ITV Persuasion -- My Thoughts
Jan. 14th, 2008 12:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
olde_fashionedI've just finished watching the new ITV adaptation of Persuasion, and I must say, that I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!
If you do not know that this is going to contain tons of spoilers, then conisider yourself duly warned.
To those of you who have seen it, what did you think?
I was not ignorant of the adaptation's flaws, thanks to RoP and various other communities online, so perhaps it helps knowing in advance and not being shocked by certain glaring omissions or apalling alterations helped a bit. ;-) I was very sorry not to see that one of my favourite scenes from the book, when one of the little Musgrove boys climbs up onto Anne's back, only to be physically removed by Captain Wentworth, had not made it into the movie. :-( I also did not care for a few members of the cast (Mr. Elliot and the Crofts, namely) and I kept getting strange sensations of desiring to punch Anne's obnoxious relatives in their officious noses. ;-P
Elizabeth Elliot was hideous. Mary Musgrove was revolting. My dad watched most of it and summed up Sir Walter very aptly. He called him an arrogant something, which made me laugh. ;-) I thought he could have been just a little bit more ridiculous (as he was in the novel) and there weren't enough mirror scenes -- (Which, btw, I caught a reference that we Americans only got to see a SHORTENED version. They cut out a scene with Anne and some old love letters, Mr. Elliot looking admirably at Anne on the Cobb in Lyme, and there might be others. *grrr*)
I also do not see what all the fuss is about Rupert Penry-Jones. He did not do much other than stand around and look grumpy at poor Anne. I confess I looked rather grumpily at poor Anne a few times myself, although that was only because the hairdresser had pulled her hair too tight. I did think Sally Hawkins did a very good job conveying Anne's loneliness and despair, and I loved the addition of her journalling. Very moving, and a great way to connect with the viewer, I thought. I thought it was especially so when anne was covering her mouth and sobbing after she thought Wentworth was to marry Lousia.
How on earth would Frederick convince Anne's father to sell Kellynch to an unseemly and obscure sailor, might I ask? That was the most unrealistic part, IMO, other than Anne trotting around Bath. Rather pointless, unless they wanted a breathless Anne to stand huffing and puffing before her love after she's chased him around half the city. Why was he as composed as could be and not even remotely out of breath, I'd like to know??? He was a Naval captain, not a track star. I think Cpt. Wentworth would have done better to buy Anne a pair of Nike's as opposed to a big house. ;-) lol.
Was Mrs. Smith's name really Harriet? I certainly don't remember that. I'll have to check my book later.
Oh! I almost forgot. One thing that I DID like, was that we get to hear Wentworth himself reading The Letter, not like the 1995 version where there is a double voice-over spoiling it entirely so that you can't hear a thing. I do wish they would have kept the novel's setting for it (not running by herself) but overall I liked this better than the Root/Hinds version.
*pauses, after rereading what I've written so far* I have this nasty habit of dwelling on the negatives of an adaptation, don't I? :-/ Sorry about that. I did like it though. I haven't made up my mind as to whether I'll be buying it yet, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved the costumes, if I did wish Anne would have worn something other than That Bonnet all the time, and the music was very lovely. I taped it (much to the dismay of my family...) so that I can watch it again at my leisure. That, for me, is the true test of a good costume drama. Either I get bored with it and have no desire to watch it more than a few times, or it grows on me more and more and I become increasingly fond of it. ;-)
Enough! I want to know what everyone else thought. :-D
ETA: Came across this article, (linked from RoP) and while I don't agree with everything this budding comedian says, I do whole-heartedly agree with this:
At the end of the film, as she is about to kiss Wentworth (oh, come on, you always knew how it comes out), her mouth twitches like a bass zeroing in on a tasty side order of plankton as her face moves slowly toward its target.
LOL!
Read the full article here
If you do not know that this is going to contain tons of spoilers, then conisider yourself duly warned.
To those of you who have seen it, what did you think?
I was not ignorant of the adaptation's flaws, thanks to RoP and various other communities online, so perhaps it helps knowing in advance and not being shocked by certain glaring omissions or apalling alterations helped a bit. ;-) I was very sorry not to see that one of my favourite scenes from the book, when one of the little Musgrove boys climbs up onto Anne's back, only to be physically removed by Captain Wentworth, had not made it into the movie. :-( I also did not care for a few members of the cast (Mr. Elliot and the Crofts, namely) and I kept getting strange sensations of desiring to punch Anne's obnoxious relatives in their officious noses. ;-P
Elizabeth Elliot was hideous. Mary Musgrove was revolting. My dad watched most of it and summed up Sir Walter very aptly. He called him an arrogant something, which made me laugh. ;-) I thought he could have been just a little bit more ridiculous (as he was in the novel) and there weren't enough mirror scenes -- (Which, btw, I caught a reference that we Americans only got to see a SHORTENED version. They cut out a scene with Anne and some old love letters, Mr. Elliot looking admirably at Anne on the Cobb in Lyme, and there might be others. *grrr*)
I also do not see what all the fuss is about Rupert Penry-Jones. He did not do much other than stand around and look grumpy at poor Anne. I confess I looked rather grumpily at poor Anne a few times myself, although that was only because the hairdresser had pulled her hair too tight. I did think Sally Hawkins did a very good job conveying Anne's loneliness and despair, and I loved the addition of her journalling. Very moving, and a great way to connect with the viewer, I thought. I thought it was especially so when anne was covering her mouth and sobbing after she thought Wentworth was to marry Lousia.
How on earth would Frederick convince Anne's father to sell Kellynch to an unseemly and obscure sailor, might I ask? That was the most unrealistic part, IMO, other than Anne trotting around Bath. Rather pointless, unless they wanted a breathless Anne to stand huffing and puffing before her love after she's chased him around half the city. Why was he as composed as could be and not even remotely out of breath, I'd like to know??? He was a Naval captain, not a track star. I think Cpt. Wentworth would have done better to buy Anne a pair of Nike's as opposed to a big house. ;-) lol.
Was Mrs. Smith's name really Harriet? I certainly don't remember that. I'll have to check my book later.
Oh! I almost forgot. One thing that I DID like, was that we get to hear Wentworth himself reading The Letter, not like the 1995 version where there is a double voice-over spoiling it entirely so that you can't hear a thing. I do wish they would have kept the novel's setting for it (not running by herself) but overall I liked this better than the Root/Hinds version.
*pauses, after rereading what I've written so far* I have this nasty habit of dwelling on the negatives of an adaptation, don't I? :-/ Sorry about that. I did like it though. I haven't made up my mind as to whether I'll be buying it yet, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved the costumes, if I did wish Anne would have worn something other than That Bonnet all the time, and the music was very lovely. I taped it (much to the dismay of my family...) so that I can watch it again at my leisure. That, for me, is the true test of a good costume drama. Either I get bored with it and have no desire to watch it more than a few times, or it grows on me more and more and I become increasingly fond of it. ;-)
Enough! I want to know what everyone else thought. :-D
ETA: Came across this article, (linked from RoP) and while I don't agree with everything this budding comedian says, I do whole-heartedly agree with this:
At the end of the film, as she is about to kiss Wentworth (oh, come on, you always knew how it comes out), her mouth twitches like a bass zeroing in on a tasty side order of plankton as her face moves slowly toward its target.
LOL!
Read the full article here
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-16 07:46 pm (UTC)I find this post particularly interesting as i bought the ITV version of Persuasion completely on a whim one day. I am a bit obsessed with all things 'period' and therefore i admit, was drawn more by the wonderfully handsome stare of the lead, than by the dismal reviews i had read of the adaptation up till then.
I have to also admit that i had not seen the previous adaptation of Persuasion (and sadly still havnt) and my thoughts on the version you discuss was decidedly disappointing.
I too seem to dwell on the negative, and although i cannot claim to have hated it, my liking is akin to something of a luke warm nature.
Sally Hawkins, as the lead, did as best she could with the material provided for her. I absolutely loated the close-ups of her.. her staring into the camera just distracted me too much -- while also pointing out that the director could not possibly have shed her in more of an unattrative light. The poor dear looked sickly half the time, cow eyed and just so dull. That irritated me greatly. Sally is not THAT plain, and i think making Anne a little more attractive would also have made Wentworth's attraction to her more believable.
Her mad dash to the finish line at the end became ridiculous and just too funny. My sister and i found ourselves giggling at how ridiculous she looked running up and down.. :)
In the final "confession" scene, i was so frustrated at NOT being allowed to see Cpt Went's face. The Director keeps practically all the way on Anne and i kept going, "show me HIS reaction!" Very frustrating..!
As for the dashing Captain, his performance is heralded as wooden by many. And i cant help but agree to some extent. But perhaps my shallow nature and appreciation for his good looks make me forgive his performance. It was adaqauate i suppose. I was frustrated at the lack of communication aka DIALOGUE between him and Anne.. again making it hard for the viewer to understand and relate to his empassioned feelings for her (their past history not taken into account, just dealing with their present behaviour)
All the negative spewed above though, i have caught myself watching it twice since i bought it. So it definitely isnt catchin dust on the shelf!
Anyway.. Regards,
Greenlee
no subject
Date: 2008-01-16 10:13 pm (UTC)That is why I never buy a movie without seeing it unless it's super-cheap. ;-P Although when one is obsessed with all things period, as you are (and myself as well!) then it sometimes becomes difficult. haha.
Perhaps you should rent the Root/Hinds version and see what you think? They each have their virtues and their flaws, but the older one does have the advantage of cramming more story into the same amount of time, without seeming rushed.
I agree with you 110% about Anne's face. They could have made her a lot more pretty than they did, and I kept hoping that was because they were going to have her "bloom" as Anne did in the novel. I also agree that the didn't give RPJ enough screentime/material to develop his character enough.