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Jane Austen's `Persuasion' tops her `Sense and Sensibility'

By Neal C. Carruth
Daily Arts Writer

Last year was dubbed by some as the comeback year in film for a most un-Californian personality: English novelist Jane Austen. First, there was the engaging, but ultimately unsatisfying "Clueless," which writer-director Amy Heckerling purports to be based on Austen's "Emma." Then, the fall saw the release of "Sense and Sensibility" and "Persuasion." Sadly, "Persuasion" was eclipsed by the bloated and overrated "Sense and Sensibility." And despite their common source, the two films represent two quite different approaches to Austen. Hopefully, this week's release of "Persuasion" on video will allow this subtle and moving film to reach a wider audience.

Characteristic of Austen's novels, the plot of "Persuasion" concerns the social maneuvers and posturings of the English bourgeois in the early nineteenth century. The story involves the Elliots, a proud but melancholy family that is in financial decline. To stay afloat, they lease their ancestral home, Kellynch Hall, to a retired admiral (John Woodvine) and his wife (Fiona Shaw). The Elliots move to another, less ostentatious home, where the aging and unmarried Elliot daughters are under the supervision of the manipulative Lady Russell (Susan Fleetwood).

The second Elliot daughter, Anne (Amanda Root) is the central protagonist of "Persuasion," and the film effectively charts her course from a meek would-be spinster to a self-assertive woman. The intricacies of the social web of the film are uncovered with grace and restraint, revealing that eight years before, Anne was engaged to Captain Wentworth (Cioran Hinds), the brother of the admiral's wife. She was persuaded by the meddlesome Lady Russell to abandon her hopes because of Wentworth's low status as a mere sailor.

Wentworth enters Anne's life once again because of his sister's residence in Kellynch Hall. Anne finds him utterly transformed after eight years. Not only has he quickly ascended the ranks, but he has made a small fortune. Wentworth is now a weathered gentleman of distinction and it is the Elliots who are slipping in social stature. It is at this point that "Persuasion" is most compelling. Anne must hold back her undiminished feelings for Wentworth because of the social restraints placed on them. And Wentworth must reconcile his powerful love for Anne with his bruised pride, after being rebuked eight years before.

While the agile social commentary of Jane Austen is probably not everybody's cup of tea, "Persuasion" does have many virtues. First among them is its departure from the usual codes and formulas of costume drama and period pieces. Director Roger Michell was insistent upon maintaining a low-key production style that does not overemphasize the sets or costumes, but rather makes them appear natural in their artificiality. The production design never intrudes upon the characters in "Persuasion." It only amplifies the rather constricted and suffocated nature of their emotions.

Also in Michell's favor is his careful, intimate and unobtrusive camera work. This is in marked contrast to the showy, tempestuous direction of Ang Lee in "Sense and Sensibility," which bespeaks the Brontes, not Jane Austen. Michell gives us sedate, naturally-lit interiors that merely allow the actors to do their work. Further, he is adept in his use of close-ups, which allow us to read the dynamic play of emotions across a character's face. Root, in particular, with her sad mouth and plaintive eyes, has the perfect face for projecting conflicted emotional content.

Michell shouldn't get all the credit, of course. A stunning array of actors, largely unknown to American audiences, was assembled for "Persuasion." Amanda Root, making her film debut, is incredible as Anne Elliot. As suggested before, I don't think I've seen an actress in recent times who can convey more without uttering a word. This is interesting in light of Root's background on the stage, a medium, that doesn't allow one to rely on facial expression of interior states. Root gives us a sense of true character development, which is engrossing and very moving.

Cioran Hinds is enjoyable as the rugged Captain Wentworth. What is perceived, at first, as arrogance is instantly transformed into deep and abiding hurt when we learn of the aborted engagement. Hinds does a commendable job of holding these possibilities in check and presenting a multifarious, complex character. Also of note is Susan Fleetword's performance as the prim and self-interested Lady Russell. She is the perfect emblem of the duplicity of the age.

"Persuasion" was one of the best films of 1995. Its clarity of expression and careful construction are rarely in evidence in contemporary film. We are given an unperfected landscape, populated by characters that have richness and immediacy. Forget about the Hollywood fluffball "Sense and Sensibility." If you are genuinely interested in the spirit of Jane Austen's work (and not just the flustered, stuttering Hugh Grant), then give "Persuasion" a try.

In addition to "Persuasion," other films available on video this week are the film noir "Devil in a Blue Dress," Jodie Foster's family drama "Home for the Holidays," the virtually real "Strange Days" and Disney's animated "Balto."