Persuasion (1995, dir. Roger Michell)
Wow. Wowowow. What a pleasant surprise! This quiet little slow burn between a greyrocking queen and her chiselled-jawed Don Draper of the seas is the cutest shit I've seen in a long while.
One thing I kept thinking about, was that Anne Elliot may not have lots of "main character energy", but in many ways she is the most archetypal "hero of the story" there is: she expresses herself not through words, but through actions, and without her, the whole circus would momentarily grind to a halt. The way she is perceived just goes to show how much value society puts on... A woman's work.
Another thing that caught my eye about this movie is the way that it's shot. The people of strict and just taste who taught me to be a *french accent on* movie buff were always adamant about film being a medium of visual storytelling. This is not theatre (with cameras), this is not radio play (with visuals), this is not photography (with movement). This is (or has to be) its' own medium/art form with its' own means of expression. But in the world of Netflix algorithms, showrunners, attention capitalism, and, consequently, viewers with burnt out and overwhelmed attention spans, nobody shoots like this anymoreš I don't know how best to explain, but here are two examples from the screencaps I've made: while that title card image with a flock of sheep being herded persuaded may be too on the nose for some, the image of Anne standing behind that dark window grill that looks and feels like a barbed wire fence around a prison leaves a lasting emotional effect.
And overall actually the cinematography is very good here, very William Turner-esque.
I love it when someone new finds the gem that is the 1995 Persuasion.
Same. Itās literal perfection.
