Persuasion

PG	Rottentomatoes.com Rating: 81%	1995
(Thematic elements; nothing objectionable)	Picky Flicks Quote: "Austen fans: Prepare to be swept away." -Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle	RUNTIME: 1 hr. 42 mins.
Visit:www.screenit.com for complete details		Movie Mood:Swoony

Confession: I like good (as in the antithesis of evil) characters. I know, I know. They’re supposed to be the boring ones, but keep in mind I said, “good,” not “goody-two-shoes” (anybody able to help me out with the origin of this phrase?). I have no interest in characters who like being “good” so much that they’re forever flaunting their humility and consideration for others. Neither am I a fan of the goody-goody who never struggles with her temper or questions her motives. But the flawed individual who chooses right in spite of himself or helps someone out without first hanging up the, “I’m a nice person,” banner…now that’s my kind of character.

Which is probably a huge part of my love for Persuasion. Not that yet another Jane Austen movie review should come as any great shock since, upon glancing through my past posts, I discovered that I have already reviewed two of her film adaptations (Sense and Sensibility and Emma) as well as one fictionalized biopic (Becoming Jane). Clearly, I’m an admirer.

Still, Persuasion holds a special place in my heart because of its extraordinary protagonist, Anne Elliot. She is intelligent, kind, observant, witty, worldly-wise, and naïve, all at the same time. Notice I did not say, "Beautiful." Not all good characters are, you know. Still, despite Anne's lack of beauty, she received an early chance at love only to be talked out of it by her well-meaning, if snobbish, friend, Lady Russell. Such circumstances, combined with her natural makeup, make for a very intriguing character indeed.

Ever since Anne broke off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth and watched him storm off to sea (sorry)—never (as far as she knew) to return—she has lived a life of quiet desperation, the only source of common sense or moderation in a family full of vapid, selfish, shallow individuals. Then, just as suddenly as he exited it eight years before, Frederick reenters her life. Oh, heaven be praised!

Except that whatever bloom once resided in young Anne’s cheek has long since faded, and circumstances are drastically different. Before, the young seaman had nothing to offer Anne, or so felt her mentor, Lady Russell, who was convinced that Anne deserved more in the way of a match considering her family’s good social standing. Now, Anne’s father, Sir Walter, is wallowing in debt, and Frederick is captain of his own vessel. The shoe is, most definitely, on the other foot now.

Add to this the fact that a man’s appeal only seems to increase with age, with his interest skewing not older but even younger than before while, by contrast, even in only her late twenties, Anne has long been a member of the spinster club. Anne can do nothing but watch as Frederick is charmed by the enthusiastic and undeniably youthful attentions of her neighbors, Louisa and Henrietta Musgrove.

Persuasion has a measured pace that may bother some, but the film strikes such a perfect note of moody longing throughout that it’s hard to imagine that a good deal of the movie’s integrity would not have been compromised with brighter visuals or zippier scene changes. The brooding backdrops of grey and green help to capture the bleak landscape of Anne’s heart as she works to convince herself that, not only will she never have her beloved Frederick, but that he is better off without her.

Frederick, for his part, is also a sympathetic, if imperfect, character: the jilted young man who desperately wants to hate and exact revenge (via flirtations with attractive younger women) upon the woman who spurned his love but can’t seem to keep his gaze from straying to her at odd, quiet moments. Neither can he ignore the fact that, whenever someone is in trouble, it is Anne who is first to respond with a calmness of mind and spirit that neither of the Musgrove sisters could begin to muster in the best of circumstances.

So, it’s no great surprise that, when Anne begins receiving the unexpected attentions of her handsome cousin, William Elliot, Frederick isn’t exactly pleased. Not that he goes so far as to say it, but, well…a simple pursing of the lips or penetrating stare can speak volumes. Anne, who has all but resigned herself to the loss of her true love, cannot fathom that anyone else would be interested but is happy to discover that William Elliot is both a pleasant and attentive suitor. Why his interest has suddenly been aroused is a bit of a mystery which he seems reluctant to divulge, but really, can Anne afford to be picky?

Let’s hope so. Even for those that have read the book, Persuasion does an admirable job of ratcheting up the emotional tension, employing stolen glances, whispers, and yearning looks in place of more overt methods to convince its audience that Anne and Frederick have no business being with anyone but each other, no matter what their history or past mistakes. The very last scene is one of the most sweepingly romantic that I have witnessed in film, and yet it takes place as a noisy street band straggles by only feet away from our lovers.

Please rent Persuasion. It's a wonderful movie if for no other reason that any film that can make you swoon while a clown walks by banging cymbals is doing something right.

Until next Wednesday, stay picky! Your mind will thank you later.