Persuasion Tonight!

I see that PBS is airing the new BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's PERSUASION tonight. We caught this one earlier, too.

First, I'd rate this adaptation as acceptable, if not outstanding, with bonus of a really good-looking, if somewhat youthful Captain Wentworth. Daughter suggested they just follow Captain Wentworth around with a camera and call it a show.

There were a couple of "Hey, I know you!" moments -- Giles from Buffy (aka Anthony Head) plays Sir Walter Elliot. Great job, too. And I knew I knew Lady Russell from somewhere and then Daughter said, "Star Trek?" EGAD - it's the Borg Queen! That's a bit freaky.

However, they moved plot things around a bit much for our taste, and I had a lot of trouble with the ending. Overall, too, Anne was way too weepy for me. Not to mention the dowdiness of her dresses. I know, I know, Anne is no fashion plate, but these seemed really awful. I should think that if Anne had to have plain, cheap fabrics, at least she'd have a dressmaker and not be making them herself. Have you seen what some of those folks on Project Runway can do with cheap materials? I found her clothes distracting, and that's not good.

So in conclusion, I found this adaptation not quite as good as Northanger Abbey, which is, I think, a more TV-friendly story, and not nearly as bad as Mansfield Park. For my money, though, the best adaptation of Persuasion remains the one with Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth.