My Review of ‘Persuasion’ 2022 dir. Carrie Cracknell🎬📖

Hello and welcome to my blog!

If you don’t already know this about me, I’m a big Jane Austen fan💖Honestly, huge to the point of slightly obsessed. And while I absolutely love reading her novels, I very much also love watching tv/film adaptations.

The latest adaptation to divide Austen fans across the world is Carrie Cracknell’s Persuasion (2022). When it was announced, I was sceptical. And when the trailer was released, I was again sceptical that this was going to portray Persuasion in all it’s beauty. While I’ve watched the 1995 film (dir. Roger Michell)and the 2007 mini series (dir. Adrian Shergold) at least once, I distinctly remember it capturing the melancholy and the romance just right. I put off watching Persuasion 2022 until now because reading countless articles and other Austen’s proclaiming it to be a big disaster, I didn’t want to put myself through it.

However, I did watch it and here I am now, reviewing it. I wrote all my feelings down about particular parts in the film as I watched it so be aware that there are spoilers throughout for this film & the book.

Jane Austen give me strength for all the writing I’m about to do

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Let’s start off positive shall we…

>The opening scene was beautiful. A very small fleeting scene where Anne is with Wentworth, content & happy was really lovely. They’re kissing and looking at each other without saying a single word. With that, you know they are in love. The music by Stuart Earl is elegant and so reminiscent of the soundtrack from Pride and Prejudice (2005). That opening scene really captured Persuasion as a book.

>Richard E Grant as Sir Walter Elliot was a brilliant casting decision. I had no doubts anyway, but seeing him as this character was fun. He really understood the assignment! It was comedic but very true to his character. I did find myself laughing when he asked Anne ‘is that what you’re wearing?’ when he saw her dressed in quite a lovely long green coat, and then yelled at her not to slouch because Mr Elliot was coming round. I do love how they brought out his pompous-ness more.

>it’s filmed quite beautifully and shows off nature and the landscape, especially in the scenes in Lyme

>Mary is accurately portrayed by Mia McKenna-Bruce. She is a narcissist who only cares about herself and like quite a few of Austen’s characters, is a massive hypochondriac. When she proclaimed she was an empath as an excuse for not staying with her son who had hurt his arm was fucking funny. Then I laughed when Anne just looked at the camera like she was in The Office. Lol.

>I really like Anne’s green dress when they eat at Uppercross. I have some qualms with the clothing for Anne, but this one was a favourite of mine. I think green is definitely Anne Elliot’s colour as it can be quite a quiet colour but also is the colour of nature. The sleeves were so lovely!

>The actor who played Marcus in A Discovery of Witches is Captain Harville!!! No way. I squealed when I saw him🤣

>How did Henry Golding come across as slimy and sleazy as Mr Elliot in the first two seconds he was on screen? Talent that’s how. I wasn’t too sure about this casting choice but I get it now! In all his black clothing, he looks like a Dickens character up to no good. Love it!

>Anne running through the streets of Bath and catching up to Wentworth was a very dramatic scene. At first, I was thinking it was going to be cheesy, but then they embraced and the music started playing and they were smiling and looked to finally be at peace…it was beautiful.

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Now, it’s onto the negatives and there were plenty…

>I don’t mind the decision for Anne to speak to the camera, although I really don’t think that’s very ‘Anne Elliot’. What I mean is that she is a very quiet character, who internalises her thoughts on her family and others, and knows that if she did speak, not a lot of people would listen. She also doesn’t show her sadness and how heartbroken she is to others, including Lady Russell so the whole scene where she’s crying in her room and she tells Lady Russell that she’s angry for being persuaded by her to call off her engagement eight years ago really didn’t make sense. The breaking of the fourth wall didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would (it actually served a purpose in certain scenes) but it doesn’t suit Anne Elliot’s character. It suits Emma Woodhouse or even Catherine Morland more. Also a semi alcoholic Anne – not for me, thank you.

>The long skirt and shirt combo Anne wears at one point is very Edwardian and definitely not Regency. Where is high waist line?? The shorter sleeves?? I also have to ask as well, with dismay: where are the bonnets? Anne was swanning around Bath with a beret on. I don’t care it makes her look quirky and god forbid, relatable and modern. Slap a bonnet on Dakota Johnson’s head because we’re in a Jane Austen adaptation!

>What’s with the bunny she carries everywhere?? Anybody have a legitimate answer for that?

>Louisa giving out courting advice to Anne even though she’s NEVER courted before. I had to laugh

> Anne shouting out the window to Frederick was just … a choice. Like why??? And then her putting a basket on her head and making a fool out of herself in front of Frederick … like where is Anne Elliot? I get she was doing it for her nephews’ entertainment but it just gave me second-hand embarrassment. AND THEN THEY SPOKE TO ONE ANOTHER?? Straight away. No! The whole point in the book is that THEY DONT SPEAK OFTEN AND THAT’S WHY THE LETTER IS SO UNEXPECTED!!

>Anne’s hair being constantly loose was frustrating! I don’t care if I’m being nit-picky but every other female character has their hair done up lovely and there’s Anne looking like she’s been dragged through a hedge twice. Oh, it’s supposed to represent her out of control feeling and her broken heart! She’s a rebel and doesn’t conform to society’s expectations of women. Nope, they were trying to portray Anne Elliot as a Lizzie Bennet knock off and it annoyed me to high heavens. Not every Austen female MC needs to be outgoing and sociable and quirky.

> “A heartbeat ago, there were no two souls more in rhythm than Wentworth and I. Now we’re strangers. Worse than strangers. We’re exes.” This quote can burn in the fiery pits of hell. No. No. NO

Had to put this because THIS IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS QUOTE

>Wentworth just professing his feelings for Anne on the beach in Lyme. At this point in the film, I was wondering what the point of letter even was anymore🤦🏼‍♀️. To make this entire scene more bizarre and silly, Anne just walked in the fucking cold sea and takes a swim in HER DRESS?? Like what kinda crazy Mr Darcy 1995 shit was that? Was the film trying to annoy me or did the filmmakers generally think that was effective in displaying Anne emotions? I would’ve rather watched her cry or even just stay silent because that would’ve been enough to portray her sadness.

>Anne taking an instant like to Mr Elliot even though in the book she’s a little suspicious of him because of his past insults made against her family. Anne even admits later on that his hatred of her family is his most winning quality. Like WTF. Anne saying that Mr Elliot is a ten made me gag- like yeah Henry Golding is but not your creepy ass cousin. She just then continues to slightly flirt with him like excuse me, Anne Elliot. I don’t want to see it

>In making Louisa Musgrove not silly and idiotic like she was in the book, the whole jumping off the wall/stairs scene felt really out of character for her. Although, I will say when she hit the floor, I did flinch. I think when I read the book, I didn’t actually process that she smacks her head against rock. By not making her so silly, I slightly cared about her more. In the book, I wasn’t really bothered so that’s a pro I guess. I would’ve preferred a more sillier portrayal of her instead a seemingly lovely one by Nina Towle but I guess you can’t always get what you want.

>The complete erasure of Mrs Smith was silly as she is an integral character in the book. Her revealing to Anne the truth about Mr Elliot, about the sort of man he really is was THE TURNING POINT IN THE BOOK! Without her, we don’t even actually get any answers as to his motivations or his character. I just don’t understand why Mrs Smith was just not included, like at all. If there had been less scenes of Anne flirting with Mr Elliot, then maybe they could’ve had Mrs Smith spill the tea about bad Mr Elliot.

on the left is the 2007 mini series and in the right is the 1995 film, both of Anne with Mrs Smith

>How did Anne see that the letter was addressed to her from WAY across the room?? Lol. And then she reads it out TO the camera as if Dakota Johnson was rehearsing lines with us. It was very strange. The majority of the letter we hear in Dakota’s voice, and only a tiny bit in Cosmo’s as Anne is running through the streets to find Wentworth. I didn’t feel the big impact like I did in the book😩

>LOL Mr Elliot and Mrs Clay just making out in the street, in front of loads of people in broad daylight. How ridiculous! Don’t get why THE wedding that we briefly see was their wedding instead of Anne and Wentworth? Why that choice when they could’ve made it as romantic as Emma and Knightley’s in Emma (2020)?

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I think my overall rating for this film is ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it had good bits but it definitely wasn’t Persuasion by Jane Austen.

I mean Lady Russell said it.

I just think they really missed the mark and i question whether Carrie Cracknell or anyone working on this film has actually even read the book. Instead of portraying as it was on page, they deviated and made a mockery of Austen’s most mature works. Austen wrote this novel towards the end of her life, a time when she would’ve been in some semblance of pain and discomfort. She was writing about a spinster, like herself, finding love. The book is melancholic and beautiful and romantic. It is not overtly comedic like Emma or satirical like Northanger Abbey. It is gentle and yet fierce in Anne’s love for Wentworth.

I wanted to include some memes/reviews that I’ve found online (mostly tumblr) that I think speak to how I generally feel about Persuasion 2022:

I have a lot of feelings (as I think you can tell) as this is possibly one of my longest posts I’ve written in a while.

I’m passionate about Austen and I’m disappointed that they didn’t get it right. I would rather Carrie Cracknell or anyone who has worked on this film to stay far away from other Austen novels. And if they do dare to try again, I’d suggest they read the bloody book first!

Now, I bid you farewell for now☺️

Thank you for reading and visiting my blog!