Persuasion (2022 film)

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Persuasion
Persuasion (2022 film).jpg
Official release poster
Directed by Carrie Cracknell
Screenplay by
Based on Persuasion
by Jane Austen
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJoe Anderson [1]
Edited byPani Scott
Music byStuart Earl
Production
companies
  • MRC
  • Bisous Pictures
  • Mad Chance
  • Fourth and Twenty Eight Films
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)(United States)
  • July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)(Netflix)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Persuasion is a 2022 American historical romantic film based on Jane Austen's 1817 novel of the same name. It was directed by Carrie Cracknell from a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow. The film stars Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Richard E. Grant, and Henry Golding.

Contents

Persuasion was released to theaters in the United States on July 8, 2022, a week before its streaming release on July 15, 2022, by Netflix.

Plot

The story begins seven years after the broken engagement of Anne Elliot to Frederick Wentworth, then a young and undistinguished naval officer. Wentworth was considered clever, confident and ambitious, but his low social status and lack of wealth made Anne's friends and family view him as an unsuitable partner. Furthermore, Lady Russell, a distant relative whom Anne considers to be a second mother to her after her own died, also saw the relationship as imprudent for one so young and persuaded Anne to break off the engagement.

Sir Walter Elliot, his debts mounting, decides to lease Kellynch Hall, the family estate, to Admiral Croft despite Sir Walter’s objection to having a naval man in his house. Sir Walter and Anne’s sister Elizabeth, along with the widowed Ms Penelope Clay, go to Bath while Anne is instructed to care for her sister Mary who had taken ill. Admiral Croft and his wife arrive, where it is learned that Admiral Croft’s wife is Wentworth’s brother and he is also expected to be in the area. While visiting Mary, the Admiral, his wife and Captain Wentworth are expected for dinner; Mary miraculously recovers from her illness for the dinner and Anne volunteers to miss the dinner to sit with Mary’s injured son. Unknowing of their previous attachment, Mary’s sister in law Louisa encourages Anne to pursue Captain Wentworth but ends up pursuing him herself.

The group, including Mary’s family, Anne, Louisa and Wentworth travel to Lyme to enjoy a holiday by the sea and meet some of Captain Wentworth’s naval friends, including Captains Berwick and Harville. Louisa’s infatuation with Wentworth is obvious, and Anne tries to hide her feelings. She and Wentworth agree to be friends, and the group encounters a mysterious gentleman who seems to be interested in Anne. They discover his identity after he has departed to Bath; the gentleman is William Elliot, cousin to the family who stands to inherit everything.

Louisa, in a misguided attempt at flirtation, has Captain Wentworth catch her as she jumps down the last stairs of a staircase. She tries to repeat the gesture, despite Wentworth’s objections, and is seriously injured. Captain Berwick fetches a doctor and Mary resolves to stay with her while Anne goes to Bath.

In Bath, Anne is reacquainted with William Elliot, who appears to pursue her, while also stating that his intention in Bath is to ensure Anne’s father does not marry Ms Penelope Clay thereby creating the potential for an heir which could displace him. Anne learns that Louisa is engaged to a sailor and believes this to be Wentworth given their previous attachment. Wentworth arrives to Bath and is piqued by William Elliot’s apparent pursuit of Anne, especially as William leads Wentworth to believe he and Anne are engaged. William Elliot does in fact make her a marriage proposal, although Anne has not given an answer. Anne’s sister Mary and family also soon arrive to Bath. Captain Wentworth has been made an offer of a ship and is deciding whether to take it, and overhears Anne and Harville discussing the relative faithfulness of men and women in love. Deeply moved by what Anne says about women not giving up their feelings of love even when all hope is lost, Wentworth writes her a note declaring his feelings for her and departs. Anne runs after him, along the way seeing William Elliot in an embrace with Mrs Penelope Clay. Anne and Captain Wentworth embrace. The wedding of William Elliot and Penelope Clay is shown.

Cast

Production

In April 2021, it was announced Dakota Johnson had joined the cast of the film, with Carrie Cracknell directing from a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen, with Netflix set to distribute. [2] In May 2021, Henry Golding, Cosmo Jarvis, Suki Waterhouse, Richard E. Grant, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ben Bailey Smith, Izuka Hoyle, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and Nia Towle joined the cast of the film. [3] [4] In June 2021, Edward Bluemel, Lydia Rose Bewley, and Yolanda Kettle joined the cast of the film. [5]

Principal photography began in May 2021. [6] [7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 31% of 129 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Despite Dakota Johnson's best efforts, the chaotically anachronistic Persuasion fails to convince as a worthwhile Austen adaptation." [8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. [9]

Variety 's Peter Debruge found Carrie Cracknell to have "gone and done a strange thing with the book", by trying to "modernize it, borrowing heavily from Fleabag with its fourth-wall-breaking gimmicks", while "casting a free-spirited, fully liberated American star, Dakota Johnson, as Anne — all of which strips the novel of its core tension." [10] Christy Lemire from the Roger Ebert website found Dakota Johnson offering in the film "a taste of her under-appreciated comic timing", though she claims "it's impossible to care about whether Anne ends up with Frederick Wentworth because, as played by Cosmo Jarvis, he is so stiff and uncharismatic." [11] The Guardian's Stuart Heritage wrote that the "attempt to modernize the classic novel has led to a disaster of anachronistic dialogue and annoyingly wry glances at the camera," [12] while Vox critic Constance Grady found the film an "absolute disaster." [13] The Spectator went so far as to proclaim in its review that "everyone involved should be in prison." [14]

Vanity Fair cited Persuasion as a work that fails to utilize breaking the fourth wall successfully, writing that it "risk[s] structural damage" to itself due to breaking the fourth wall in an unnecessary and "narratively jarring" way. [15]

Related Research Articles

Louisa may refer to:

<i>Persuasion</i> (novel) 1818 novel by Jane Austen

Persuasion is the last novel completed by the English author Jane Austen. It was published on 20 December 1817, along with Northanger Abbey, six months after her death, although the title page is dated 1818.

<i>Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason</i> (novel) 1999 novel by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a 1999 novel by Helen Fielding, a sequel to her popular Bridget Jones' Diary. It chronicles Bridget Jones's adventures after she begins to suspect that her boyfriend, Mark Darcy, is falling for a rich young solicitor who works in the same firm as him, a woman called Rebecca. The comic novel follows the characteristic ups and downs of the self-proclaimed singleton's first real relationship in several years. It also involves many misunderstandings, a few work mishaps, and an adventure in Southeast Asia involving planted drugs and Madonna songs.

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Persuasion is a BBC Screen Two 1995 period drama film directed by Roger Michell and based on Jane Austen's 1817 novel of the same name. In her theatrical film debut, Amanda Root stars as protagonist Anne Elliot, while Ciarán Hinds plays her romantic interest, Captain Frederick Wentworth. The film is set in early 19th-century England, eight years after Anne was persuaded by others to reject Wentworth's proposal of marriage. Persuasion follows the two as they become reacquainted with each other while supporting characters threaten to interfere.

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Persuasion is a 2007 British television film adaptation of Jane Austen's 1817 novel Persuasion. It was directed by Adrian Shergold, and the screenplay was written by Simon Burke. Sally Hawkins stars as the protagonist Anne Elliot, while Rupert Penry-Jones plays Captain Frederick Wentworth. Eight years prior to the film's beginning, Anne was persuaded to reject Wentworth's proposal of marriage. Now 27 and unmarried, Anne re-encounters Wentworth, who has made his fortune in the Napoleonic Wars and is looking for a wife—anyone but Anne, whom he has not forgiven for rejecting him all those years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Elliot</span> Fictional character

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<i>Persuasion</i> (1971 TV series) 1971 British television drama series

Persuasion is a 1971 British television serial adaptation of the 1817 Jane Austen novel of the same name. It was produced by Granada Television for ITV and was directed by Howard Baker. The series stars Ann Firbank as Anne Elliott and Bryan Marshall as Captain Wentworth. It was originally aired in April and May 1971 in five episodes.

Jane Austen's (1775–1817) distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in 18th-century sentimental and Gothic novels. Austen extends her critique by highlighting social hypocrisy through irony; she often creates an ironic tone through free indirect speech in which the thoughts and words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator. The degree to which critics believe Austen's characters have psychological depth informs their views regarding her realism. While some scholars argue that Austen falls into a tradition of realism because of her finely executed portrayal of individual characters and her emphasis on "the everyday", others contend that her characters lack a depth of feeling compared with earlier works, and that this, combined with Austen's polemical tone, places her outside the realist tradition.

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Harrison Cosmo Krikoryan Jarvis is a British actor and singer-songwriter. He has starred in the films Lady Macbeth (2016), Calm with Horses (2019), and Persuasion (2022). In 2024, he portrayed John Blackthorne in the historical drama series Shōgun.

Persuasion is a 1960 British television mini-series adaptation of the 1817 Jane Austen novel of the same name. It was produced by the BBC and was directed by Campbell Logan. Daphne Slater stars as Anne Elliot, and Paul Daneman as Captain Frederick Wentworth. The mini-series has four episodes, each half an hour in length.

Frederick Wentworth (<i>Persuasion</i>) Fictional character

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Mia Sasha McKenna-Bruce is an English actress. She gained prominence through her role as Tee Taylor in Tracy Beaker Returns and The Dumping Ground. Her films include Persuasion and How to Have Sex. For the latter, she won a British Independent Film Award, the BAFTA Rising Star Award and was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress.

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References

  1. Anderson, Joe (July 14, 2021). "Wrapped". Instagram . Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  2. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 20, 2021). "Dakota Johnson Set To Star In Netflix & MRC Film's Jane Austen Update Persuasion". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 5, 2021). "Henry Golding Joins Dakota Johnson In Netflix & MRC Jane Austen Update Persuasion". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  4. Wiseman, Andreas (May 17, 2021). "Persuasion: Cosmo Jarvis To Star Opposite Dakota Johnson In Netflix & MRC Jane Austen Movie; Richard E. Grant, Suki Waterhouse, Nikki Amuka-Bird & More Join". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  5. Wiseman, Andreas (June 4, 2021). "Persuasion: Edward Bluemel, Lydia Rose Bewley & Yolande Kettle Join Netflix & MRC Jane Austen Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  6. "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - Persuasion". Variety Insight . Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  7. "Henry Golding was Excited to Play 'Period F--kboy' Mr. Elliot in 'Persuasion'". YouTube. May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  8. "Persuasion". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. "Persuasion". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  10. Debruge, Peter (July 15, 2022). "'Persuasion' Review: Dakota Johnson Makes an Odd Fit for a 'Fleabag'-Style Jane Austen Adaptation". Variety . Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  11. Lemire, Christy (July 15, 2022). "Persuasion". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  12. Heritage, Stuart (July 15, 2022). "Turning Persuasion into Jane Austen's Fleabag was a truly terrible idea". The Guardian . Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  13. Grady, Constance (July 15, 2022). "Netflix's Persuasion is an absolute disaster". Vox . Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  14. Ross, Deborah (July 16, 2022). "Everyone involved should be in prison: Netflix's Persuasion reviewed". The Spectator . Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  15. Walsh, Savannah (July 14, 2022). "Persuasion and the Risky Business of Breaking the Fourth Wall". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 11, 2022.