There are two Persuasion movie adaptations and one miniseries. I’m skipping the 1971 miniseries. I did originally intend to cover both movies, but it turns out the 2007 movie is not available for streaming anywhere.

The 1995 Persuasion is, I believe, the most popular and well-known. It also happens to be the adaptation I own on DVD. Let’s have a look, shall we?

Our cast

The first main character we see on screen is Susan Fleetwood’s Lady Russell, an appropriate nod to the character’s influence and history in the story. Next we get a glimpse of John Woodvine’s Admiral Croft celebrating the war’s end with his men. Placing these characters’ introductions back to back feels to me like a reference to their almost opposing positions in the story. Lady Russell symbolizes prudence, class, society — the qualities for which Anne sacrificed her happiness eight years ago; Admiral Croft (largely through his marriage) represents happiness, independence, and love.

Corin Redgrave plays Anne’s father Sir Walter Elliot, who complains about the Navy to Lady Russell, his lawyer Mr. Shepherd (David Collings), his daughter Elizabeth (Phoebe Nicholls), and her friend, widowed Mrs. Clay (Felicity Dean). Redgrave does his part very well, embodying the vanity and self-importance of the baronet. Nicholls does equally well in the self-absorbed role of the single older sister.

Just as Lady Russell and Elizabeth mention Anne, our heroine enters. Amanda Root plays the quiet, even-tempered, rational middle child with two silly sisters, and she does an excellent job capturing the book character. She is pushed and pulled about by her family while keeping her own emotions and desires quietly locked away. Only Lady Russell has even the slightest insight or care in what Anne is feeling as her life is turned upside down.

Sophie Thompson plays Anne’s younger, married sister Mary Musgrove, who loves the opportunity to complain. Her husband Charles, who is kind enough but seems not fond of his wife, is played by Simon Russell Beale. Emma Roberts and Victoria Hamilton play her sisters-in-law, Louisa and Henrietta Musgrove, respectively, with Judy Cornwell as Mrs. Musgrove and Roger Hammond as Mr. Musgrove.

The Musgrove family is as cheery, youthful, and simple as in the book. A scene shows the various confidences and requests for help everyone gives poor Anne as she sits caught in the middle of others’ domestic disputes, both providing humor for viewers and inspiring sympathy for Anne.

Viewers do not meet Captain Wentworth until Anne herself meets with him. Ciarán Hinds plays the charming leading gentleman well.

It seems like the heroine of this story has the least lines of all the main characters, but Amanda Root expresses the character’s feelings and internal world so fully with every glance. It fits the book quite accurately. Anne was a quiet character who felt things greatly but rarely shared them aloud.

Isaac Maxwell-Hunt plays Henrietta’s suitor Hayter, named Charles in the book but changed to Henry in the movie. Other than the name change — I assume to distinguish him from Mary’s husband Charles — every circumstance of his character remains book accurate.

At Lyme, we meet the disabled but agreeable Captain Harville (Robert Glenister), his amiable wife Mrs. Harville (Sally George), and the solemn Captain Benwick (Richard McCabe). Their interactions with Anne, Captain Wentworth, and the Musgrove sisters and the events at Lyme carry the story forward and align with the book well. Louisa’s incident is one of the more memorable pieces of both book and film.

Samuel West plays the charming, beautiful, cunning Mr. Elliot. He does the character justice… and is fiiiine to look at.

Helen Schlesinger plays the ill but spirited widow Mrs. Smith, one of Anne’s old school friends. Her penchant for gossip is influential to the plot, and her movie character is delightful.

Adaptational changes

One adaptational change is the implication that Anne is not opposed to Mrs. Clay potentially marrying Sir Walter. In the book, Anne sees as well as Lady Russell and Mr. Elliot the imprudence of the match between such different classes. She is often worried about Mrs. Clay being too close to her family. The movie suggests Anne cares little about such things as propriety or class, and that she disagrees with Mr. Elliot’s disapproval of the potential match, probably to make her more sympathetic to modern audiences.

There is an added scene in which Captain Wentworth brings a message from Admiral Croft to Anne, involving the general assumption that Anne will soon be engaged to Mr. Elliot. I believe this was added both to increase the distress of the rumor on Anne in the narrative (in the book it is only addressed by Lady Russell and Mrs. Smith) and to provide opportunity, following Anne’s emotional departure, for Lady Russell and Captain Wentworth to confront each other face to face. (I do wish their eventual reconciliation in the book was made clear in the movie.)

A few scenes in Bath are also shuffled around in order.

Mrs. Smith’s conversation with Anne on the true nature of Mr. Elliot’s character and desires is significantly shortened and simplified. His connection with her husband and her wellbeing is completely cut, I assume to save time and streamline the narrative. This does rob her of her happily ever after as well, so that’s a bummer. In the book, when Mr. Elliot fails to do his duty, Captain Wentworth steps in to help Mrs. Smith and restore her small fortune and comfortable life.

Final thoughts

This review is shorter than many of my movie or adaptation reviews. So little in this movie is changed that very few notes are needed.

This movie gives great attention to the details of everyday life. The servants are often depicted, and the animals and livestock. The focus on food at luncheons and dinners made me quite hungry while watching. This attention serves visually to add to the story’s feeling grounded and real, as Austen’s attentions to setting did in the book.

I liked the significance of food and eating in this movie. Throughout the movie, several characters — especially Anne’s sisters Elizabeth and Mary — are seen eating and snacking. But even at luncheons and dinners, we rarely (if ever) see Anne actually eat anything. It feels like a physical representation of how cut off she is from everyone and everything in her life. At the end of the film, after Anne and Frederick have renewed their affections to each other, we see Anne walking around a room of card players eating sweets. She is finally partaking of the life, opportunities, happiness that was before reserved for others, not for her.

The ending is as happy and soft and romantic as it ought to be. This adaptation captures perfectly the optimism and quiet romance of the novel. It’s a beautiful movie I’d love to watch again.