Netflix’s Persuasion | A Review

Hello, fellow campaigners of the writing world! A. F. Kopp here, and I have gotten around to watching Netflix’s infamous adaption of Persuasion. To preface, I came in expecting it to be nothing like it, so I was actually able to enjoy it since I set my expectations rather low.

THE ACTORS/CHARACTERS

Right off the bat, I have to mention the main character Anne Elliot. I mean, everyone’s been griping about her personality change. I, unfortunately, have yet to read the book, but I watched an older adaption a couple of times to see that Anne is reserved, selfless, and… quiet. Everything that this Netflix adaption Anne is not. They did flesh her out as calm and collected which helped develop the plot, but her character is very different than what was expected.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of her acting, sometimes it fell flat. But sometimes, she really aced it, especially near the end of the film. I could also whine about the wine addiction, but I’ll just move on.

PRODUCTION

Right off the bat, I want to say this: If you watch the movie as if it isn’t Persuasion, the film actually has its golden moments. If you say that “this movie is a fantasy regency comedy” then this works. It’s completely turned the original feeling of Persuasion (from what I gather, more of a drama than a comedy) into something it’s not and sometimes that’s okay–if you advertise it as such. Sometimes, movies are very different than the books and can be good (How To Train Your Dragon is a prime example, except that in that case, the film is BETTER than the book). For Persuasion 2022, it’s just different.

This is also the case with the 2019 Litte Women. I love this adaptation because it’s a breath of fresh air and tells it in a new way. Do I love the other adaptations? Yes! I think you should at least read the book or watch the older adaptions before watching the 2019 one due to the flashbacks (I love those parts because of the artistry in parallelism and cinematography they used).

Regarding Persuasion 2022, I like to think of it as a spin-off/parody rather than an adaptation. They hit all the right plot points (maybe adding a few scenes of their own along the way), and also put some cool symbolism occasionally.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY

The clothing… For most people, it was actually pretty accurate, BUT WHY DOES THE MAIN CHARACTER ALWAYS STRAY FROM THE NORMS OF THE PERIOD? To be edgy? To be cool? Well, it isn’t. I don’t want a heroine from a regency film to look like a middle-aged CEO. They gave her almost blouse-like shirts (which didn’t really become a trend until maybe a hundred years later in the Edwardian period). Why the collars? And if they dropped the collars, it looks like she is wearing some early-2000s shirt-dress.

Then there is the hair. Why. The. Hair. Down. In almost every historical film, I am about have a stroke because of the hair being down. Like, that’s a big NO-NO. And her bangs annoy me. Like, no one had bangs like that. And if they did, they would’ve curled it. And the way they did her makeup was too modern. She seriously looks like she is straight out of our time.