Persuasion: Dakota Johnson salvages a film that disguises itself as an Austen adaptation.- Firstpost
Persuasion, Jane Austen’s final novel is touted to be her most mature work, about a female protagonist, Anne Elliot, who is far more complex, desolate and perceptive than her previous heroines. The Netflix adaptation of the same, stars Dakota Johnson, in the lead role, and it won’t be an exaggeration to say, that Johnson with her unassuming charm, and a lovely smile, manages to salvage this 1 hour, 50 minutes long film that decides to disguise itself, as an Austen adaptation when in reality, it is anything but that.
Given the wide and engaging body of work that Austen has produced, it is a fact well-known that it’s an endless reservoir for material for film adaptations. Right from elementary translation of the dialogue from parchment to celluloid, to an imagination of the broader plot in a modern set up, Austen permits both. Evidence lies in the success of both the Alicia Silverstone starrer Clueless which was a contemporary adaptation of Emma, as well as the Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson starrer Sense & Sensibility, a straightforward book-to-screen adaption of the novel of the same name.
However, what Carrie Cracknell’s Persuasion gets wrong is that it attempts to do both, and thereby does neither well. It is neither a faithful and authentic adaptation, nor a snazzy modern reinterpretation. From the looks of it, the movie is a rather straightforward and simple attempt to adapt the somber novel, with empire-waistline gowns, and an adequate British accent, but within a minute or two into the film, you’ll see the contortions come up. There are smirks, eye rolls, and sarcastic statements made to the camera by Johnson, as an attempt to break the fourth wall, and make an Austen adaptation look Fleabag- esque. This is where Persuasion falters terribly — the desire to switch between wry humor and some good old romance and drama, seems to be misguided and messy, therefore making the treatment look cluttered.
If that wasn’t enough, then the misplaced anachronisms, makes it nearly excruciating for one to consume the film without feeling a tad bit betrayed. Now, I am not saying anachronisms are a bad thing, in fact it is one of my favorite devices to use, but it is the unwarranted use of it in this particular film that makes it irksome. For instance, Anne describes Wentworth, the man she loves and yearns for as her ex, and in another scene altogether, we have a woman telling us how if you’re a five in London, then you’ll be a ten in Bath. It is this absurd, out of place, usage of anachronism that gets in the way of the film.
In the not-so distant past, many period dramas have utilized anachronistic tones to spruce up a story. One of the finest examples would perhaps be Dickinson, which is as the name suggests a story on Emily Dickinson. The series has Emily living in the 19th century, throwing a bullshit, here or there, when she is riled up by the confines surrounding her. It is extremely clever, and makes you think how anachronism can contextualize the past to the present, in an interesting manner. However, Persuasion does far from that, and instead dilutes and diverges from its source material in equal measure.
The novel is known for how it’s more despondent and melancholic than any of Austen’s previous works, but the movie is devoid of any sadness, because despite the effort, there’s little connection between the audience and the characters of the film. The disconnect, even with shattering of the fourth wall, and in fact especially because of that, looms large over the rest of the film, and fails to strike an attachment with the viewers.
Persuasion, the film has this recurring habit of attempting to sass- ify its source material, almost as if it is embarrassed of it, and I get where it comes from, but somewhere the film loses objectivity, in its desperation to make it more exciting and audacious. It’s like retelling a classic to an audience that has never known or heard of Austen before, and underestimating them to not get a gentler and soberer attempt. It’s basically, Jane Austen for a Bridgerton and Bridget-Jones Diary watching audience.
Takshi Mehta is a freelance journalist and writer. She firmly believes that we are what we stand up for, and thus you’ll always find her wielding a pen.
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Originally published at https://www.firstpost.com on July 18, 2022.
