I found this to be an excellent adaptation of Jane Austen's powerful novel. The direction was 'spot on' in interpretation of 19th century England and I found the scenery and props to be very realistic and not at all polished or gilded. The cinematography was very personal with lots of close ups and movement with character, although I did find that the lighting at times was quite dark - not enough candle light used; creating very realistic, but somewhat difficult to see, scenes at times. Amanda Root's portrayal of Anne Elliot was divine. She managed to portray the heroine exactly as I pictured her from reading the novel itself. Her understanding of the complexities of the character and how her past choices in life had created such a sad and lonely figure were very believable. She began the movie in a trance, doing her families bidding like the amiable servant they made her out to be, while in the end she comes into her own and is able to resist any further persuasion by her 'friend' Lady Russell. Ciaran Hinds was superb as Captain Wentworth, and to date I think this is his best role played. He is distant and yet subtly caring and put enough aloofness in his manner toward Anne that at times his callousness was almost uncomfortable to watch. This adaptation of Austen is definitely one of the best produced anywhere.
Review of Persuasion
