WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

trimmerb1234 I had read the book also listened to a BBC Radio version of some years ago with Juliet Stephenson which was very fine. But as I began to watch this film version I had an increasing mixture of admiration for the costumes, interiors and cast yet misgivings. The dramatic centre is Louisa's plummet from a height onto cold hard stone at the Cob at Lyme. Here in this film version following the fall, Captain Wentworth steps back and stands gazing and silent like a spare person at a wedding. Louisa is lying on her side pink-faced but unconscious. Anne has immediately rushed forwards, attends to Louisa and at the same time barks out urgent clear directions to everyone else. The book however tells it very differently:"There was no wound, no blood, no visible bruise; but her eyes were closed, she breathed not, her face was like death. The horror of the moment to all who stood around! Captain Wentworth, who had caught her up, knelt with her in his arms, looking on her with a face as pallid as her own, in an agony of silence. "She is dead! she is dead!" screamed Mary, catching hold of her husband, and contributing with his own horror to make him immovable....."Is there no one to help me?" were the first words which burst from Captain Wentworth, in a tone of despair, and as if all his own strength were gone. "Go to him, go to him," cried Anne, "for heaven's sake go to him. I can support her myself. Leave me, and go to him. Rub her hands, rub her temples; here are salts; take them, take them."Not an exaggerated description of people frozen in horror, Jane Austen hardly needed to add: "The horror of the moment to all who stood around!", it is powerfully clear from her description. Instead the truly daft film treatment of this scene robs it of almost all its drama and believability: Captain Wentworth had just fought in the Napoleonic Wars, presumably thoroughly used to injury, death - and killing*. His evident horror was an indication of the depth of his emotional involvement. That he stood back and did nothing while Anne instantly rushed forwards with the practised speed of a Mash medic is entirely preposterous. In the book, Wentworth is first to move but even as a Man of Blood, is almost overcome with emotion. Anne's thoughts and words are first for him: "Go to him, go to him then to give directions for others to attend to Louisa. The scene unites Wentworth and Anne in their mutual concerns and as the only two taking effective action. What a piece of writing! It is clear to see why Persuasion was such a best seller as well as respected literature.Of all actors in the world who could have played this heady mixture of horror and anguish, Ciaran Hinds is surely the leader, yet he is denied it here. He is though superb in the excruciatingly awkward encounters with Anne, all the intricate nuances of the halting delivery as he struggles with himself over choosing the right words is absolutely precise. Amanda Root as Anne unfortunately is just not right, not in acting in presence or in appearance, not in this part at least. Anne was strong self contained and wise but Jane Austen deliberately had placed her in possibly the most testing circumstances, torn in all directions, as her readers all understood and thrilled to. Strong people who are nevertheless tested to their limits is the trick to convey drama - as Jane Austen at least knew well. She was a very artful and skilled writer.6.5 out of 10*I have just discovered C S Lewis's description of a Knight

spratton It is hard to name another film in which every single actor is cast so well and performs so well. Even the "smallest" roles are a treat. A miracle. And watching Amanda Root reminds me of that wonderful assertion by Judi Dench: "Acting isn't what you say; it's what you don't say," --- and Amanada Root can speak volumes without a word. The Musgrove family, and their home, constitute everyone's favourite dream of English rural paradise; and at every viewing I am riveted by that fabulous carpet. Charles Musgrove is so beautifully acted --- yes, you know he is a bit of a fool and insensitive, but you love him for his heartfelt honesty and generosity. Likewise, Admiral and Mrs Croft --- the married couple everyone wishes to be. When Mrs Croft (Fiona Shaw, a genius)is regaling the dinner party with her memories of home and sea, John Woodvine, as the admiral, is visible in the background, listening quietly, not looking at her, but permitting himself an exquisite, reticent, almost humble smile of contented happiness. There is not a single weakness in this wonderful PERSUASION.

didi-5 Persuasion is perhaps not so obvious a choice to adapt from Jane Austen's work as her better known novels, but it still a rattlingly good love story. Like Mansfield Park, it features the navy for many of it's main male characters, but the heroine, Anne Eliot, is an older and wiser girl than Mansfield's Fanny Price.This adaptation is fairly short, around 1 hour 40 minutes, but it does remain fairly close to the book. Amanda Root is an excellent Anne, while her snobbish father, sister, and friend are played respectively well by Corin Redgrave, Phoebe Nicholls, and Susan Fleetwood.Captain Wentworth and Mr Eliott are perfectly cast - Ciaran Hinds shows reserve, regret, and restraint in his portrayal of a man already scarred by rejection and scared to hope, while Samuel West is foppish but not silly as the opportunist cousin seeking a fortune.Persuasion looks great despite it's limited budget, and engages itself to viewers in an understated way - all the better for it.

Amy Adler Ann (Amanda Root) is the daughter of a spendthrift aristocrat (Corin Redgrave). When funds run low, the family is forced to vacate their stately mansion, rent the house to a retired Navy admiral, and move to smaller quarters in Bath. Ann's sister and father run off blithely, leaving Ann to tie up the loose ends of the arrangement. A kind and wealthy neighbor lady offers help but Ann, who once followed the lady's advice in rejecting a worthy man's proposal, confides to the neighbor that she should have accepted the offer. Nevertheless, Ann is impressed by the new tenants of their house and is startled to learn that the admiral's wife is the sister of the man Ann rejected long ago. As Ann trots off to visit another sister (Sophie Thompson) and her two young boys, she runs into her former admirer, Captain Wentworth. Only now, their situations are reversed, for the Captain has gained wealth and reputation while Ann's monetary funding is in decline. And, he ignores Ann for the most part and concentrates his attentions on the pretty younger sisters of Ann's brother in law. Ann, however, soon realizes she still loves him. What's a poor girl to do? This is a very fine movie, lovely to look at and featuring great performances, too. Thompson is an absolute stitch while the the other cast members, including Redgrave and Fiona Shaw, are first rate. Root is a conundrum, giving a very nice, quietly thoughtful performance but she does not have the dazzling appearance of most leading ladies. Perhaps, that is what Austen would have wanted. Costumes and scenery are of the put-your-eye-out variety. The main problem of the film is that it assumes too much, that the viewer is familiar with the book. Instead, the movie watcher is thrown into the Georgian world, without sufficient explanations of what is occurring or why. Most other adaptations of a well-loved book will, subtly, inform the viewer of the reasons behind the action, but not this one. Therefore, one may have to view the film a second time or sit down and read the wonderful book to feel the full impact of the movie's story. But, then again, nevermind. This is a lovely, classy film with an amazing set of characters and situations. Do not let anyone, even this reviewer, persuade you from getting this film tonight. It is totally worthy of much praise.