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Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, David Collings, Judy Cornwell ... see more see more... , Felicity Dean , Roger Hammond , Lonnie James , Phoebe Nicholls , Corin Redgrave , Fiona Shaw , Ken Shorter , Sophie Thompson , John Woodvine , Jane Wood , Darlene Johnson , Simon Russell Beale , Niall Refoy , Samuel West

Adapted from what is arguably Jane Austen's most mature and subtlest novel, Persuasion is somewhat more nuanced and restrained than the more frequently adapted Emma and Pride and Prejudice. The protag... read more read more...onist, Anne (Amanda Root), is, by the conventions of society, considered an old maid when she remains unmarried at 27. However, a second chance arrives when her former love, Captain Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds), returns from the Napoleonic Wars. The pair, who hardly speak throughout, are surrounded by the usual assortment of family members, friends, acquaintances, and distant relations, many of them what pass for stock characters in Austen novels. There's the social-climbing parent, the dour upper aristocrat, the scatterbrained younger relatives, and, of course, the apparently suitable suitor who turns out to be all wrong. Of course, Austen's protagonists are never dumb, but Anne, being somewhat older, is also a good deal wiser, and the characters around her accordingly take on greater dimension and subtlety. Naturally, this being an Austen story, all ends well, but the path is somewhat less straightforward than in other films adapted from her work. ~ Genevieve Williams, Rovi

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81% liked it

22,181 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

24 critics

PG, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Roger Michell

Release Date: September 27, 1995

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DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004

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Stats: 1,271 reviews

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RPJ as Wenthowrth Ciarán Hinds
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Flixster Reviews (1,271)

  • jennifxu
    June 21, 2007
    jennifxu
    this movie affirms why i love jane austen so much. every little piece of information is an exceptionally juicy piece of gossip. marriage proposals are quickly offered and accepted/rejected. one can dwell on a rejection for many years and never get over it. because the time period... read mores restricts and frowns upon blatant displays of affection, feelings of love must be identified with subtle nuances, such as a look, a word, or a letter. this movie is exceedingly romantic and i lived vicariously through anne. i felt the little heartaches she went through as wentworth callously ignored her. i felt the little jolt of shock as she discovered mr. elliot's true intentions. and my heart caught in my throat as she read the all-revealing letter from wentworth. this movie is a beautiful work of art that both pokes fun at the pretensions of nobility and also contains one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful love stories of all time. (my one complaint: all the characters are not very attractive. i thought mr. elliot was the only decently goodlooking person in the entire movie. anne's sisters were also quite pretty, but i quite disliked them so they don't matter.)
  • wildaly14
    May 12, 2007
    wildaly14
    The romance in this film could never be equaled. Anne and Wentworth are characters that are not to be forgotten in this amazing adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name.
  • gator681
    March 21, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic][color=navy]"Persuasion" starts just after Napoleon's defeat in 1814. Naval officers are returning after years at sea. One of those naval officers is Captain Frederick Wentworth(Ciaran Hinds) who eight years before had been rejected by Anne Elliott(Amanda R... read moreoot) a kind young woman who acted on advice from Lady Russell. At the time he was a young naval officer with little prospects but he has returned a captain and is now quite wealthy.[/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#000080][/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#000080]"Persuasion" is about listening to one's own heart and seizing the opportunity when it presents itself. It is also a subtle satire on the class structure of England in the early 19th century. For example, Sir Walter Elliott is snobbish towards the returning naval officers who are actually much more wealthy than he is and are also much more noble. What happens may be considered, as most things written by Jane Austen, quite predictable but the performances by the two leads are quite excellent and make the movie worthwhile. [/color][/font]
  • zeravenyoej
    January 22, 2008
    zeravenyoej
    File this under films-that-deserve-better-reviews-than-I'm-giving them. I liked it, but I just couldn't get behind it. Persuasion is a mature Jane Austen film, more subdued and grown-up than Pride and Prejudice. The camera work is decidedly unstuffy at certain points. Also re... read morefreashing: Amanda Root in the main role. Unlike the conventionally pretty Gwenyth Paltrow and Keira Knightly, she a woman of modest looks (which is actually better for the source material). Austen heroines are never knockouts; they're clever feminists who don't quite belong in their surroundings. But more to the point, Amanda Root carries the film with the sorrow of her eyes, alone. She's perfection.
  • SunilJawahir
    September 8, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    Despite all of the positive reviews, I found this really slow moving and not as enjoyable as most of the other Jane Austen adaptations.
  • amandarent
    July 11, 2011
    amandarent
    One of my favorite novels, but the movie lacked something for me. I prefer the BBC version. Maybe it was Wentworth that threw me off--he makes a better Rochester.
  • randhrshipper1
    October 28, 2010
    randhrshipper1
    Was 1995 a great year for Austen on screen or what? The BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice aired that year, and theaters featured this adaptation of my second-fave of Austen's work. (But that's still miles above other novels!) Root and Hinds are fabulous, both apart and togeth... read moreer, and all the production values are just beyond gorgeous. I could gush forever about this film, but I'll spare you all. A romantic classic.
  • jam233
    February 22, 2010
    jam233
    Handsomely produced with a particularly good eye for period detail. Excellent art direction, the cinematography is great, as are the costumes. I did find it to be a rather bland filmed version of the classic story however. The cast didn't have that "wow" factor. The direction was... read more a bit too structured and conservative. It tended to drag and seemed longer than it actually was.
  • glenn2009b
    February 1, 2010
    glenn2009b
    Since I am a male, I am reluctant to admit that I have read all of Jane Austen's books (twice in the last decade or so). 'Persuasion' isn't my favorite Austen novel but it always holds my attention. I love watching Hinds and Root battle themselves, society, and family as they tr... read morey to relight the love that have lost.

    The supporting cast in this version are quite good and add many satisfying layers to this movie.
  • graemii
    June 27, 2009
    graemii
    Ciaran Hinds gives a wonderful performance here. He can put so much emotion into one look. Amanda Root did a lovely job as well. A very nice version to watch.

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Critic Reviews

Caryn James
May 20, 2003
Caryn James, New York Times

The film offers the same pleasures as an Austen novel, as the audience sinks into a comforting, orderly world where life-shattering disruptions are handled with elegant ease. Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

Austen fans: Prepare to be swept away. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Michell's approach to Persuasion indicates that he is the rarest of literary translators -- one who is genuinely interested in a work's themes, its characters and what the author has to say about the ... Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

There's a wonderful, unhurried delicacy about Persuasion, Roger Mitchell's adaptation of Jane Austen's final novel. Full Review

Jeff Millar
January 1, 2000
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

Persuasion is Jane without pain, E-Z Austen. It's a delight.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Much of the movie's emotional work has to be done by...faces and eyes, while other people speak of other things, and to see that happening is frustrating, because it happens so slowly, and romantic, b... Full Review

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Vanessa Redgrave has never been more likable on screen than in her buoyantly athletic turn here.

Heather Boerner
December 18, 2010
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media

Jane Austen love story with an admirable heroine. Full Review

Susan Tavernetti
May 20, 2003
Susan Tavernetti, Palo Alto Weekly

Following the novel with unhurried fidelity, the film is as faithful to Austen as Anne Elliot is to the man of her dreams.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 27, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Literate, beautifully-produced screen adaptation of a classc Jane Austen novel. Full Review

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Persuasion Trivia

  • Name the movie which the following quote is from: "Anne? You want to marry Anne? Whatever for?"  Answer »
  • What was the name of the book that Sandra Bullocks character left at the train station, in The Lake House?  Answer »
  • What is Kate's favorite book in The Lake House?  Answer »
  • What book, in the lake house, does kate tell alex to find for her in the past?  Answer »
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