appreciated the running scene as a demonstration of her desperation to get to her long desired love. She could not wait another moment and this expressed it very well.
A few comments: first, i’ve always seen the circus as nothing more than a way to shield their kiss from the world. Everyone is looking at the circus and is distracted from two people kissing in the street. I never considered it as anything more.
Second, i always felt like the book’s demonstration of Anne’s feelings was very restrained. And it was always communicated through small movements-more in line with 1995.
And third: i feel like the ending on the boat was in line with Anne’s character. She was steady and was a natural caretaker. “There is no one as capable as Anne.” She is clearly unmoved by chaos and keeps a level head. She would be perfectly suited on a boat-despite the chaos.
I think Linda Scott best articulates why I prefer the 1995 film, but will add that a) I shall brook no criticism of Ciaran Hinds, ever. 😁 He looks like a sea captain, not some cental-casting pretty boy; b) the letter-writing scene was IT, it's THE critical scene of the movie and the book, and the 2007 film simply blew it (guess more time was needed for hoydenish street running and *almost* kissing); and c) Another scene the 1995 film got exquisitely right was where Wentworth urges the Crofts to take a fatigued Anne home, hands her up into carriage, but then quickly looks away, not wanting to be caught caring about her. I'll agree the circus was weird, but it provided cover for a public kiss that would otherwise have been a scandalous on dit for days.
Love this Wentworth from 1995. Ciaran Hinds is beyond handsome!
Absolutely no criticism of Ciaran Hinds allowed. 😁 He’s perfection. I love the 1995 version.
My thoughts exactly. Anne might be 27, but he could be older. That makes sense to me and also Ciaran Hinds is great in everything he is in. He even does a great American accent sometimes.
I also like him older because it reinforces that both have "missed their time" and it makes their triumph all the sweeter.
I agree with you completely about Ciaran Hinds. He absolutely IS a sea captain who has been all over the world in his boat and has fought many battles, to finally
end up in a safe harbor with the woman he has never forgotten. And the letter writing scene in his version has not been bested, it is a classic and breaks my heart eveery time I watch it again.
I'm team 1995 for so many reasons that others have already noted. (e.g. Amanda Root's expressiveness even without dialogue, Ciaran Hinds, and the scene where Mary explains how sick she is. . .while eating a hearty breakfast oh and no marathon running scene!!). I just wanted to point out one way the director depicted Anne's inner life/unspoken emotions was the dolly zoom when Anne sees Capt Wentworth for the first time at Upper Croft. When he walks into the room, the camera is tight on her face and then we get the dolly zoom and we know she is completely shook on the inside, though her outside remains (relatively) calm. There were several small moments and techniques like that throughout the film which express the characters inner lives/thoughts clearly. (think of the moment when he helps her into the carriage without looking at her). Perhaps it's fair to say that 95 is a quieter film because it tries to mirror (in a visual medium) Austen's technique of telling the story from the inside.
The '95 version is my favorite. It captures her angst and longing over her decision not to marry Wentworth. The scene in which Fedrick Wentworth wrote his feelings for Anne and gave her the letter made my heart race and tear up. She was finally able to grasp what she wants and live a life with the man she has loved for 7 years.
Ciaran Hinds is dreamy. That guy knows how to command a ship and has held men as they die. His Wentworth catches my breath. (Amanda Root is also amazing. Watch this movie five time in a row and tell me you don't hear Anne's thoughts! She is spectacular and grows so beautiful as the film goes on. A special performance.)
Amen to everything you said. I would have gone for Ciaran Hind's captain Wentworth whether I was 20, 30 or (soon to be) 40. He just has the charisma. Amanda Root actually does get more beautiful as the movie goes, in a very subtle way. And I love how everyone in the 1995 version still looks like actual people, no fake make-up or anything, natural candle-light. And just the autumnal feel of the whole movie - when I watch it, I feel like my soul is resting. The 2007 version - I saw it once and didn't buy into it on any level, never felt like rewatching it.
I agree. The scene at the end where Anne meets Wentworth after the letter is very romantic. When he takes her hand. I love that so much. I also love his expression when Anne comes to stand by him on the ship.
I’ve watched 95 Persuasion like 100x and it never gets old to me. I’ve sat through the 2007 one a couple of times to give it a fair shot, but it’s just nowhere near the quality of 95. I think Persuasion 1995 is my favorite Austen film ever, and I’m a huge Austen fan and have seen as many adaptations of her works as I can.
I agree completely. I really felt everything Anne was feeling while watching. And Ciaran Hinds is definitely dreamy.
I, too, prefer the 1995, but I don’t hate the captain in the newer version, either. :)
I LOVE the novel Persuasion. It's my favorite of Jane Austen's work. I also love the 1995 movie staring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. Visually, I think it was very appealing. The lighting was lovely. The hesitation between the two in speaking was priceless. I saw an exhibit in Bath, England years back of the actual costumes from the 1995 movie which were exquisite. Sorry, the 2007 film holds nothing for me except the casting of Nicholas Farrell who was also in Chariots of Fire (as well as Alice Krige). Ciaran Hinds was a MUCH better and believable naval captain hands down. The 1995 movie is NOT STAID. It is subtle (in a sense like haiku poetry) but is also emotional and elegant. The kiss at the end is delicious. The movie reminds me of some of the better Merchant Ivory films.
The 1995 version won an award for costumes.
You are so right. This woman has no idea what she is talking about. When you have a perfect film why keep remaking it???? (the 2022 version is so bad this woman would love it.)
@@vonakenyon79811 So happy to read your comments! I agree, when something is perfect, why keep remaking it. Could you imagine a modern (woke) remake of Gone With The Wind? YIKES!!! I think it would be awful. Best wishes from Northern California :)
I really loved 95‘s version. We fell like we are part of the group. There are drama, sarcasms, friendship and of course, love. It‘s perfect.
Flawless.
I saw the '95 version before reading the book and thought it was the best casting I'd ever seen. I was anxious to see the '07 version, but everything paled in comparison. My chief complaint was Anne's costuming. This is a woman who has grown up with a father who denigrates his own daughter for having a "red nose". She would Never wear the clothes she is shown in in "07. There is actually a scene where she's wearing a spencer jacket that is 2 sizes too large for her! She looks like she was dressing out of a charity barrel! Her father would never have allowed a daughter of his to dress that way. Lots of other issues with '07, but that's where I gave up on it.
I don't feel there is the same sense of progression as Anne starts to develop self respect like in the 95 version
I completely agree! I hated the costuming of Anne, her hair and make up. There is no progression from wilted to in bloom in her looks, and I HATE the lingering almost kissing scene. I think that’s the hardest I’ve ever cringed in my life.
In the 2007 version, Anne’s hair looks greasy all the time. Ghastly.
And it's hard to imagine Wentworth having had a passion for someone who can't make eye contact with anyone at all.
Ciaren Hinds just has it for me. I have watched it so many times and also I listen to the audio book. The tension is overwhelming between him and Anne.
Sigh. The perfect version and perfect cast. I watch it whenever I want to watch the perfect romance.
Adore him. I certainly couldn’t forget him after 8 years. The other guys are meh.
The exchanges between him and Anne, showing the strength of their understanding, humor, and sapiosexual attraction, are lovely, subtle. My favorite is Captain Wentworth commenting about it being a good thing Anne did ‘not’ see Mr. Elliot in Lyme; the warmth of his eyes, his elegant sipping of tea from a saucer. Just gets me every time.
I honestly loved the 2007 version in the sense of how the movie showed the progress of Anne's personality both physically (with her running to catch up with Wentworth) and mentally (her diary entries) I think they also did the storytelling very well too, even though they didn't stick with the word-for-word thing. I also LOVE the actress so much, she isn't what I thought Anne was in my head either, but she played Anne very convincingly. She showed Anne's growth very well, and I found myself empathizing with Anne from the very beginning.
Agreed; 2007 is definitely the better Wentworth in my personal opinion for exactly the reasons Ellie mentioned, although oh my god the neverending kiss was a bit much yes.
Given the choice between running around the streets of Bath and a Street Circus, I definitely prefer the Circus!
Absolutely. Training for the Boston Marathon in pursuit of your boyfriend is so not JA!
No no no...it's Bath all the way.
The chaos of the circus...in my opinion...is how focused Anne and Wentworth were on each other. They felt like they were the only two people in the world. Loved your analysis.
You don't need to give spoiler warnings for 200 year old books.
Preach!
Even so, I appreciate the warning, some of us enjoy getting surprise by clasicals books 🤷🏽♀️
Just because it's two hundred years old doesn't mean everyone's read it. It depends on the context of the spoiler- if I'm watching a video explicitly reviewing movies based on said two hundred year old book, then yes, there's no need for a spoiler warning because I go in assuming that I will be spoiled on some level. If someone is talking to me about the same two hundred year old book, or they are recommending me something related to it that is not inherently spoilery, I would appreciate them giving me a headsup if spoilers are going to come up.
It wasn't really a necessity to include a spoiler warning for the book in this case, but not because the age of the book but rather the context it was presented in. Ellie was erring on the side of being considerate, and that's not something that should be scoffed at.
if watching a video with such a title, I think spoilers are a given, however I do also appreciate the warning- on most things, there are a lot of things we all haven't gotten around to reading/seeing yet, they remain classics for a reason and the joy of finding and experiencing something 'unspoiled' is rare these days. I was genuinely surprised by all the plot twists in Emma and Jane Eyre for example. I would want everyone to have the same chance of mystery and surprise. And it probably at partly why the Mousetrap is the longest running play in history- because they try very hard to keep it 'unspoiled'.
The book may be 200 years old but the readers are not...
I saw the 1995 version without reading the book and loved it. I thought the actors did a fabulous job of portraying the character's inner thoughts with just the expressions on their faces. Still one of my favourite movies!
You are so right. Perfection.
I saw it before reading too. Completely agree.
1995 wins hands down! It's superior in aesthetics, acting and casting. The reason why Captain Wentworth looks too old to be Henrietta and Louisa's love interest is simply because he has super masculine features. It wasn't uncommon for girls to marry older men back then, since if you don't inherit it takes a while to make your fortune. Also, the 2007 Wentworth doesn't strike me as the sort of guy who would make a long lasting impression on a gal. He has no character. Which leads me to the kiss; shaky Anne is waiting and waiting for that moment she's imagine a thousand times, and the stoic Wentworth is just there, immobile. While the Italian circus passing by in the 1995 version implies that they don't care who knows about their love or what they think. A circus could be passing by and they feel like the only two people in world at that moment. Ann's smile after the kiss is everything for me. I could criticize the marathon running and the awkwardness of 2007 Anne, but no need. 1995 wins!
I couldn't agree with you more! Well expressed!
I also think Wentworth looking older captured how awkward it was for such young women to be pursuing the very eligible Wentworth. Anne who was closer to his age and shared life experience felt like such a better match
This. Also it took men time to achieve the rank of Captain, and as a successful professional navy man, he would have been in the category of desirable males. Also Ciarán Hinds. End of debate. ;)
As a sea captain, FW would have been weather beaten which could make him look older than his actual age. He certainly wouldn't have had the clear peachy complexion as 2007 FW.
The actor that played Wentworth was over 40 at that time. I know it was common for young girls to marry older man like Marianne and Coronel Brandon and Emma and Knightley, but in Persuasion there is no big age gap. Most of the 1995 cast is too old for this movie.. Altough I agree the 2005 Wentworth was plain and maybe with another director could have been better
Glad I'm not the only one who didn't appreciate those damp looking bangie-ringlet things. (And, she was cross-eyed while poised forEVer for that kiss.) I preferred Amanda Root's portrayal (and hair).
YES.
I interpreted the circus at the end of the 1995 as them being oblivious to the chaos of society, wrapped up in their own little world together. Earlier in the story, surrounded by Wentworth's fangirls and Anne's societal position and obligations, they weren't seeing the forest for the trees.
I loved absolutely the 2007 "Persuasion" version. It's extremely beautiful and heart touching. I loved both the lead actors' performance. Rupert and Sally were perfect as Captain Wentwhort and Anne to me. The ending scene was amazing.
It has so many high points!
Rupert Penry Jones is so handsome and those eyes show his anguish without a word spoken.
Persuasion is one of those books that I think you grow to appreciate more as you get older. There's a certain melancholy to missing out on love today that doesn't quite hit the same ways in your 20s as it does in your late 30s or 40s (there's a slight age adjustment there since women aren't considered "on the shelf" in their 20s these days). So I always thought that 1995's Persuasion was maybe a bit more for that audience, with Ciaran Hinds being the Wentworth for them.
I have seen the 1995 version over a dozen times and it never gets old. Perfection.
I always figured the circus was to clear the streets so Anne and Wentworth could be completely alone.
That’s a good point!
Agreed - kissing in the streets in broad daylight just wasn't a thing then.
One of my biggest complaints (among many) about the 2007 version is how anticlimactic the ending is. They took everything we learn at the end of the book that builds us up and gives us hope for a Wentworth/Anne reunion and they compress it into 10 minutes of Anne running through the streets of Bath. Like when Miss Smith just happens to show up and tells Anne something really important as she has to jog along beside her. It just felt so silly! It made it seem like they paced the whole movie a certain way then got to the end and thought, "Uh-oh, we only have 10 minutes to wrap everything up! I know, we'll have her run through the rest of the movie!" But then, of course, they had time to leave Anne hanging for that kiss! Did they get that idea from the movie "Hitch"?
To rush hoydenishly through the streets of Bath would never have entered a well brought up young lady's mind. She might have hurried, but she would never have run, not even on this particular occasion and a "kiss" between a man and a woman out in the open for all to see? Goood gracious no! You would have had all the strollers falling down in a faint.
I always thought that Wentworth (in the 2007 version) ended up renting Kellynch, not buying it. It would make more sense since he could easily have asked his brother-in-law to leave it to him. Since Sir Walter is still young, it means that they could stay there several years, until the war is over and until they find a new home of their own. It would have given more time to Anne to get used to the idea of leaving.
That’s a great point!
That actually makes more sense. Even without the entail, I couldn't see him being wealthy enough to purchase and maintain that estate. He's more Bennett-level.
Yes, I agree, he most likely took over the lease of Kellynch which was for several years. I wondered what it meant by Capt. Wentworth making his fortune? I heard it said somewhere (and I can't find it again) that his fortune was the equivalent of $25 million nowadays, which for sure was not enough to maintain an estate like Kellynch in perpetuity.
Can we talk about Wentworth's age for a second though? Most young boys who were going to sea as a midshipman were about ten or eleven. So let's assume Wentworth is ten for ease of numbers, it's at least ten years at sea to make Captain if things are going well for him and he's very lucky. So he first meets Anne when he's twenty at best, they split up and meet again for Persuasion when he's 28 (again, if lucky). Ok. But that's 18 solid years of living in the sun on deck in all weather. That lifestyle ages a person. So he's about thirty, aged by seasmanship, (recall that Sir Elliot mistook another captain for being 60 when he was barely 40). I therefore put it to the jury, that Cian's Wentworth is actually more accurate than the 2007 version who barely looks old enough to be a Lieutenant, let alone a Captain. Also, that it wouldn't have been at all odd at the time for young girls to fall for a man a decade or more older than themselves. Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy are separated by about a decade and no one thinks anything about that at all.
Also, military officers have a certain bearing about them. You can see that in the 1995 version, but not in the 2007.
Yes, because professional volleyball players and surfers all look 50 when they are in their 20's. lol
95 Wentworth looked like a 50 year old. Stop making dumb excuses, it was bad casting, along with the very plain and man faced Anne.
@@nealm6764 she's not meant to be a great beauty..
@@redstar7292 Funny, when Sally played her suddenly she was though. I don't see you commenting on the critical comments of her.
She isn't meant to look mannish and plain either, like she does in the 1995 version.
@@nealm6764 Amanda Root is lovely as Anne!
Oh dear. It must be a generational thing about the 90s version. I saw it in the cinema when it first came out and can still definitely see what Anne is thinking throughout by how she looks at people and things, and how she responds or does not respond but gets very still.
And as I said above, Ciarán Hinds is maybe my main reason for loving the 1995 version. To me, Captain Wentworth is perfect as someone who has finally made it in his profession and is handsome enough, thus becoming a desirable prospect for young ladies in search of an interesting husband and just awkward and reserved enough, just like Anne, that we can see how they fell in love many years ago.
I didn't like the kissing scene at first because they are in plain sight and wouldn't have, but then I thought that's what the circus is for, they can hide in plain sight because there is so much commotion around them people would look at first. I guess I thought it symbolized the contrast of inner private joy of finding your loved one with an extreme version of the noise of the world and society, with happiness to be found in a life of private happiness and service as a naval officer, as shown by her visit on board.
I don't think officers' or captains' wives actually lived on navy ships with their husbands, especially in times of war or when they were carrying out some other official business. I know Lady Franklin didn't in the 1830s when her husband had command of a ship in the Mediterranean on a peace keeping mission.
I definitely prefer the book to either film, but I love and still rewatch the 1995 version. But everyone has their own responses I guess. 😊
PS: And by generational I mean growing up in different visual cultures of cinematography and therefore reading the same visual content differently.
I think the book is very specific about where they go to talk after the letter, it is sort of described as a 'gravel walk', maybe like a little park off the main street and I think it does imply kissing, or at least a level of intimacy and privacy away from the main thoroughfare when they only have eyes for each other. I think they changed it to a circus so that people would get that sense of privacy away from a crowd while still being in a crowd.
I see this very much as you do. The 1995 version is the epitome of Persuasion to me and I doubt that I will be persuaded otherwise (no pun intended). While Rupert Penny-Jones can do little wrong in my book, Ciara Hind is the ideal Wentworth.
Not a generational thing, as I was in elementary school when the 1995 Persuasion came out, and I never saw the film until the past year! I watched both the 1995 and 2007 adaptations, and I loved the 1995 one so much I bought it and have watched it many times since. I made it through the 2007 one once, hated it, decided to try it once more and didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it. I’m currently reading Persuasion for the first time, as I’ve been an Austen Fan for years and read some of her other books but not this one!
Given that two of Jane Austen's brothers were naval officers, and both rose to be admirals, I think we may take it that her knowledge of the Royal Navy was quite detailed. Women certainly did quite commonly live aboard, although sensible officers doubtless discouraged the practice in wartime. It was certainly a widespread practice in foreign navies and there are accounts of women being found aboard captured vessels.
@@davidjones332 I am sure she did. Thank you for letting me know. I know more now than when I originally left the comment but I'm still learning about the navy at that time as well as about specific commands (if that's the English word), so that's really helpful.
I actually watched the 1995 version of Persuasion first and it actually made me want to read the book and love it more. I have to admit that I love the 1995 Captain Wentworth.
What is not to love? Anne too.
The best one for me is the 1995 version with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root. You could feel the tension, the yearning and the passion between their Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot.
Personally i love the 1995 version more. I first watched it without having any prior knowledge of how the story goes in the book, but it became my all time favorite in an instant. What really captivated me was how well the actress who played Anne delivers Anne's emotion without many dialogue. However, i agree that they didn't really use many tools to tell how Anne was feeling. And a lot of people might find this version boring, but i don't care 😅 the BBC mini series version is a nice adaptation too
I also didn't really know the novel when I saw the adaptation. I had to "read" how she felt from her posture and actions and despite the reserve so well depicted it was all there if you were looking for the subtlety. Definitely a movie you see more everytime you watch it.
My favorite too.
When you have the right actor and actress for the roles excess dialog just gets in the way.
I think 1995 captured the mature feelings of the book. 2007 feels a little too light, especially since rereading the book.
2007 is also very heavy handed and obvious about how Anne feels in a very 21st century way. Not even in JA's wildest dreams would she have Anne running through the streets as a synonym intense emotional feeling.
@@SusanLH Anne running was so childish, oh Lord, Jane Austen would never!
I prefer the 1995 version every day of the week. The one thing I liked about the 2007 version was the color palette but, otherwise they butcher the story, there is no chemistry between the main characters, Anne running through the streets at the end🙄, and they have Anne making an inventory by randomly running back and forth making marks on a page!? Ridiculous!
Inventorying is apparently not her forte! 😂
The filmmaker said the circus was to show how utterly they were ignoring the rest of the world and how caught up they were with only one another.
That’s super interesting!
I will admit to having watched the 2007 version only once. The 1995 version I love. True, Ciaran Hinds is a bit to old, but Amanda Root's expressions are so perfectly done - expressing her inner thoughts while also being in keeping with the decorum of the time. I've heard Samuel West (Mr. Elliot) proudly point out that no one wore wigs (or makeup?) on that production. I'm not sure of the veracity of that because Amanda's Anne goes from pale and drawn to positively glowing through the course of the film. Somehow they did it beautifully. And I found the depiction of Anne's growing strength of character in the movie, to where she passionately (in the context of the time) defends the emotional strength of her sex to Captain Harville, so much more authentic than bolting through the streets of Bath like a crazy person.
I would not mind seeing another version though. It's my favorite JA novel and if they can capture the emotion in the context of the time, they may win my heart.
I agree about the natural feel of the 1995 version, it was very well done.
It's true - the actors didn't wear makeup. They wanted to depict the age and maturity of Anne and Capt Wentworth in a realistic way. ~ Anastacia in Cleveland
@@AnastaciaInCleveland Thanks for the confirmation! They did a wonderful job!
The napoleonic wars were brutal. Admiral Croft was very agreeable, but if you read contemporary accounts of the "Trafalgar action", you'll wonder how the admiral got off relatively lightly. Ciaran Hinds might have been older, or you can consider that men who had been at war didn't usually look as youthful at the end, as they were in the beginning
i think the reason Anne could go from place to glowing is because of the costuming, if you ever get time check out seasonal colour analysis , it really shows how the wrong colours can really make people look much worse than they are, and how good colours really light up your face.
The 1995 version has a special part in my heart. My comfort film
Plus I quote the line "mama doesn't care about etiquette, its the CAKE she cares about"
The ending of 1995 version's circus isn't about the inner romantic feelings. How I understand it is that they are so connected and happy that they could ignore anything but each other. You know? Wild horses couldn't tear you away feeling? That's why it doesn't bother me that a random circus is showing up, that isn't in the book. Plus I've always had a problem with Anne running and chasing Whetworth. She believed that they would connect in the book and she trusted that things would work out and they did! Plus, in the book, if you'll remember, Anne was the person who was tired after the long walk to Winthrop. I don't believe she would have tried to run across town, Twice!, knowing that she doesn't normally run anywhere. Artistic license I get, but trying to show her inner world with something out of character? For me it was too much of a stretch. AND-- even though I love Cairin Hinds as Whetworth, I see your point about him looking too mature for the girls of Uppercross to be attracted to. Couldn't the same complaint be said about Emma Thompson playing Elinor Dashwood? I loved how she played Elinor's character but Emma was certainly not 19 when she played her. Cairin's appearance looks like he could have walked out of a painting about the period. The 2007 Whetworth reminds me of anyone you could see now. So there were many points that don't fit the overall story when compared with the book. Thanks for sharing this comparison. Persuasion needs more attention from Austen fans.
I also had the same thoughts about the circus. I did feel it was meant to subtly mirror the joy they felt in their hearts at being together, but the point was just like you say, Andrea, to show how completely absorbed with each other they are at this point. They surely will not be influenced or distracted away from their commitment by the outside world now!
I think this adaptation tried to show how Anne was feeling inside rather than tell it, leaving a lot up to our own imagination. I really had trouble with the 2007 version. Again, agree with you Andrea that Wentworth just looks a bit Hollywood heartthrob. I remember the first time I watched 1995 I was disappointed with Wentworth’s looks and age, but be grew on me, and I started to see that his attractive qualities were to be found beyond looks, and in the end I found him quite attractive. And his acting was really superb. I also want to shout out to the actress who played Mary in 1995. I have a relative who has so many of the characteristics of Mary...really makes me amazed at Austen’s genius for portraying personality flaws.
Very much enjoying these videos Ellie. Hadn’t ever thought about how 1995 version would have felt for someone who had never read the book. Your analysis of the changes to the plot in Bath was also Interesting.
YES YES AND YES! I always saw it that way also. That these two, very proper people, who had always acted with such awareness of how other people saw them, in the joyful moment of finally coming together, could completely miss an entire circus passing them by! Complete absorption in each other!
I love the 95 one so much! Hinds is so very much Wentworth to me! Also so dreamy! While no, you don’t necessarily see into Anne’s head, I think there’s a distance in the book, too, so it doesn’t bother me. The real villainy of Mr Elliot isn’t as deep, but it’s also a harder thing to grasp for a modern audience, I think.
I could never figure out why Mr. Elliot wanted to marry Anne. Obviously she is much more amiable than her older sister but also more intelligent. Much more likely to see through him. If he wanted influence with his future father in law he certainly wouldn't get it with Anne.
Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel, and the 1995 version is my favourite film version. I loved the end of the 1995 version, with Anne on board ship with Captain Wentworth. They literally sail off into the sunset together. I also think the 1995 version was better cast overall, and had a great down-to-earth quality, and more realistic portrayal of everyday life for the Georgian landed gentry. The lighting and sound design is brilliant.
I watched the 2007 Version first (before reading the book) and was so distracted by the running that I almost missed the world's greatest love letter of all time completely. I prefer the 1995 Version, but I agree, Wentworth seems a bit too old, but the 2007 Wentworth doesn't look like he was on a ship for years
I always thought of the street circus scene as an analogy... You see them walking down the street in the opposite direction of the circus. This is just like the way everyone else in their lives is just playing the game and are wrapped up in the drama, yet Anne and Wentworth are enthralled with one another and walking away from the social chaos.
1995 is my favorite version by far! I know the circus is not in the book but I love it! The “Wild Beasts” sign just seemed so appropriate to explain the release of the romantic tension which has been building throughout!
I have been watching the 1995 version for many years and always interpreted the ending as symbolic of Anne's freedom and independence. Her being on a ship at the end seemed like a callback to Mrs Croft saying "we none of us want to be in calm waters all our life." As for the circus-- Anne feels more comfortable with the Musgroves who believe a good situation in Bath is "somewhere near the circus," (as Louisa says early in the film) which is so different from her own snobbish family. As Anne grows more confident she expresses independent thoughts and preferences--arguing with her family and Lady Russell. As a more mature woman, she makes her own choices.
This is my favorite book and 1995 is my favorite version - but because I love Sir Walter Elliott in the earlier movie. Every scene he's in cracks me up!
He is hilarious!
hahaha For sure. Great actor!
I've thought of the circus parade as this line from the novel taken to extremes:
"And there as they slowly paced the gradual ascent, heedless of every group around them, seeing neither sauntering politicians, bustling housekeepers, flirting girls, nor nursery-maids and children..."
That’s such a good point!
Loved this breakdown, some of your points really made me laugh.
Re: the circus I always thought was a distraction as they neither would be willing to be seen kissing in the street in the open, but they risk it as everyone’s attention is diverted.
Persuasion is my fave Jane Austen, I’m not liking the blurb for the Netflix film version and I see there is another in the mix too. Someone needs to give this book a proper series!
Great job Ellie!
Aw thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it! And yes, someone needs to make an amazing Persuasion!
@@EllieDashwood I would really get a kick out of you reviewing and comparing the 1985 and 2007 adaptations of Northanger Abbey too, if you ever got the chance. The 80s one really does go full rogue 😂
It definitely needs more than 2 hours to do it justice.
Agree! That kissing scene in the street at the end always rang untrue to me! They NEVER would have done that!!
There's that subterfuge that they needed in order for them to kiss while getting some privacy. What I got out of it was that the passing of the circus is also- jubilation. A metaphor for celebration without fireworks . . . I mean, this is happening during the daytime, there wouldn't be fireworks going off in the afternoon. So, this was the compromise. Also, it contrasts with Wentworth's and Ms. Elliot, rekindling- they are subtle people, they are not noisy, vulgar, and silly as some of the people in their story, they are quiet individuals who deserve to be loved like anyone else.
The 1995 version is my favourite, the aesthetic of the scenes are just like paintings with the lighting of the rooms, the banquet scenes at night seem more realistic with the dark candlelight.
I really think Austen's work is more suitable to mini-series than film. Have you watched ITV's Sanditon?
I only watched the first part of it!
@@EllieDashwood The TV series deviates *quite a lot* from the fragment that exists. To me it feels more like a Heyer-style lead romance, then an Austen-style lead romance, and the secondary stories are quite a lot raunchier than you'd ever get in an Austen novel.
I was SO disappointed about Sanditon. It has lost all connection to Jane. It is nothing but a 2010's TV series wrangled into costume.
People today would label it the horrible w-word that means the opposite of sleep 🙄
Sanditon seems like an example of a filmmaker trying to use Austen only for certain plot and characters but completely changing the ethics, tone, and aesthetic to try to be sensational, politically correct, and appeal to modern audiences who are used to much more overt sexual and crude depictions than Austen would ever stoop to portray. Ugh.
1995 version seems to me as the most accurate couple reunion, they are awkward, they are forced to socialize and pretend nothing happened, that is why I love this book, the reunion with the one who went away, the remorse of Anne, the very resentful Captain, and it all was played by the actors in a very delicate, very Austenly manner... it is how I would imagine the manners of the regency era were. The visit to the Musgroves is my favorite part, I love how much love the Family shows to Anne when she arrives, and I even prefer the 1995 Mary and Elizabeth, they are very much as I imagined them. The 2007 version to me fails to be tender, it is very much adapted to modern audiences with the running of Anne all over Bath...no regency lady would have done that. To me the 2007 version was reduced to a generic love story with costumes, not an Austen adaptation.
1995 version perfection and flawless in every way.
I just want to watch a Persuasion adaptation where they get the longing, the angst, the panic, the oh-my-god-oh-my-god feeling both Anne and Wenthworth are supposed to have. And the letter writing scene! The letter writing! 1995 almost had it perfect. If it could have just been slightly longer. Slightly more chaotic. If Wentworth actually went back for his gloves rather than a random umbrella. If he actually gave her the letter instead of leaving it on the table. I just need that scene!
I absolutely despise the 2007 version of Persuasion, and Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book. I find the whole movie to be completely cringe-worthy. I think the 1995 one is spot-on, but I do know that if you are not familiar with the story of Persuasion, the 1995 edition is confusing the first time you see it. I know this because I saw it before I ever read the book, and I was 13 at the time. I had to watch it a few times before I really understood what was going on. I absolutely love the casting in the 1995 version. I don't think Ciarán Hinds is too old to play Wentworth. By modern standards perhaps, but in that day in age? Men were often very much older than their partners. Think of Marianne and Colonel Brandon. I don't think Wentworth being substantially older than Henrietta and Louisa would have been an issue. That being said he was in his 40s when he played that role and Captain Wentworth is supposed to be about 31. Also, I don't find him attractive in the least, and I never have, and he makes an absolutely horrific Rochester in Jane Eyre (talk about cringe-worthy!). However, I think he and Amanda Root compliment each other very well, and I think he plays the character to the letter. What I love so much about Persuasion, is the subtlety. I also relate very much to Anne, because I am an introspective person who lives in my own head. I also know the pain of unrequited love and loss, and I think the artistry that Jane Austen shows in writing this novel is a testament to her talent and ability.
Oh, goodness, sorry, but I disagree with almost everything you say, except that Persuasion deserves a mini series ;) I love the 1995 version because I think it captures the essence of (my favourite) Austen novel perfectly. The natural lighting (I mean, an dinner scene lit entirely with candles is so accurate it hurts with the beauty of it), understated no-make-up look, the sweet autumn scenes, the gentle music... They even manage to make Anne/Amanda Root bloom by the end. I do agree that Ciaran Hinds, as great as he is, is far from the perfect Wentworth, but he is convincing enough. 2007 made Anne into a stammering, stuttering idiot, gasping for breath and not being able to get a proper word, let alone sentence out. Unfortunately Sally Hawkins always plays characters like that. She gives me asthma, just watching her gasp and noiselessly stammer and stumble without sound (I am not even joking...!). She has nothing of the strong, if heratbroken, but intelligent and centred, introspective Anne Elliot, who despite of everything knows her worth and (at long last) her own mind. Anne is not shaky and dithering and bumbling and unable to SPEAK. She is poised and aware and intelligent.
Amanda Root manages to convey Anne's internal feelings by her brilliant acting, plus, the music helps, as well as sudden silences. One doesn't always need everything spelled out, that makes for rather boring, uninspired watching. It is perfectly clear in the 1995 version what Anne thinks, why she acts how she acts, how the manners and expectations of her family/friends/society prevent her from saying and doing certain things.
The 1995 meeting between Wentworth and Anne when he is sent by the admiral is very obviously no ending in that version, and as such not superfluous; Captain Wentworth doesn't know Anne still fancies him, because Anne is being too polite and confused to say anything essential and appropriate, and just when it gets interesting, Lady Russell interrupts (again). So it prolongs this delicious willtheywontthey agony.
The circus depicts the outer turmoil of the world they have both been caught up in, and they are now, finally, their own little peaceful island, which is why you also see them walking away from all that noise.
2007 is an abomination. That running! And then the very worst kiss in the history of moving pictures.
Well said on all. For me, if 2007 Anne had been better done, the whole thing would have gone down more easily--like a cheap cake with too much sugar, but at least still a cake. (A limited pleasure, but oh well, you eat it.) I did like the 2007 Sir Elliott (frightening!), 2007 Mr. Elliott (erotic!), 2007 Mary (a weird and interesting interpretation), and 2007 Lady Russell. I will likely watch this version again someday to revisit their performances. PS. My 9 and 10 year olds have watched the 1995 version with me a few times, but they are zero tolerance for 2007.
I prefer the 1995 adaption for several reasons: I like 1995's Anne much better than 2007's. She just seems like the type of woman portrayed in the book. I also LIKE the ending with her and Wentworth on the ship. Assuming Capt. Wentworth remained in the Navy, he and Anne would have either had to face long separations or she would have had to travel with him. I believe Anne would have relished ship life and seen living aboard (for short amounts of time at least) as a great adventure. Remember, the conditions of life on land weren't exactly wonderful either.
Also, your point that 1995's Capt. Wentworth was too old for either of the Musgrave daughters, you are right. He is. He's supposedly in his early 30's. The Musgrave girls are 19 and 20. He's been at war and at sea for seven years, which would definitely age him prematurely, too. I've never believed Wentworth was really interested in either Musgrave daughter. First, he was being polite, then, he was trying to show Anne that her was unaffected by her. The Musgrave girls remind me of older versions Ktty and Lydia Bennet: silly, in awe of men in uniform, and desperate to find well-off husbands.
2007 is emotionally and behaviorally juvenile, it is the millennial version. I first saw the ‘95 version in my 30s, like Anne, an over the hill spinster with no future but some utility to the family, a family firmly fixed in 19th century expectations and norms. I had not read the book yet, but I understood her experience and emotional upheavals at every turn. Every older woman not yet married yet longing for a partnership of her own understands Anne - youth and high hopes have gone and the spectre of a long decline along the margins becomes very real. Expository isn’t needed in Persuasion, our dear Jane is offering us hope and good courage, for who knows whether our very real, mundane, unnoticed lives might yet change altogether if we don’t lose heart.
1995 all day every day. I detest 2007. Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austin.
Persuasion is awesome!
Each to their own - I thought the "random circus people" going down the street while Anne and Wentworth got together and kissed was perfect and also very romantic. Not in a cliched way, either. The way they were walking in the opposite direction to the circus as well - it emphasized how enclosed within their own bubble of true love and fated coupledom the two leads were at that point. Even all the exuberance around them could not distract them from one another and finally reuniting! I loved that juxtaposition in the movie. To me overall, the 1995 version over the 2007 anyday.
The circus scene seemed contrived to me and flawed an otherwise perfect film, till I rewatched and caught the earlier mention of the circus by one of the Musgrove girls! Perfect.
The 2007 "almost kiss" is all about Anne doing the "work". its all about her having to break conventions, to move to him, to kiss him. it is deliberately shot with an extreme close up on her, her struggle to throw caution to the wind and show her emotions fully. we in fact dont see his reaction to the kiss. its like a little punishment the filmmakers give Anne for previously being pushed by what other people say or think. She proves that if she really wants him, she needs to go the distance and act upon it. seeing her say nothing or be over talked or pushed around in the film so many times by so many people, this came across great, in my opinion.
1995 is the best one for me. Maybe because I’ve been an Anne Elliott myself all my life - I don’t need the movie to give me direct access to her inner world to understand her. Seeing her quiet pain as she is casually snubbed, ignored and dismissed, her beautiful qualities overlooked and undervalued by all those around her is enough to know how she feels. This version brought me to tears many times watching Anne’s calm, silent, despairing, hopeless resignation in its early scenes. I felt Anne so keenly….I could see the inner hurt and turmoil clearly under the serene surface. Anyone who has been an “Anne” doesn’t need it spelt out.
The most romantic scene in Persuasion for me is when Captain Wentworth observes Anne being harassed by her young nephew as she tends the sick bed of his brother, and he silently comes and takes the boy away. Her amazement and gratitude at being noticed and assisted in her difficulties even in such a small way, when she is accustomed to being ignored is so beautifully written in the book. It always pulls at my heart and brings me to tears.
For me, in the end, there was no Captain Wentworth, just the slow, unwelcome acceptance as I got older and older that I would never be desired and loved, nor have a life’s companion. There’s still a deep part of me that persists with feeling unlovable and unworthy due to this failure. The fact Anne gets the partner she deserves is so beautiful to me
I think the 'closest' thing to the circus scene in the book is Austen's description of the scenes going on around Anne and Wentworth as they really discuss for the first time after realising they were both still in love with each other:
'And there, as they slowly paced the gradual ascent, heedless of every group around them, seeing neither sauntering politicians, bustling housekeepers, flirting girls, nor nursery-maids and children, they could indulge in those retrospections and acknowledgements'
Persuasion 2007 is one of my fave Austen movies. I watched it dozens of times. I agree, Persuasion should be made into a mini series. I am looking forward to the new adaption. I love how they made Emma for a more modern audience, and I hope they do something similar with this version.
It’ll be so interesting to see the new Persuasion!
I think perhaps you guys are forgetting about the 1971 Persuasion miniseries???
The new one is why I'm here after rewatching these two older adaptations. I guess we've yet to see a great version, unlike the other books.
There is also a Spanish miniseries (made in 1972) obviously you only understand it if you speak spanish, but it exists
I loved the atmosphere in the 1995 version-it was all candlelit and seemed very natural to the period. There were gaping holes in the story but that's what made me read the book...I had questions! It was a beautiful film and the casting was perfect. Young girls were only marriageable for a very short while in the Regency period which is why Miss Elliot (age 30) is seen as an old maid and also why Anne herself is seen as a likely old maid at only age 28. Girls had to get married young (18-22) otherwise they were seen as having "lost their bloom". On the other hand men had to be successful enough to support a wife. A 20 year old man without an inheritance or prospects was a nobody. That's why Wentworth was not considered marriage material in Lady Russell's eyes when he first proposed to Anne. When he came back from the war, though, he was rich and a very eligible bachelor because of that. A big difference in the ages of husband and wife wasn't considered out of line in those days the way it is now because people died young and married often. It was quite expected that one of the marriage partners would die and the other one would marry again. The average marriage in those days was something like 10 years long.
I really enjoyed the 1995 version because I found the casting really good. Basically a "plain" woman who passed up her true love gets a second chance. I got to see the script and photos of the 95 version when I was in The Jane Austen Centre 2 years ago. ❤
The 1995 version has a special place in my heart! Persuasion is one of my favorite books because I was introduced to it through that movie. But about the circus - If you think about everything that has led them to this point, the chaos of their lives, the insanity of her family, the fact that they got caught up in a figurative circus of what to do and not to do and being controlled by everyone around them. They walk away from the circus, from the chaos, and they find quiet peace just being together. I think it represents them leaving behind all the chaos of her family and the drama and finding peace and happiness together, away from it all.
Aesthetics, casting, and acting-wise, I love the 95 version. Most 90s period films I've seen have older actors for any part-so the teenagers going after Wentworth doesn't seem like such a big deal when they're not actually teenagers! (It's roughly the same age gap between Marianne Dashwood & Col. Brandon-he IS old enough to be the father, tbh!) In terms of plot.... man, the 1971 version is IT. It's got everything! The letter, the walking through the street totally in love, the conversation about NOT REGRETTING THE PAST FOR ALL ETERNITY (!!!)... Man. Absolutely divine. The acting is questionable, but frankly seeing so much of the book on screen is worth it.
Love the 1971 version as well! It's my fav.
Preface this by saying that I do love 1995. Even though Ciaran looked old enough to be the Musgrove girls dad, I was older when I first watched it and preferred a more mature Wentworth.
That said I think the circus at the end (according to an interview I heard with Mr. Hinds) is supposed to represent the world is crazy all around Anne and the Captain but their love is a calm center. So it's not supposed to be the exploding fireworks.
That is an interesting take on it!
That kind of how I read it too, since they walk away from it into their own little calm street.
Hi Ellie.
There is a 225 minute version from 1971. Very faithful interpretation. At first I thought it was "boring," but upon further viewings it has become my favorite version.
Part of the BBC Classics Jane Austen collection. Well worth the price!
I've seen this version several times and once you get past the lime green dress and the hair (oh the hair!) I really like this version and Bryan Marshall makes a very creditable Captain Wentworth.
@@SusanLH Thanks for bringing up the 1971 version. Yes, the wigs are atrocious, but it's so faithful and well cast. Sir Walter is hilarious!
And it’s the only version that gets the concert scene right.
The 1971 version is a bit stiff, and some of the costumes are horrible, but it’s faithful to the book and the two leads have a nice chemistry
It is my favorite too!
by far the best one, I agree. so is the 1980s pride & prejudice, she seems to always leave out my favourites 😄
but then she might be too young to be able to get into those and that's fair enough.
The 1995 version was great. I was able to follow it
I got Anne's inner world from the 1995 version. It was from her eyes
She did act really well through her eyes! I think it was just at different intensity scale for me than what I expect after reading the book I guess. 🤔😂
I just thought of this….true Ciaran Hinds is older but when you think of how they did the casting…it’s “endearing” for Anne and Captain went worth to choose each other because at first….Anne is older and plainer than the Muskgroves girls therefore making it harder to see if captain wentworth would choose Anne over the girls, his character is what makes him attractive to the young girls…and second having Cousin Mr. Elliot a young and handsome hot shot who “flatters her a lot” as a easy choice to marry over the older captain Wentworth (I mean as Ciarian Hinds), it shows that Anne still didn’t choose what soome would think is a better offer. Hope I explained that correctly. They are both at the same level yet being perceived as being able to get someone higher than they are. But true love is always more.
You make perfect sense.
I find the character of Captain Wentworth played by Ciarán Hinds to be a very attractive character, and I do not find Ciarán Hinds attractive at all generally. I just love the subtlety, and the undercurrent captured in the performances of Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root. The tension is perfect.
Ahh i love persuasion! It's my favorite austen and probably in general book! I watched the 2007 first but I personally prefer the 1995 one. I really liked the side characters, especially mary (ms. bates from emma 1996) and the whole letter scene was nearly pulled from the book which is my favorite scene ever! the whole running ending plus the almost-kiss that lasted forever in 2007 really just took away from the romance the end scene is meant to have in my opinion. anyways, i loved your review, it was a nice comprehensive summary of the films and i'm a bit wary but excited for the two new films coming out!!
1995 version for me. I could spend almost a decade dreaming of Ciarán Hinds. The other guy I’d forget in a week.
Every thing in the 90’s looked as it is, because of the attention to the costumes and surroundings. It comes very close to how it would have looked in Austen’s time… therefore I personally think these adaptations are timeless.
"In 2007, what is going on with her hair?!" 😂😂😂😂 I thought that same exact thing when I watched it! At first, I thought that it might be one of those movie things where they try to make a pretty person look frumpy with a bad hair cut, but they never changed it. 🤷
To me, the circus was weird, too, although I took it as a representation of the world going crazy all around them, but they were so caught up in each other that nothing else mattered. The circus also was a picture of her family and events leading up to their finally cutting through all the facade in their lives to find that in the end, it was only their own feelings and commitments that mattered to them. They were on “solid ground” again.
I also love the circus and the ship ending in their film settings.
The circus feels like a wonderful contrast to their special moment. There's the two of them together, the rest of the world just goes by and then they leave in a different direction. Previously influenced by other opinions, now they make their own path.
And throughout the film Anne has been longing "not to be in still waters" look at the way Mrs Croft is treated in the film, she is such a warm character.
I always thought the circus around Anne and her Captain in the 1995 version represented all the circus that swirled around the two of them the entire story. In spite of that, they came together and weren't distracted by the outside "persuasion" anymore.
I liked both versions, but in different ways. The 1995 version was visually better, while the 2007 told the story in a more understandable way.
1995 Persuasion. While I admit I saw it before reading the book and do agree it's not an adaptation that is too friendly to non-book readers, it's more like a living painting, which in a weird way drew me in to the film to want to rewatch it again and again in order to figure out what was going on. It drew me in to several viewings until I thought I had figured most everything out--and that was a very rewarding experience. I also appreciated that they did little things like getting rid of the extra Charles by renaming him Henry--though it made the fact that Henrietta ended up with Henry seem a little too much endogenous for my tastes--and only made the cousin marriage issue seem more highlighted.
Also I like the "richness" of the 1990s Austencore style as you put it (especially with the costumes), compared to the stripped down 2000s style where everything seems unnecessarily thread-worn and raw (akin to that 2005 Pride and Prejudice--whose aesthetics I also wasn't a big fan of).
I also took the circus passing by less as a representation of the elation at being reunited (that thought never passed my mind when watching the scene), but a show of their love for one another making them not care as the chaotic world around them passes them by--in other words that they only have eyes for each other in that moment and that nothing else in the world matters. Charles and his gun, Henrietta's and Louisa's double wedding, etc. none of that matters and is as consequential to them as passing street performances, after which what remains is their love for one another while the world and its problems passes them by.
Also, I prefer the ending on the ship, it's warranted artistic license and shows character growth from Wentworth. And yes, the idealistic representation of having your wife along with you on a ship where... well, if you've read the Horatio Hornblower books, you know what those conditions are like...isn't exactly realistic--it was more about the image that in the end, the Admiral was right about Wentworth, and in the end, Anne and Wentworth's love made them able to endure any hardship or inconvenience--so long as they were together. Really, fulfilling Sophie's words in that way.
And I really didn't like how 2007's ending of Wentworth buying Kellynch, nor the ending with a waltz on the lawn (which was also how iTV's Mansfield Park ended as well... which just made the choice seem rather lazy and tacky when both were seen side by side--like the writers couldn't be bothered to come up with unique endings so they just slapped the same ending visual onto both Mansfield Park and Persuasion in 2007).
I think that the 1995 ending shows more of Anne’s character growth than Captain Wentworth’s. I always took his assertion that he would not want to have a woman on board as a private dig at Anne - you didn’t want a sailor, well I don’t want you on my ship - rather than his real feelings on the matter. On the other hand, Anne being on board of a ship at the end of the film shows her transformation from a young, timid girl, who had been bullied into overcautiousness into a mature woman, who takes her own chances.
1995 version flawless perfection. Aside from everything else one of my favorite parts was when Anne's sister Mary was always complaining how ill she was and then never stops eating.
I always interpreted the circus to symbolize society and all it's silly rules and expectations that Anne and Captain Wentworth have finally managed to overcome. The director is visually representing the strength of their enduring love as they remain looking only at each other and pay no attention to the circus going on around them, I think it's a beautiful metaphor for lasting love and learning how to focus on what is most important.
I’ve first watched “Persuasion 1995” when I was a young teen and loved it. Ciaran Hinds was the perfect Captain Wentworth. He looked and acted the part of an experienced and weathered sea captain. You could feel his bitterness and fight against his welling up emotions for Anne on a visceral level, while Rupert Penry Jones just came off as spiteful, venturing on using every opportunity to show Anne how he couldn’t care less in what felt to me like casual cruelty without much of a hint of his hurt feelings. I adore Amanda Root as Anne. She looked wilted in the beginning with her becoming so glowing and lively by the end, it surprised me how beautiful I thought she was. Her despair and regret is palpable through her silence and expressions, it’s breathtaking and makes my chest feel tight. Sally Hawkins rubbed me the wrong way with her mouth breathing and flummoxed expressions all the time. The 30 second pre kiss scene was painful to watch, not just because she was breathing into his mouth all hard the whole time, making me think about how dry and smelly her mouth must have become after that mad dash through Bath, but also because Wentworth was standing there like a dead muppet. 😑
The 1995 version was perfection. Everything about it was flawless.
That’s how it is in Bath, there’s often a circus going on right there! Street buskers at least! I saw them live in 2013.
Wow! That is so cool!
Yes I’ve visited Bath several times and the area around the baths and pump rooms often has street performers of various sorts, which draw a crowd. I didn’t think a travelling troupe passing by was that incongruous.
Yes, great point! There's quite a scene in that part of England with all the festivals in the summer, plus Bristol isn't so far off which I remember having lots of cool street performers and artists. I love Bath!
I totally agree with you about the casting in both films. The actress who played Anne in the 2007 version spent the entire film with her mouth hanging open. 16:53 Maybe she thought Anne was a mouth-breather or suffered from early 19th century allergies. The movie ended with The Most Awkward, Cringe-worthy Kiss in film history.
That kiss does need to win a film history award!!! 😂
1995 is more close to the book i love they keept the scene when anne talks with the capitan about how men and women love while wenworth listens haha i think that dialogue is important and the 2007 just simplified in a simple dinner convertation that wenworth didnt listen and i wasnt fan neither of the circus or bath maraton but at the same time 1995 lacks of feeling while 2007 you can feel the agony and the hope haha persuasion needs a new adaptation lets hope the nerflix adaptation will do it better. i didnt knew about the alternate ending when i watched this movies haha i was wondering why both adaptations had that scene
I *really* hope the netflix one will do better! Though I also don’t want to get my hopes up so much that they’ll be crushed if it’s awful. 😭
I don't have hopes in Netflix
@@PeaWade exactly, their Rebecca was great on paper, but terrible in execution.
@@EllieDashwood Mark my words, it will be AWFUL.
It will push 2022 sensibilities and agendas more than the Jane Austen story.
Ciaran Hinds all the way for me. When they touch hands after she reads the letter was the most romantic moment. About the circus....to me it represents chaotic noise and life is going on yet Wentworth and Anne are calmly in their own quiet world as they walk off down the street. Its not to represent fireworks as you suggest. This version was so gentle and calm. 😍
Persuasion is tied for my favorite Jane Austen book. I love it. And I really enjoy the adaptations too. I would have to say that the 2007 version is my favorite. For the reasons you pointed out, but I absolutely adore Anthony Head as Sir Walter Elliot, and I love the music. I hope the BBC does a mini series - that would be amazing! Persuasion is due for another adaptation. ❤️🤞
I love finding out you were a wedding photographer. Thank you for teaching us about the "almost kissing" pose!
My favorite Austen book. 1995 version ftw, imho! Amanda Root is exactly how I imagined Anne to be and the movie helped me understand what was going on in the book a lot better, especially Wentworth's feelings since the book is all Anne's p.o.v. But thanks for doing the comparison. Very curious about other upcoming adaptations.
I totally agree about the weird random circus showing up at the end of the 1995 movie 😂 I guess to me it feels like, as Anne and Wentworth walk away from it in a side street, they are leaving the crazy circus of their families and relations and fin comfort in each other, the only rational people of their acquaintance??! 😂
I know I'm late to the comment section party, but I just found this channel recently 😊 I think Ciaran Hinds is perfect as Wentworth! He's a weathered sea captain who's been out in the elements for years so it makes sense that he would appear older. I can totally see why the girls would be attracted to someone older, who seemed adventurous and interesting. Plus, Ciaran Hinds was a popular leading man who appealed to 1990s audiences.
I adore 1995 version of Persuasion and have been hesitant to watch the 2007 movie because I love Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. Yes they maybe a bit older actors for the film, but he portrays an English Naval Officer perfectly. As I get older I love the subtleness and how much a touch or look spoke volumes to another person. However with this review I plan to give it a chance! Thanks 😊 and keep up the awesome reviews.
I had never read Persuasion before I watched the ‘95 version, and I had *zero* problems following the story. It’s become my favorite Austen-story because of that version, though.
1995, hands down! A truer version of Jane Austen's book. Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds are definitely Anne and Captain Wentworth, as well as all the other characters. I've read Jane Austen's books so many times and want the film versions to be as true to each book as possible. : )
Also, I always assumed Wentworth took over the lease for Kellynch, rather than the impossibility of buying it but maybe the dialogue says 'bought' and I'm misremembering.