I've never read the Jane Austin novel of the same name, but I might have to. I
enjoy naturalistic romantic novels written in the 1800's, but many of them seem
to be so goddamn depressing (I'm looking directly at you "Jude the Obscure")
that I tend to shy away from them. Real life is depressing enough. But the story
in PERSUASION seems a little different in that from early on in the movie I
could tell that the man (Frederick Wentworth) and the woman (Anne Elliot) were
going to get together it's just a matter of aligning everything just right,
which of course means there's going to be a bunch of slight glances and gently
deliberate brushing of fingers and such. Which is the best part of these kinds
of movies! That and the manners and verbal dueling. Before the movie, when she was 19, Anne Elliot fell in love with a young sailor. He was broke as fuck and not of a noble birth so Anne was convinced to break off the romance. Now (the beginning of the movie) eight years later the family is on financially hard times and forced to rent out their estate and move to the resort town of Bath. The new tenant is an Admiral and one of his Captains happens to be Frederick Wentworth, the man Anne fell in love with years ago and has secretly been in love with ever since! All kinds of stuff happens, but the main question is: Will their secret romance be rekindled?
Excellent quiet performances by everybody, especially the two leads Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. They make a good couple. At the beginning of the film Amanda looks pretty damn homely, but as the film progresses she subtlety gets prettier and prettier. Ciaran Hinds is always great. I've never seen a movie or a TV show where he wasn't great. If you like romantic period piece then check it out. The story is simple, but sometimes that's all you need.
