Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
S4:E4 You Persuaded Us: Watching 3 Persuasion Adaptations
77 Plays1 month ago
Our Listener Submission theme wraps up with a story of longing, regret, second chances, and one of the most swoon-worthy letters in literary history. This week, we’re diving into Persuasion by Jane Austen, and comparing it to three very different adaptations—the 1995 TV movie, 2007 BBC TV movie, and 2022 Netflix movie.
Hosted by Crystal with co-hosts Keri and Lindsey.
Books & Adaptations Mentioned:
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Persuasion (1995 TV Movie)
- Persuasion (2007 TV Movie)
- Persuasion (2022 Netflix Series)
Listen on Libro.fm with Our Affiliate Link
Question of the Episode:
- Is there a character in this story you think was misrepresented by the narrative or deserved a little bit more grace, maybe due to the time or just the way he or she was portrayed?
Want to keep up with all things Based on a Book? Head to our Beacons page linked above for everything in one place!
- 💌 Contact us directly via email
- 📱 Follow us on all our socials
- 🎧 Catch our latest episodes on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms
- 📖 Submit a book-to-screen adaptation you want us to cover!
Intro/Outro Music - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!)
License code: U4DTEOAWJIPZ2ADH
Thanks for listening to Based on a Book—see you in the next chapter!
Chapters:
(00:00) Introductions
(02:10) Book Ratings
(07:05) Favorite Quotes
(14:45) Adaptation Introductions & Discussions (SPOILERS)
(48:20) Final Verdicts & Question of the Episode
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Host Insights
00:00:09
Speaker
Welcome to Based on a Book, the podcast that can listen no longer in silence. We must speak to you by such means as are within our reach. I'm your host, Crystal, and I'm treated with too much confidence by all parties.
00:00:24
Speaker
I'm Carrie, and this is my formal complaint to the literary world for using the exact same name across multiple characters in one book.
00:00:36
Speaker
And I'm Lindsay. And sometimes I have this dream that a giant octopus is sucking my face. And as I struggle to get free, I realize that my hands are tentacles and I can't push it off. And then I realize, of course, that I am the octopus and I'm sucking my own face.
Listener Suggestion: Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'
00:00:57
Speaker
We wrap up our listener submissions this month with one I've been stalling to read for a couple of decades. our listener i can't lindsey what the hell but okay wait nope nope i got that what the hell lindsey that is a direct quote from my movie Oh my God. Holy shit. Okay. Okay. who All right. Sorry. Sorry. So what movie was that you ask? Well, our listener, Ashley Hughes, found us on YouTube for our Pride and Prejudice episode. And she knew we needed to cover Jane Austen's Persuasion. So our last listener submission week.
00:01:38
Speaker
February. What month are we in? February. February. Is going to be Persuasion. Ashley says this is the one most people skip, myself included. But she says it's totally worth the read and the watch. When I saw it on our list of submissions, I knew it was time to tackle it.
Exploring 'Persuasion': Themes and Comparisons
00:01:56
Speaker
Persuasion is Jane Austen's last completed novel and was published six months after her death. It is a mature romance set in the early nineteenth century and centered around 27-year-old Ann Elliot as she navigates her family, society, and the possibility of a second chance at love.
00:02:16
Speaker
But before we dive too deeply into the details, let's talk about our experiences reading the book. Carrie has had a lot of good luck with classics lately, so let's start there, Carrie. What did you think? What worked? What didn't work for you besides names? And how did you rate the book?
00:02:36
Speaker
Oh no. Oh no. no Oh man. Okay. I mean...
00:02:51
Speaker
We're just coming off. I will. Me personally. I'm just coming off my Wuthering Heights high. Okay. and I had such an excellent time with that read because it was just so dramatic and so wild.
00:03:08
Speaker
And even Pride and Prejudice was the same. It was the drama. It was the team. yeah but Yeah. And it was a wild ride. And this is just so tame compared to that.
00:03:20
Speaker
And honestly, I'm going to be honest, not a lot going on here, in my personal opinion. Because I know this is a very loved story, so I'm going to be careful on that. But...
00:03:33
Speaker
My personal experience, reading experience, I'm giving it two and a half pining lovers. This one just did not work for me. I just found it a little too slow, a little too boring. Not a lot going on. I did listen to the audiobook narrated by Cynthia Erivo. Really, really good audiobook. I love that audiobook.
00:03:56
Speaker
But I don't know, just like not a lot going on. And like I said, just came off that Wuthering Heights High ti where there's just so much going on, such a roller coaster. Yeah. That, I don't know, this one just didn't hit as well for me. I'm sad about it.
00:04:12
Speaker
That's fair. Lindsay, what did you think? Did anything stand out? And what is your rating?
Austen's Adaptability and Quotability
00:04:18
Speaker
honestly I feel like I was more invested in Austin's personal life and knowing what her backstory to this story was, what she was going through, the stress and the tension of getting Persuasion written while she's sick.
00:04:36
Speaker
And then the actual story of Persuasion just didn't match that for me. And it's not a bad story. It's just that... I wish there was more backstory on why Anne was so in love with Wentworth and I wanted to see more chemistry between them.
00:04:56
Speaker
But I also get that Jane Austen doesn't necessarily write romance novels. She wrote novels about manners and satire and the center is love and marriage. But anyway, with that being said, I also gave this two and a half proposals. Yeah.
00:05:16
Speaker
So, you know, i struggled with my writing too. I love Austen's other works so much, but I didn't get the excitement of the love story like we do with her other books. i didn't We didn't see that yearning. We didn't see the drama.
00:05:34
Speaker
and like I saw bits and pieces of her other novels in this one and that kind of would get me excited but then it would be so tame. like carrie's like Tame is really a good word for it.
00:05:48
Speaker
But I also kind of realized as I was getting closer to the end that this is more realistic when we're dealing with a more mature set of characters.
00:06:01
Speaker
These characters did not have time or patience for drama in their life like their younger counterparts would have. And so there wasn't going to be quite as much drama.
00:06:14
Speaker
ah Having said that, I found it a little bit easier to relate to these characters at this point in my life. So when I stopped comparing it to her other works and I started looking it as more of a cozy romance than a dramatic romance, I realized I kind of liked it.
00:06:33
Speaker
So I give this one four long walks and I am super glad that Ashley recommended this and gave me that push I needed to finally read it.
00:06:44
Speaker
So that's how I feel about that. Good. I'm happy that you liked it. It's I just had to stop comparing it to her other works that yeah really I had to just stop doing that. That's not that's not fair.
00:06:58
Speaker
Yeah. But we did discuss a bit about Jane Austen in our Pride and Prejudice episode. So this time I wanted to talk more about why her works are so adaptable.
00:07:10
Speaker
um Personally, i think it's because she's so quotable. Whether it's her wit, her humor, or pure savagery, Jane Austen had a way with words that has the world repeating her over and over. So I asked Lindsay and Carrie to bring some of their favorite... quotes from Persuasion this time.
00:07:30
Speaker
Carrie's ready. She's got some flags. Me too. i got my flags. But I wanted to start with Lindsay because Lindsay has a tendency to not really love the cozy books as much as I do. And so I thought it would be really interesting to see what literary fun she found in this one. What were some of your favorite quotes, Lindsay?
00:07:48
Speaker
ah Before I get into my quotes, I do want to say that I've learned something now that I've read two Jane Austen novels.
Favorite Quotes and Character Insights
00:07:57
Speaker
ah One of my favorite aspects in her writing is that the seducers are exposed rather than redeemed. So like Wickham in Pride and Prejudice and now we have Mr. Elliot in Persuasion. i know what I'm looking for now.
00:08:11
Speaker
Okay. yeah You know what the foreshadowing you need to look for now. Exactly. i like that. Nice. As far as quotes go, I do have two. Okay.
00:08:22
Speaker
The first one is about Anne. And introducing her character. And it's... ah but anne with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding was nobody with either father or sister her word had no weight her convenience was always the giveway she was only anne I love that.
00:08:51
Speaker
Honestly, it's, you know, it's kind of crappy at that point in the book because we're learning that her family doesn't really care. But also there's a sense of freedom there that like she can be whoever she wants to be because nobody's paying any attention. Nobody cares.
00:09:06
Speaker
And honestly, and and like, that's like right after reading in my version, I have like a little introduction and kind of talking about how there's an assumption made that Anne is very much like herself, like Jane Austen.
00:09:26
Speaker
And I think that's really interesting if that's how she personally sees herself. Right. Right. My second quote is about Richard, which was... is that Charles's brother?
00:09:44
Speaker
He's a Musgrove. Yes. Okay. There were too many names. I agree. Yeah. Gotta get the family tree out. Right. So this quote was... He had, in fact, though his sisters were now doing all they could for him by calling him Poor Richard, been nothing better than a thick-headed, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, living or dead.
00:10:14
Speaker
Yep. I have that one marked too. That's such a burn. Savage. Absolutely. It's a classical burn. classical It's It's so amazing. That's so Jane Austen. I love it. Yeah.
00:10:28
Speaker
What did you have for us, Carrie? Mine are like more towards the romantic side because you know me. That makes sense, You know I'm going to because this is like You know, I'm naturally going to look at like the romance part of it. Like I can't help that. And so I'm looking at it. like the second chance, like romance, because that is something that's going on in the story. And that's like my all time favorite, like this, like almost unrequited love that she has for someone because and they don't like her because of something that happened in the past. Yeah.
00:11:06
Speaker
And these quotes in here that are breaking my heart. Yeah. Because like of how unfeeling he is towards her and how that's quoted.
00:11:20
Speaker
and it like hurts me. Like there's one that says, and did not wish for more of such looks and speeches, his cold politeness, his ceremonious grace were worse than anything.
00:11:32
Speaker
And that like, kills me. Like, that hurts me. Because it's like, I know exactly the way that that it's written is so beautiful. And it's like, I know exactly what this means. And i know this exact feeling. Yeah. Another one kind of like related to that, almost like the opposite of it, like the whole time she's feeling, you know, that he's so angry. It's the opposite of it.
00:11:56
Speaker
Where she's like in the carriage where he puts her in the carriage when they're walking. where she owed it to like his perception of her fatigue. He could not forgive her, but he could not be unfeeling though condemning her for the past and considering it with high and unjust resentment, though perfectly careless of her and though becoming attached to another, still he could not see her suffer without the desire of giving her relief.
00:12:26
Speaker
then That hurts me. yeahp And then the letter. i mean, obviously. The letter. the entire letter. Yeah. yeah I'm not going to read it because you should just read it yourself. You should just read it.
00:12:38
Speaker
I have so many. So many. But I tried to pick ones I didn't think you guys would pick. So one of my favorites is when Captain Wentworth is in the carriage with his sister and she's accused, of miss Mrs. Croft, and she's kind of basically saying, are you ready to be set up?
00:12:58
Speaker
And he says, yes, here I am, Sophia, quite ready to make a foolish match. Anybody between 15 and 30 may have me for asking. A little beauty and a few smiles and a few compliments to the Navy. And I am a lost man.
00:13:11
Speaker
And I feel like honestly like the joy and the comfort in the simple and him being able to break it down and just be like let's keep it simple I just want someone who's gonna love me for me and I'm not gonna be real picky about it I thought that was kind of nice ah there's one towards the end where um they had been to visit the Musgraves and all the kids are home and Mrs. Russell says, I hope I shall remember in the future, ah said Lady Russell, not to call at Uppercross and the Christmas holidays.
00:13:47
Speaker
um But then Jane Austen writes, everybody has their taste in noises as well as in other matters. And sounds are quite obnoxious or most distressing by their sort rather than their quantity.
00:14:00
Speaker
And like, okay, over-stimmed queen, I see you. know We've all been there. A whole house full of screaming children is joyous to some people and not so much to others.
00:14:13
Speaker
Not so much to others. And then one last one. Oh, no, where'd I put it? Okay. Anne is asked to play the piano. Okay. Anne offers her services as you usual. And though her eyes would sometimes fill with tears as she sat at the instrument, she was extremely glad to be employed and desired nothing in return, but to be unobserved.
00:14:37
Speaker
I felt that. Yeah, I feel that. I felt that. Absolutely. She just, Jane Austen just has a way with words. So I'm glad we got to, to share some of our favorites, ah but let's talk about what we watched.
00:14:51
Speaker
Most or much like most of Jane Austen's works, Persuasion has been adapted to movies, miniseries, theater productions, and even a radio program.
Adaptations of 'Persuasion': A Comparative Analysis
00:15:01
Speaker
Ashley suggested we watch either the 1995 or the 2007 BBC film, but there's three of us and we never do anything by halves, so we couldn't just stop there.
00:15:13
Speaker
I watched the 1995 film originally made for television, but ultimately released in theaters in the U S by Sony pictures. It stars Amanda Root as an Elliot and Kieran Hines as Captain Wentworth. Carrie, what did you watch?
00:15:29
Speaker
I watched the 2007 BBC movie adaptation starring a or hello Sally not allie sally sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth.
00:15:45
Speaker
And because we couldn't stop with just two, Lindsay, what extra one did you throw at us? For my adaptation. scared. I'm scared. I watched the 2022 Netflix Persuasion starring Dakota Johnson.
00:16:02
Speaker
Okay. I cannot wait to talk about this. I'm pumped. This version takes a very modern approach to Jane Austen's story. And yeah it breaks the fourth wall pretty often. Mine breaks the fourth wall.
00:16:20
Speaker
Mine does not, thank God. Okay. Well, spoiler warning, we're going to dive into the heart and soul of this book and these adaptations, comparing characters, storylines, plot points, and more. If you have not read this book or watched any of these, please consider stopping here and coming back later. But if you have read or watched them, jump in the carriage. We'll make room.
00:16:41
Speaker
My movie opens with a montage of scenes around Admiral Croft and the Elliott family as they're learning their debts are too much to ignore any longer and Admiral Croft retires from the Navy.
00:16:52
Speaker
Carrie, how did yours start? Mine is kind of the same as the book, but Anne feels like she is more responsible of things going on in the Elliot family where she's kind of like taking over arrangements as they're leaving Kellynch Hall. Okay.
00:17:14
Speaker
Let's How about yours? Feels pretty similar. Your... I'm scared. I'm scared now. you can't wait to talk about it. All right. All right. Woodsy, how did yours start? Mine begins with an Anne and Wentworth. We get their backstory.
00:17:31
Speaker
They're sitting together in a meadow and Anne's narrating why they can't be together. And yeah, I'm but Okay. It's kind of short. You know, you just kind of get they were engaged and other parties did not approve due to him not being wealthy and his status and all that. So the engagement ends.
00:17:59
Speaker
And then you get into the story.
00:18:04
Speaker
um Interesting. And day drinking. Okay. Okay. five hundred I've heard very, I've never watched it, but I've heard very interesting reviews about that adaptation. And whenever I was researching background information about the one that I watched, and everyone couldn't stop talking about that one.
00:18:32
Speaker
I actually have two quotes from it. We did favorite quotes from the book. I have two quotes from the movie that I thought you guys would really like. Okay, I want to hear. Are they appropriate here? Do we want to hold them off and tell storylines?
00:18:44
Speaker
They're appropriate. Okay, okay, tell us. up So the first quote is, it's often said, if you're a five in London, you're a ten in Bath. Well... hu
00:18:59
Speaker
Okay. The other one, this is Anne speaking directly to the camera. She says, now we're strangers.
00:19:09
Speaker
Worse than strangers, we're exes. No. ah Okay. No. Okay, so I love that you're saying about the camera thing because in my adaptation- There's this entire thing where she looks directly at the camera.
00:19:30
Speaker
Like... And the way that it's filmed, like... It's like people... It's like someone is running with a camera, you know, like, and it's like supposed to be feeling like we're in the perspective of a person in the group with them kind of thing, if that makes sense. Okay. And it was making me feel like I was in the office, in the show, the office, where she kept looking at the camera. And I was like, I got nothing to do with this. Okay. Don't be looking at me.
00:20:01
Speaker
I didn't do this. I'm not a part of this. And she just like stares at the camera directly in your eyes, like blaming you for her being so miserable and sad about her situation.
00:20:15
Speaker
And I was like, I remember people talking about how they didn't like that about the Dakota Johnson app adaptation. I'm like, I wonder if they are playing off of how the 2007 one did. I mean, it's not as it honestly, in my opinion, I think it gives it an interesting like, I'm being funny, but it there were moments where it gave it like a creative like edge almost. Okay, they weren't doing it a lot to be funny. They were doing it to where you got to see like different emotions, but it kind of scared me sometimes where she would just be like randomly look at the camera. and It freaked me out. now
00:20:53
Speaker
and That's okay. Crystal, yours didn't do that, did it? No, no. Mine is really faithful. Really faithful. I'm not going to say that it's amazing, but it's really faithful to the book. And and I like that. Yeah.
00:21:11
Speaker
So let's talk about our characters. Was anyone left out? or Was anyone added? Obviously in carries, I guess the viewer is added. Yeah, I'm added as a character. Yeah, there you go.
00:21:25
Speaker
yeah was Do you think it was well cast? Oh, yeah, definitely. Like, honestly, the ah Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry Jones, they brought so much angst and emotion to this story.
00:21:46
Speaker
Like, I can't even express, like, the feeling. Like, it was making me want to throw up. Like, you know when you read, like, a second chance romance, there's, like, misunderstandings. And, like, obviously in the story, he is pursuing other people. And she is miserable. And you can see it. she's being pursued. and Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:10
Speaker
Yeah, and it's like making you ill and they push that really hard in this and it's really, really good and they do such a great job. This is Rupert Penry Jones's very first period drama um and he said it's very different where you have to hold in your emotions. and have to show strain physically, like in your face and everything. It was kind reminding me of Colin Firth and his Pride and Prejudice adaptation where there's like a lot of like longing looks and I'm thinking like that's what you got to do in these period dramas. Like that is where the angst is because, you know, they can't just like meet and talk completely unfiltered with each other. you know what I mean? Right. Like you have you have these longing looks all the time or like these small moments with each other and they do so well with that.
00:23:01
Speaker
I had Giles from Buffy as Sir Walter Elliot. He came on the screen and I was like, that's Giles.
00:23:12
Speaker
Nice. And then i had an evil villain in my adaptation that I didn't ask for. wet that play Mr. Elliot. And it was Tobias Menzies.
00:23:24
Speaker
Oh no. And if you don't know who Tobias Menzies is, he plays the most evil villain ever to come to my screen, which is from the Outlander series. who play He plays Jonathan Randall, the most evil villain I've ever seen in my life. He pops up on my screen in this adaptation. i screamed out loud. Oh.
00:23:49
Speaker
I screamed at the top of my lungs. i was like, absolutely not. No, get this man off my screen. He's typecasted for me. i don't want to see his face. That's fair. Lindsay, did you have anybody that was left out, added, or just horribly cast?
00:24:06
Speaker
That's more fun to talk about. a villain? No, I mean, i everyone and was there, surprisingly. um i will say Richard E. Grant, who plays Sir Walter Elliot, fantastic.
00:24:20
Speaker
Amazing. He does a great job. It's funny, I actually kept reading something about Dakota Johnson being cast as Anne. Everyone kept saying that she didn't look right in this movie because she looks like someone who knows what an iPhone is. And now I can't get it out of my head. Oh no. I was going to ask like how you felt Dakota Johnson did as Anne.
00:24:45
Speaker
I mean, she was fine, I guess. She's not horrible. She just looks like someone who knows what an iPhone is. It's like she could take an iPhone out of her pocket at any moment.
00:24:56
Speaker
Yeah. Like, it's not feeling like it's set in, like, a period drama. That and the clothing. the The costume choices, they were all over the place.
00:25:07
Speaker
Yeah. It was it was weird. Yeah. I think mine was pretty true. Nobody was really left out. uh poor richard was left out but he's not really in the book he's dead in the book they just refer to him but the storyline was left out like completely they didn't even bring him up so i don't know why but i was just like they didn't because honestly it's because of the line it's because of the quote that i kept waiting for someone to say that but it never happened
00:25:40
Speaker
But i I don't think anybody was poorly cast. This was played very British-y. Everybody was really dry. There was not a lot of emoting going on.
00:25:56
Speaker
And so, you know, this came out ah right around that same time that the BBC Pride and Prejudice did, right around the same time that Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility did. There was like this Austin mania going on in the mid 90s.
00:26:11
Speaker
And so kind of knowing those... This one, like, i understand why... but again it's really, really true to the book, but it is so almost underacted in some places and super overacted in others. Like, um Elizabeth is outright cruel to Anne.
00:26:36
Speaker
You know, in the book, she's kind of ditzy and just dismisses Anne, but I don't think it's outright cruelty. she is cruel and mean to her and malicious towards Anne in, in the, in this one.
00:26:50
Speaker
And to me, like super pretentious, not just like into looks and trying to like, you know, make sure they're making the best of society's rules and all the etiquette that they have to do.
00:27:02
Speaker
You know, in fact, in the book, she's mentioned as like well-bred and well-mannered. And in the, in the movie, she was very, not she was like that in mine too like beyond snobby to just outright spoiled bitchy you know what i mean i forgot there is a character added in mine ooh who a pet rabbit ann has a pet rabbit okay oh that's interesting i wonder what the thought process behind that is to give her a more millennial vibe
00:27:42
Speaker
I guess. Oh, man. so what about our settings? Did like Kellitch Hall, Upper Cross Hall, Lime, Bath, did those kind of look and feel like you expected them to?
00:27:53
Speaker
um For my adaptation, 100%. Mine was stunning. Absolutely stunning. There is a scene of them in Lime and they're actually at the location.
00:28:09
Speaker
oh my gosh, the location has left my brain. But where the water is just like hitting them as they're like acting out this part. Oh, it's called the Cobb, I think, in Lyme. Oh, yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah, the Cobb. And the water is just hitting them as they're like acting out this scene, which is not really in the book necessarily. It's between
00:28:36
Speaker
Wentworth and I forget who else he's talking to, but he's basically saying that he's thinking that he has to marry...
00:28:45
Speaker
Louise... louise via Yeah, has to marry her. And he's freaking out about it because he's thinking that he has to marry her because he's been spending so much time with her. and he might have given her the wrong impression. Exactly. yeah But he's like being like, I guess I got to do that. And he's having this conversation. And they just have this water like going on top of them and like spraying them because they're actually at that ah location um in Lyme. And it's like absolutely stunning.
00:29:12
Speaker
And it's insane. i'm like, how are they doing this right now? Right. Like, how are they acting with each other on this sketchy little side path while this water's just spraying them?
00:29:26
Speaker
It's insane. And it's just beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. Yeah, I think mine was really well done. Kellitch Hall and Upper Cross Hall looked amazing. The cottage that Mary lives in with Charles before they go up to the big house that is Upper Cross Hall is very cottagey but beautiful and picturesque.
00:29:48
Speaker
In Lime, it's amazing. As they're walking through Lime, a lot of the bath scenes were actually filmed in Bath. So it was...
00:29:59
Speaker
It was pretty awesome. um I love seeing these visuals, though, because they always talk about like in a lot of Jane Austen's works where they walk or they take a carriage or and in my mind, I can't necessarily picture how far we're talking.
00:30:11
Speaker
And so seeing some of these like wide angle shots and stuff really kind of helped me to picture that a little bit better. Lindsay, I'm scared what you're going to say about yours.
00:30:22
Speaker
Did they look like what you thought? They were fine. They were fine. They really didn't focus a lot on setting. You didn't get the... I mean, you got some wide shots, especially when they're walking.
00:30:42
Speaker
There's a lot of walking. Yeah. But as far as actual settings, you get a lot of up-close-tight shots of Dakota Johnson, but not so much of the room or the house or wherever they are. Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:57
Speaker
Okay. Anything significantly changed in any of our storylines? I think not necessarily like a big change, but something that I love that we get to see in my adaptation is, you know, the part where she like hurts herself as like they're walking and he tells her to go ride in the carriage to go home. The quote that i just read earlier, basically that scene.
00:31:27
Speaker
In my adaptation, there's like a swoon worthy scene where he like notices that she's hurt and she's like kind of limping as they're walking around right and walking back. And they come. It's his sister, right?
00:31:46
Speaker
and they come and see them and he like whispers to them to like take her home and so or take her back and she walks over like kind of limping and they have not spoken like they haven't said a word to each other at this point in the adaptation I believe in the book that they may have said like a few exchanged a few words with each other because like her sister's kids were like jumping on her or something and he like helped her Yeah.
00:32:15
Speaker
But that's not in my adaptation. But he goes over at that scene to the carriage and lifts her up and puts her in the carriage. And literally was like, i i had the same in mind. And so much so that I went back to the book to read it because I was like, I don't think it was quite like that in the book, was it?
00:32:38
Speaker
And without saying a word, he turned to her and quietly obliged her to be assisted into the carriage. And then the next line is, yes, he had done it. She was in the carriage and felt that he had placed her there.
00:32:52
Speaker
So i don't know that he lifted her. Like, I think yeah it was more of a hand on the back, like... Yeah. Assisted her. Right. But she felt that he had placed her there. yeah That his will and his hands had done it, that she owed it to his perception of her fatigue and his resolution to give her rest. I wanted to rewind it back and watch it eight more times. I'll probably go watch that scene when we're done with this like two more times. Because I lily was like, Oh, my gosh. And you know, it's like, during these like period dramas, like, there's not I mean, unless you're watching that 2009 Wuthering Heights, I just watched. But there's not like any spicy scenes in here. So like literally like when someone's showing an ankle or somebody's like touching pinky fingers, we're all screaming at the top of our lungs. So he literally picks her up by the waist and puts her in there. And I'm like, oh, my God.
00:33:46
Speaker
So I can't breathe. That's how I felt. but So in my adaptation. Oh, Lord.
00:33:55
Speaker
Before that happens, before she hurts her foot and gets in the carriage, Wentworth and Louisa are speaking to one another. anne in the book, Anne is just sitting down and there's some shrubbery or something behind her. And she overhears them talking about her in the movie.
00:34:17
Speaker
They're off speaking to one another. And she just happens to be walking by and popping a squat to use the bathroom next to a tree. And overhears them talking about her.
00:34:30
Speaker
oh my gosh. Are they like turning it into like a comedy or something? Yes. 1000%. Oh my gosh. That sucks. Like mine literally, like she...
00:34:44
Speaker
The way that they had Anne, like, sobbing, like, she's like, all right, I got the first look with each other. Like, she's, like, freaking out about seeing him for the first time. She's like, I got the first look over with. Like, finally, i can, like, go about my day. And, like, then he starts, you know...
00:35:01
Speaker
she has to have dinner and he starts talking about the possibility of, you know, meeting someone, which, okay. I don't know if you guys remember this quote, but it was also in my adaptation where he's like, maybe someone between 15 and 30, What? Yeah. Kept That's one of the ones that I read because don't get me wrong.
00:35:24
Speaker
That's weird, dude. Come on. But also like, it's, It just, it's like, um it's just like a man to be like, I'll take whatever. yeah like Between 15 and 30. I'm like, hello. Hello. We're not marrying children. Cause he's, I think like 29 at this point. Yeah. He's like in his 30s. I think he's close to 30 cause he had met her seven years ago.
00:35:53
Speaker
yeah And she was a teenager and he had just taken his commission with the Navy. So I was like, oh, no, you don't get to be with a 15 year old. Yeah. don't care what year it is that was wrong then. like, okay, Wickham. Okay, Wickham.
00:36:08
Speaker
Right. And so he, so after that scene, like she's like, realizing what he's gonna do and also he kind of goes a little in on her he's like i really want someone that makes decisions for herself he's like eyeballing her down the table makes decisions for herself and doesn't have other people like telling her what to do he was definitely like digging yeah you know and she goes throwing daggers yeah and in my adaptation she goes to her room and she's like sobbing
00:36:40
Speaker
And then she looks up at the camera at me. Like I did. it I didn't do anything. didn't do shit. I'm not involved. but This scene in my movie made me very uncomfortable.
00:36:52
Speaker
Oh my gosh. I gotta hear this. So they're, they're seated at opposite ends of the table and Anne's being super awkward. I don't know.
00:37:04
Speaker
Perfect. Go to goda Johnson. Right. Exactly. But in the book, It's mentioned to Wentworth, not by Anne, it's mentioned to Wentworth that Charles, Mary's husband, initially proposed to Anne. Right.
00:37:23
Speaker
So in my movie, in this scene, no one's speaking to Anne, but she just decides to bring up, did you all know that originally Charles was interested in me before he was interested in Mary? i was like, no. No.
00:37:39
Speaker
No, Anne would never.
00:37:43
Speaker
would never seek to be the center of attention like that, ever. And like doing it to make him like jealous or something. She would never do that in her life.
00:37:55
Speaker
I will say. his personal friend. Right. Would never do that. Never. i will say in my adaptation, you know how like everybody tells her about Mary and like, can you please talk to Mary about this? Or I wish Mary wouldn't do that. And then Mary says to her, will you tell my husband this? Or will you tell, you know, Mrs. Musgrove this? You know, and she like, so there's this back and forth.
00:38:22
Speaker
And it is so well done in my adaptation because you get the snippets of each person telling her this and then Mary sitting with the next person and them telling her something else. And you can see her just getting drained and drained and drained and drained. And then towards the like end of that little montage, she's just kind of like sitting on a love seat, obviously just like taking a deep breath, like what the hell? And Charles comes and sits down kind of next to her, not close, but next to And he just kind of like flops into this love seat. And he looks over at her and she looks over at him and they just kind of nod, you know, like this camaraderie there.
00:38:59
Speaker
And then, of course, we find out that. he had proposed to her first so that's later on that's we find that out like later on in my adaptation honestly when reading that in the book i was shocked i was like oh my gosh especially because she like helps take care of like their kids and like does so much for their kids all the time and um is he's like so and he's so tight with his family yeah his sisters Yeah, I feel like he also kind of almost has like a good connection with her, too. Right. In the book.
00:39:35
Speaker
yeah They have more in common, almost. So, what about our endings? Did yours end the same as the book? Was there anything different or weird?
00:39:47
Speaker
Carrie?
00:39:50
Speaker
Okay, so mine ends... Like, the... The ending is mostly like the same, like the same kind of outcome, but it's like more dramatic.
00:40:07
Speaker
There's a scene that a lot of people don't like that's at the end of mine where she reads the letter from him. you you know the famous letter that's in this book? She's reading the letter from him and goes to run to find him. Like she's running for three business days. Right. trying to find him and it's like and you know we're from the office right we're like in the the show so we're like really like running with a camera with her so i'm just like i'm getting dizzy you know and so her friend
00:40:46
Speaker
Mrs. Smith like comes up to her and that's when she like reveals all these things about ah Mr. Elliot and like says all these things to her about all like the thing bad things about Mr. Elliot. Because he does like come... Wentworth comes to her and confronts her about rumors that she is possibly going to get married to Mr. Elliot he's going to propose and she denies it. She's like, no, those rumors are not true. Yeah.
00:41:13
Speaker
And then he writes that letter to her and she reads it. And then we're going on a marathon run to go find him. And she gets to a location that she assumes that he's at.
00:41:25
Speaker
And then that I forget who she talks to, but they're like, no, he went to go find you. So she runs all the way back to her house and So we're back on the run again.
00:41:38
Speaker
and we're like with the camera, like jumping around, running with her. Like we're on a jog with the camera. And like for so long, I'm like, why is this? Why is this happening? Why is this going on? And then she runs up to all we can see is Charles.
00:41:56
Speaker
her brother-in-law like talking to someone and she's just staring at that other person and Charles is like talking their ears off and she's not even listening to him but she's just staring at the other person so we know that's Wentworth and they're just staring at each other and then he eventually walks away and then they like confess everything to each other and they share a little kiss And then it goes on to where it like skips ahead where we assume that they're married and he's surprising her with like this giant house.
00:42:28
Speaker
And they're like dancing to having a little dance on the lawn in front of the house. Okay. Okay. That's a little happily ever after. Mine and, like, the letter and then her, like, feeling ill and wanting to go home right afterwards because she's faint or whatever, that's all very true in mine.
00:42:50
Speaker
And then she finds him and they kind of share a moment and they kiss. Which I was like, oh! But then... we see like they go to the card party that they were all invited to that night. And she goes and she like sees her, you know, like says, you know, hello to her sister who's already playing and hello to her father who's already playing.
00:43:13
Speaker
And then Mr. Elliot, the young one has like says, come sit with me. And he's like, are you going to give me an answer? And she was like, to what? And he's like to, you know, keep my name forever or whatever.
00:43:25
Speaker
And then like Captain Wentworth comes barging into the room and makes this announcement. and And somebody was like, what game are you going to play? And he was like, I am here to make my intentions known to marry your daughter. and Like it was this loud announcement in the room. Kind of like, oh, okay.
00:43:43
Speaker
But then flash forward, they do have their happy ever after, but we see Anne and him on a Navy vessel going out to sea together and she's standing up at the helm with him okay right off into the sunset i guess interesting okay i saved yours for last because i feel like it's probably the weirdest that's a little out there oh no i'm gonna i'm gonna put a little backstory in there too um so we have some context so mr elliott
00:44:16
Speaker
He makes his appearance and he's talking to Anne about why he has come back. And there's Mrs. Clay, who is really good friends with Sir Elliot.
00:44:32
Speaker
Right. They're not going to marry. They're just friends. So Mr. Elliot makes the comment that he's come back to make sure they do not get married and produce another heir so he doesn't lose his fortune.
00:44:45
Speaker
He tells Anne this. I was like, wait he tells Anne this? He tells Anne this. Okay. She's okay with it. She's fine with it. He actually does propose to Anne. It's not rumors or anything. And I did forget there's actually no Mrs. Smith in my adaptation. She's not there. Okay.
00:45:05
Speaker
So he does propose to Anne. She doesn't necessarily accept it or anything, But there's a card party, there's the letter from Wentworth, and she runs out to go find him.
00:45:18
Speaker
And when she runs out of the party, she runs into Mr. Elliot and Mrs. Clay making out. So that resolves that issue. ah Hello. Yeah.
00:45:32
Speaker
Okay. So then she runs and finds Wentworth, and the movie ends the same way it began. They're cuddling in a meadow in the middle of nowhere. The end.
00:45:43
Speaker
The end. Okay. know what I've seen about your adaptation, Lindsay? Is I've seen people laughing about the scene when Louisa jumps off when she just walks into the air. Yes. I've seen people talking about that.
00:46:01
Speaker
Yeah. How was that scene? It was pretty funny. It was pretty funny. So they're all together. They were walking and they go to walk down some stairs and Wentworth is in front of Louisa. Well, I should say even before that, the gentleman who ends up marrying Louisa, what was his name? I can't remember.
00:46:25
Speaker
Oh, Benwick. Benwick. Yes. Yeah. bennick So Benwick is coming down the stairs and Anne is behind him. And when she gets down to the last few steps, he turns and holds her hand and helps her down. Wentworth is behind them and Louisa is behind him. As they're coming down, he doesn't turn around to help her or anything. He says, oh, watch your step.
00:46:47
Speaker
And Louisa's like, catch me. And she jumps from like the bottom two steps and And he catches her and they're laughing or whatever. So then he sets her down and she runs back up the steps and she gets to the top and she goes, that was just a test.
00:47:02
Speaker
Now really catch me. And he's like, no, no, I don't think I'm going to do that. And she just jumps. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. Hits the ground.
00:47:12
Speaker
Obviously he does not catch her. know Yeah. That part was shocking in the book for me. I thought she was dead. i was like, oh what? A death?
00:47:23
Speaker
But then she didn't die. it could happen. Something that's actually really interesting about adaptation. This is switching gears. But for with my adaptation, I saw a lot of information about the costumes for mine for the 2007 BBC one is that there's a lot of where...
00:47:51
Speaker
like Anne is like wearing a dress and it's the same dress that's worn in the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation. like There's a lot of reusing of costumes amongst a lot of BBC period dramas and pieces and stuff. that makes sense that stuff is expensive yeah and it's like people track it online and they show all the different costumes that are used amongst different adaptations that's awesome and i think that's really neat that is cool isn so what's our final verdict friends book or movie carrie
00:48:30
Speaker
I gotta go movie. ah That movie was very good. i really liked it it. Mostly because it just brought a lot more emotion for me. The actors did such a great job doing that.
00:48:44
Speaker
Lindsay? i have to go book.
00:48:50
Speaker
That movie was just weird. And you gave that book a 2.5. And I gave that movie a 2. Oh my. Oh my gosh.
00:49:03
Speaker
Well, I'm going to say book, not because the movie was bad, but because I feel like I got a little bit more, a little bit more depth to the book. The movie was really spot on though. It was, it was really spot on. um But I still enjoyed the book a little bit better. Yeah.
00:49:19
Speaker
um But that brings us to our question of the episode that I'm actually really excited to talk about.
Character Grace and Discussion Conclusion
00:49:25
Speaker
Is there a character in this story you think was misrepresented by the narrative or deserved a little bit more grace, maybe due to the time or just the way she was portrayed or he was portrayed? Start with you, Carrie.
00:49:40
Speaker
I honestly like I was really thinking about this question. And it was really hard. And I could honestly just keep thinking about... I mean, this is probably feels like a too obvious answer. But I really feel like Anne deserved more grace from Wentworth.
00:50:02
Speaker
And because, like... During this time... Pull out the book. I'll tell you exactly when. But carry on. Yeah. Like, during this time...
00:50:15
Speaker
For a woman, marriage is like everything. Like, marriage is like your, I mean, I hate to say it, but it's like practically your job. Like, that's like what you do.
00:50:30
Speaker
to move forward in society, unfortunately, at this time. So like how how you pick it and what you do is very essential. Of course, you want to marry for love. And you know Lady Russell being in her ear about it and telling her and, quote, persuading. I mean, take a shot every time persuaded was in this my god book.
00:50:54
Speaker
Right. But we we'd be dead. But it's just like, I feel like she deserved, of course you want to marry for love, but I think she deserved a little more grace from him. The fact that she had to choose against it.
00:51:09
Speaker
Because of people that were important to her telling her to not go in that route because it's not as easy as it is for a man. No. And he used the words in the letter.
00:51:22
Speaker
Unjust I may have been. Weak and resentful I have been. But never inconstant. Okay. Weak and resentful. that's not those That's not how you show someone love. don't hold. brazil So no. A little grace, Mr. Captain Wentworth, whoever the hell you are.
00:51:38
Speaker
Yeah, i I really felt that way. Like, I just was like, you're in such a tough spot and that decision is essential. and so And Lady Russell literally thought he was like a dead man, basically. Like he was going to go off to die.
00:51:55
Speaker
Especially in this time when literally a woman has no other... option for her life. You know what I mean? Like you marry for what you plan your life to be, right? and If you marry poorly, the rest of your life is poorly. It's not like you get to go out and find your own job and your own work and you know, make your own living. You don't get to go invest, you know, your money in whatever. That's not an option for her.
00:52:24
Speaker
So she has to weigh the risks of marriage. Yeah. So I feel like she deserved more grace for sure.
00:52:35
Speaker
Lindsay, was there anybody in the book you felt like needed a little bit, a little bit more love, a little bit bit more understanding? Maybe I misinterpreted it. I don't know for sure.
00:52:49
Speaker
I'm going to say Mrs. Clay. Because I feel like people just need to get out of her business. If she wants to remarry, she can remarry. If she doesn't want leave her alone. Let her do her thing. Especially in my adaptation. the The way she was portrayed in my adaptation, they made her thirsty.
00:53:08
Speaker
They made her kind of a ditz in mine. Like an innocent ditz, though. She was literally just like, hey, I'm a widow. I'd like to remarry. And this guy's got decent money and seems nice. So there's nothing wrong with that.
00:53:22
Speaker
In mine, she just followed Giles around everywhere. That's it. So my answer to this one is probably controversial because honestly, it's not a lovable character, but I think Mary deserved more grace. She was the second choice to her husband and everyone knows it.
00:53:42
Speaker
Everyone talks about it. She's the youngest daughter. Her oldest sister is the like perfect child and nobody really cared about her. you know, she literally came in second to her middle sister, and,
00:53:58
Speaker
So here she is, you know, the second choice, the forgotten one. Of course, she's going to be kind of trying to get attention wherever she can and making scenes wherever she can, because it's the only way anybody ever pays any attention to her. Mm hmm. there were a couple of times when she was talking about, like, why, because I'm the mother, do I have to take care of this child and go without when the father is off having a good time? what You know, like she brought up some solid points that as a mom was like, no, kind of get that. Like, I get that we're supposed to think that you're bitchy right now, but I see you, Mary, you know?
00:54:34
Speaker
mean, don't get me wrong. She was really annoying. Yeah. But also, i can kind of see why. so I'm trying really hard to see past it right now. It's like legitimately she was the worst. But also, what else does she have going on?
00:54:51
Speaker
What else does she have going on? I think it's because I really like Anne's character so much. So... Well, you can also tell that Mary loved Anne more than Elizabeth. Like Mary wanted Anne around.
00:55:07
Speaker
She took advantage of Anne being around. was going to say, I mean, also because Anne would do anything that she said. True. But also Anne was trying to get out of a lot of stuff and using that as an excuse. Mary asked me to do this, so I'm going to that for Mary.
00:55:20
Speaker
So they were they were working each other over in that one. Yeah. But I think marrying deserved a little bit. I think, I think Jane Austen did marry dirty, honestly. Maybe she was thinking of someone when she was writing it.
00:55:34
Speaker
Probably. But that wraps up our conversation on persuasion for this episode. But you can join us on our socials for more discussion. You'll find our link to our Beacons page in the show notes. Also on our Beacons page is a submission form. If there is a title you want us to cover, we would love to hear about it. Again, thank you so much, Ashley, for suggesting persuasion. it was a real treat.
00:56:02
Speaker
Join us next week. Oh, as we tackle Frankenstein, which I'm excited about. But we're going to begin a month of March Madness where we will watch and compare 12.
00:56:18
Speaker
twelve Yes, 12 Frankenstein adaptations. A full dozen. we will narrow it down to the best one. So you definitely want to come along for the ride.
00:56:31
Speaker
But until then, we will be half agony together. Have hope until we see you on the next chapter ah Based on a Book. Bye.
00:56:41
Speaker
Bye.