Persuasion Movies

Being obsessed with Persuasion, I have watched every Persuasion movie available.  My husband has earned a lot of points for sitting through all these with me.  Sometimes, he's enjoyed a good nap. Here are the movies in the order of my preference:

Don't be dissuaded by the cheesy DVD cover.  This 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is very faithful to the book.  It also contains great acting, costumes, and scenery.  The actors portray the characters just as I would imagine them.  I think it's funny that Ciaran Hinds, who plays the handsome Captain Wentworth, also plays Jane Eyre's Mr. Rochester, who is described as ugly. He may not be the most handsome Captain Wentworth, but he does a great job portraying his emotions.

This 2007 BBC version with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones departs from the book on many occasions.  Sometimes the departures worked for me, sometimes not.  Rupert Penry-Jones is a handsome Captain Wentworth, but he plays the part with a much cooler, more severe manner than I imagined from reading the book.  Sally Jones gets her emotions right, but I think her stylists could have made her look a little more attractive, especially toward the end.

As long as you can stand the older British production values, the 1971 BBC version starring Anne Firbank and Brian Marshall is a decent portrayal.  It is faithful to the plot.  In many ways it is superior to the 2007 BBC version.