Jane Austen knew a thing or two about complicated women and the way they move through the world. The author's iconic bibliography, from "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma" to "Sense and Sensibility," and those are just the English class curriculum hits, has always been based on indelible heroines and their attempts to the Regency era to put their lives in order. These stories are indebted to her time and place and are undeniably universal in her concerns and charms.
"He's a 10," the leading lady enthuses an older woman about a young man she likes in this latest film adaptation of Jane Austen's final novel, and if that line doesn't surprise you for at least a little loop, there are other powerfully anachronistic ingredients in this new Persuasion that may well strike fans of Austen, among others, as more than a little unconvincing. Breaking down and eradicating period niceties and replacing them with more modern attitudes and phraseology seems to be the central agenda for noted British theater director Carrie Cracknell in her feature film debut, and while it's easy to resist some of the dialogue throughout the adaptation of the old professional Ron Bass and writer-actress Alice Victoria Winslow, it also shouldn't be impossible to admit that since we already have Roger Michell's excellent film adaptation from 1995, a cheeky remake might as well be welcome, at least for a short stay.
Director: Carrie Cracknell
Writers: Ron Bass, Alice Victoria Winslow, Jane Austen
Stars: Richard E. Grant, Henry Golding, Ben Bailey Smith
Austen's books have inspired all kinds of adaptations both on stage and on screen, from the faithful (Ang Lee's luminous "Sense and Sensibility") to the slightly laid-back (hello, the iconic version of the BBC series from "Pride and Prejudice," infamous for its portrayal of Mark Darcy as a mischievous swimmer) and even from the light-hearted ("Bridget Jones's Diary") to the goofy ("Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"). Austen's books incisively describe a specific moment in British life (mainly life lived by the rich, the white, the privileged), but her keen understanding of human interactions and desires can be happily transplanted to a variety of stories.
So what about Carrie Cracknell's effervescent "Persuasion," which attempts to modernize one of Austen's saddest stories through the casting, the script, even the hair and makeup, but does all of that while still being set in the Regency era in England? Similar in tone to Autumn de Wilde's lively (and critically acclaimed) "Emma," the first-time filmmaker's brash and original debut seems to have fallen victim to haphazard marketing. The end product is, yes, fun and contemporary, but also infused with the deep longing for her heroine, Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson, willing as anyone to weave seemingly disparate tones together).
The first trailer for the film was not met with resounding enthusiasm, as many viewers (presumably hardcore Austen fans who never enjoyed the pleasures of something perfect like "Clueless") criticized it for being too modern, too goofy, too "Bridget." . Jones cosplays Regency.” How lucky we are then that a trailer, just a few minutes into a movie, is not a full feature.
Written by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, this "Persuasion" has plenty of modern, chatty flourishes (yes, Anne tells us she's "single and prosperous," and then refers to her unrequited love as her "ex"), and features a series of positive Bridget Jones sequences that see Anne crying, drinking, crying, drinking, etc., but they all serve one essential purpose: to take us inside Anne's heart. The lauded playwright Cracknell wanted to loosen up this Austen, and that means everything from literally undoing Anne's hair and taking off her clothes, to figuratively bringing the audience closer to her by treating her like, well, any kind of woman.
Anne's heart is broken, and has been for many years (eight, specifically, as she'll tell anyone who really asks), and while we're not used to seeing our Austen heroines so open, that doesn't mean we never will. have been. . The rigid social restrictions of the Regency era have certainly given rise to some great romances. Remember when Joe Wright's "Pride and Prejudice" managed to make a holding hand the sexiest thing of that movie year? — But the pleasure of feeling closer to Anne when she is at her most human cannot be overstated.
Watch Persuasion 2022 Movie Trailer
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