I took some time this July to read Jane Austen's Persuasion. A copy came into my care years ago, but I never got around to reading it. I tried to read Pride & Prejudice three or four years ago, but couldn't even get through the first chapter, so I was a bit concerned as to how Persuasion would go.
It went great! I loved the book so much - some parts at the beginning had me in tears for Anne, and the last chapter or so had me holding my breath! The end left me wanting more, so, naturally, I immediately decided that I was going to watch every movie adaptation I could find.
I found and watched two movies and one miniseries. Here are my (mostly non-spoiler-y) reviews in chronological order:
Persuasion (1971) - BBC miniseries
This one was the most faithful to the book, but then it did have nearly twice the time. I especially liked that they kept in the whole thing with Mrs Smith (Anne’s school friend) and her past with Mr Elliot. The other two just glossed over it. The end was weird though because it shows Mr Elliot running off with Ms Clay after he finds out about Anne’s engagement, and there was no build up of anything between them at all.
This one was the worst, visually, though. The indoor settings were way too Victorian. The women’s dresses often had very large, inaccurate prints and very high necklines. There were often a few scenes with what I’ve decided to call “same bonnet syndrome” (like “same face syndrome” in drawing communities), which is where all the bonnets are just the same shape and size, but in different colors or with different decorations. Hair styles were hit or miss (Anne’s was always a miss). Men’s fashion was late-Regency at the earliest, as most men were wearing (gasp!) trousers, not breeches!
Persuasion (1995) - from BBC's Screen Two
This was actually the first one I watched, and the one I love the most! It was the only one that made me cry in the first half (like the book did), and the only one to give the events of the movie historical context - it started shortly after the beginning of Napoleon's first exile, and ended just after he escaped Elba. I liked how they handled the end, given that context. We see Anne in a little room, which she then exits and we can see she’s on a ship which Captain Wentworth is, well, the captain of.
Costumes and settings were both decent. The women’s costumes were faithful to the Regency silhouette, but it was a mix of years, and overall too early for the ca. 1815 setting. Men’s costumes looked decent, but I don’t know much about men’s clothes.
Persuasion (2007) - made-for-tv movie
This version was the least true to the book - scenes and dialogue were out of order, and some characters said things that other characters were supposed to say. I especially didn't like how the very end was handled. Poor Anne had to do too much running, and then they took like a solid two minutes to go from standing very, very close to actually (finally) kissing. It then almost immediately cuts to Frederick revealing his big wedding present for Anne, and it's an implausible thing for him to have been able to buy for her. Also, Anne had these introspective moments where she would be writing in a journal and we’d get a voice over, but partway through the voice over she would stop writing and just stare into the camera, which I did not like one bit.
Costume-wise, the women’s dresses were decent, but I was not fond of their coats. And Anne had one or two of these little capelets with a little paisley design, which I didn’t like at all. There was a bad case of “same bonnet syndrome” here too.
I also have to point out my confusion at the fact that, in two of these (I'm afraid I can't remember which two), characters refer to a year according to the French Republican Calendar. They're in England! Now, I’m not a historian, and I really only research things that are related to my sewing or otherwise catch my interest, but I can’t find anywhere that even suggests that anyone on England would have any practical reason to use the French Republican Calendar. It’s really only a minor thing, but it threw me for a loop.
Anyways!
I’d highly suggest reading Persuasion if you haven’t yet, or at last watching one of the film adaptations.