I have the unfortunate luck of being a Jane Austen fan. We devotees are pretty obsessed with her work, and that's tough considering the woman wrote only six complete novels. We pore over those texts again and again, searching for newer nuances. When that becomes tiresome, we turn to screens big and small for those inherently less-nuanced adaptations. While the book will certainly always be better, Hollywood and the BBC have made up for quality with quantity and have supplied us with seemingly endless hours of Jane-based films and mini-series. Nearly 200 years after her death, this is how we make do.
I thought I had seen just about every English language movie or program based on an Austen novel until I discovered that there are four – count 'em, FOUR – new TV versions of her books, including Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility. I was further elated to find that all of these programs would be aired as part of PBS's ten week "Masterpiece" series, "The Complete Jane Austen". In addition to those current takes on Jane, the series will also include a new biopic Miss Austen Regrets, a 1996 adaptation of Emma (TV version – Kate Beckinsale in lieu of Gwyneth) and the much beloved 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth (you can check out the schedule at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/index.html).
Since watching this series will complete my exploration of the Austen video archive, I figure there's no better time for me to embrace my fanaticism and at long last compile my Jane Austen Movie Guide! Over the coming weeks, I will take a critical look at the most recent "Masterpiece" installment and recommend other renditions of the same novel. I'll also include a brief synopsis of each story, in case you haven't read it before, which brings me to the point of doing all this. I want fresh meat to proselytize. If you aren't already, I will do my best to make you a Jane Austen fan. And then, we can talk about her stories. There isn't much else left for me to do. The woman only wrote six novels!
And so…
Persuasion
Synopsis: 27-year-old Anne Elliot has resigned herself to spinsterhood. She lives a somewhat lonely but peaceful life with her vain, spendthrift father, Sir Walter Elliot and her snobby elder sister Elizabeth. When the Elliots are forced to lease their estate so that they can repay their vast debts, Anne is stunned to find that the new tenants are the sister and brother-in-law of her old flame, Captain Wentworth. Anne had broken her engagement to the young and inexperienced Wentworth eight years earlier, at the insistence of her family and her friend Lady Russell. Now, she must contend with her long-regretted choice and face the newly wealthy and successful Wentworth, as he woos other women and barely acknowledges her existence. But Anne's mettle shines through when an unexpected tragedy forces her to take action.
Adrian Shergold's 2007 version of Persuasion is a perfect example of how Jane Austen gets a bad rap. The tone is all wrong. One of the most prominent myths about Austen's work is that it's stuffy, which this is, but it's so much worse than that. The director and screenwriter ripped away every ounce of humor from the story. One of the reasons Anne is so immediately likable, despite her plainness and her shyness, is that she is so patient with everyone else's retardation. She's the straight (wo)man for so many jokers, like her aging, narcissistic father or her hypochondriac sister Mary. But in this incarnation, Sally Hawkins's Anne is morbid, moody, sulky. She's as tortured as the stormy grayish-blue palate of the art design and the minor chord soundtrack that accompanies this relentlessly downbeat interpretation. There isn't anything to like about this her and if we can't fall for Anne, how is Capt. Wentworth going to?
For me, Austen's stories are drenched in a dazzling light, no matter what perils our leading ladies face. Howard Baker's 1971 Persuasion mini series features fairy-tale-ish costume and set design in deep pastel hues (I think that the early '70's were the heyday for trippy art design in Masterpiece Theater productions). It kinda reminds me of old school Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Probably more than any other Austen adaptation, this one does the best at visually capturing the inherent beauty and fantasy of her narratives. For that reason, it's worth checking out. Otherwise, it's only a decent achievement. While the overall tone is appropriately airy and satirical, Anne Firbank's Anne Elliot is a bit too stately and glamorous for a woman who is so accustomed to being ignored.
For the definitive adaptation, look no further than Roger Michell's 1995 Persuasion. This might be my favorite of all the Austen adaptations. Screenwriter Nick Dear expertly distilled the story into a screenplay, building dialog from Jane's own words and imposing that upon a very simple and elegant piano soundtrack. The acting is superb. With her wide-eyed gaze, Amanda Root's Anne looks shell-shocked at the outset but becomes softer and more graceful, appearing to grow younger as the story progresses. The amazing thing is that the transformation is entirely in her facial expressions. Ciaran Hinds's woolly Wentworth is tender and sympathetic, even as he pursues silly young maidens in front of Anne (and he's super hot). And the snobs are so deliciously abhorrent. Corin Redgrave proves in his portrayal of Sir Walter that "metrosexuals" existed long before the post-modern era. This Persuasion grasps both the subtle heartache and the sharp humor of the original text, all in a neat 90 minute package. Highly recommended.
Both the 1971 and 1995 versions of Persuasion are available on DVD. While neither title is likely to be at your average strip mall's Blockbuster, your public library is a good place to look. Librarians love all things British, especially Jane Austen. Or just commit yourself to one of those monthly-plan mail order thingies. Your local PBS affiliate will probably rerun the 2007 Persuasion in the next couple weeks, but I wouldn't bother. While Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason is both loosely based on this novel and very likely available at your nearest Blockbuster, I wouldn't bother with that, either.
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