This afternoon I saw for the first time the 2007 television version of Persuasion. Rupert Penry-Jones stars as Captain Wentworth and Sally Hawkins stars as Anne Eliot. I am not a fan of this version at all. I wanted to love it, but I feel that the storyline was rushed which did not do justice to it. I also did not find this version as moving as the one that was done in 1995 starring Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root.
Rupert Penry-Jones is handsome, but he does not look like the windswept Captain Wentworth would look after spending so many years at sea. In this version of Persuasion Anne and the Captain hardly speak to one another throughout the entire movie.
Sally Hawkins portrays Anne Eliot. She did a good job playing Anne. I like Amanda Root too but Sally Hawkin's interpretation of Anne was a little bit more animated which I liked.
If I had not read the book I would have been confused watching this movie. It really needed to slow down. There are scenes near the end where Anne is running through Bath that many people who saw this movie did not like. It really didn't bother me, but it would be highly unlikely that a woman during this time period would be running like a bat out of hell through Bath like that.
I read someplace online a few months ago that Captain Wentworths Letter is not included in this version. That is not correct. The Letter is included. but it is done differently and not as effectively. This is when you see Anne running through town. When Anne finally catches up with Captain Wentworth to accept his second proposal they kiss but it was lame. Richard Armitage should have shown them how to do it. The kiss at the end of the BBC North & South is the best onscreen kiss ever.
If I had not read the book I would have been confused watching this movie. It really needed to slow down. There are scenes near the end where Anne is running through Bath that many people who saw this movie did not like. It really didn't bother me, but it would be highly unlikely that a woman during this time period would be running like a bat out of hell through Bath like that.
I read someplace online a few months ago that Captain Wentworths Letter is not included in this version. That is not correct. The Letter is included. but it is done differently and not as effectively. This is when you see Anne running through town. When Anne finally catches up with Captain Wentworth to accept his second proposal they kiss but it was lame. Richard Armitage should have shown them how to do it. The kiss at the end of the BBC North & South is the best onscreen kiss ever.
5 comments:
I am not a fan of this version although I do like RP-J. I thought Sally Hawkins made Ann seem like a weakling, and of course I hated the ending!
Except for the scene that shows Wentworth buying Ann's house. I thought that was a nice touch.
I thoroughly enjoyed this version. I did not like the 1995 version, I thought the characters were too old for the roles. Even the dialogue delivery was too abrupt for me. I know as I write this, I am a bit biased, since I love Rupert Penry-Jones. His performance was great, and he is definitely easy on the eyes. As to the movie as a whole, it could have been longer, to allow character development. I thought the role of Sir Walter Elliot was played very well. Lady Russell was great, and I loved the way she used her eyes to convey her thoughts. Elizabeth was played by an actress that was too old for the part. I do believe Sally Hawkins did an excellent job, but I would have rather seen a prettier actress stripped down, and developed over time to illustrate the returning or her bloom. I hated every scene with the hypochondriac(Mary) in it. She may have been vital to parts of the story, but she was irritating. Overall I loved the film, and Will continue to watch it. I must agree that the kiss may have been a sum of all parts, but it was draining. Thank goodness for North & South. I agree it was and will be the best onscreen kiss ever. Richard Armitage knows how to kiss a woman. Kudos to Rupert Penry-Jones!!
Hi Omega,
I enjoyed reading your take on the 2007 Persuasion. Thank you for sharing. I understand your bias. I am a huge fan of Richard Armitage so anything he appears in is great to me even if it really isn't. Rupert Penry-Jones is very handsome, but he is not my idea of Captain Wentworth. I think his skin was too pale for someone who supposedly spent years at sea. I do not think that Amanda Root looked too old to be Anne Eliot, but possibly Ciaran Hinds looked a tad too old to be Captain Wentworth. That did cross my mind as well. At least Ciaran Hinds did look like a man who was out to sea for years and as a result had extremely sun kissed skin.
Thank you for stopping by.
I agree with you on Hinds. I do believe Rupert was too handsome and pale for the role. I loved his look and voice-over work in the film. I'm a big Armitage fan as well. Great site!!!! Thanks for providing an outlet to discuss the great costume dramas.
I am so honored that you stopped by my blog. I love period dramas so blogging about them comes naturally to me. There are lots more period movie drama reviews to come. A lot of Catherine Cookson's books were made into movies and I have been enjoying them on Netflix.
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