persuasion

Nov 17 movie: Persuasion. I guess I'm on an Austen kick. This is a subtle, quiet movie, much less broad and funny than Pride and Prejudice. Which well suits the source material. Also my least favorite thing about the book -- its abbreviated length, due to Austen's declining health while she was writing it -- turns out to be an advantage in adapting it to a movie. Relatively few cuts had to be made to get it down to two hours. The two principle actors are wonderful, and I especially liked that Amanda Root blossoms so naturally that it's not clear whether her more attractive appearance by the end is due to makeup or just her own demeanor. But my favorite actor in this movie is Fiona Shaw (best known in the US as the evil aunt in the Harry Potter movies) as Mrs. Croft, Anne's mentor and future sister-in-law.