Truly, I had no intention of watching Persuasion last night. I had, moreover, elected to assiduously avoid it due to a flurry of poor reviews upon its release. But I found myself in the all-too-common predicament of having bugger-all to watch, and my supper of boiled beef and pickled parsnips was steadily growing cold. And so I took a chance.
What struck me at first was how very gorgeous Dakota Johnson, who portrayed Anne, was. I had never considered Anne Elliot to be a great beauty but thought she had so many redeeming qualities that she might possess an acquired appeal. Perhaps her resignation to spinsterhood put her more at ease with the opposite sex, but she was portrayed as a very confident woman in this adaptation and, interestingly, coyly sexy. I feel that I can live with the talking to camera and interspersal of modern dialogue, it must be entirely forgivable by dint of the fact that it is an adaptation. Why bother reproducing anything if it is merely a copy, it is much more diverting to redraw it with the artistic eye of the maker. I particularly took to Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Musgrove. Apart from that lovely face, her voice has a honeyed rasp as if just awoken from a nap in a downy four-poster bed. She exuded squandered privilege, youth and good health. But she was far from wearying; Mary was delicious and entertaining. Richard E. Grant, who by special edict (proclaimed by everyone in the British Isles, ever) must never play anyone but himself, played himself but oodled oiled selfishness and narcissism. Captain Wentworth, played by Harrison Cosmo Krikoryan Jarvis was, as his name suggests, very hot. Before I take up my embroidery and go back to my only entertainment of looking out the window, I would like to say that I enjoyed it. I know that I am tardy in offering my opinion and can offer no excuse other than I am quite, quite dead. Jane.
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