I must have been out of the country during the whole hype about this new version because I was totally surprised when it came on! After reading through the comments that others have left, I really do feel that I must defend this new version. Unlike most of the other commentators, I did not find the 1995 version to be in anyways better than this one. 'Persuasion' is by far my favourite novel by Jane Austen and had high hopes for the '95 version. I first watched it with several of my friends (all of whom had never read the book before) and by the end half were asleep and the others bored out of their minds. I enjoyed it only because I was an avid fan of the book and it was a decently close adaptation (with the exception of changing Charles Hayters' name, which still confuses me!)I watched this new version with my 16 year old sister (who has not read the book either) and we were both throughly entertained throughout. As others have said, it is pointless to try and compare the novel to any movie version that may ever be made. Changes have to be made in order to make the story work as a movie. Keeping this in mind, I found the 2007 adaptation a far more accessible one than the 1995 BBC version, which, in trying to include every plot line and character came across very long and confusing to those that were'nt already familiar with the story. As a fan, I will always be disappointed to see characters and sub-plots dropped, but if it benefits the overall flow of the movie, then I suppose it must be tolerated. I will agree that the camera work was rather interesting, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as others have expressed (I suppose I put more attention on the costumes anyways!) On the whole, though, I found this movie very engaging and visually pleasing (I really wish I could have been in Bath when they were filming!) Despite the changes, the interesting portrayal of side characters and the random 'Run Lola Run' scene, for me this movie captured the spirit of the novel as a whole that I had not felt in the early adaptation. I feel that if this fresher version is more accessible to those not previously acquainted with Jane Austen's work, then it has well served its purpose.
Review of Persuasion
