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Jane Austen fans can't miss 'best adaptation' with Oscar-nominated star
Reach Daily Express | June 28, 2025 3:39 AM CST

A must-watch Jane Austen adaptation is currently available for streaming and is essential viewing for any self-respecting Janeite, reports Surrey Live.

The film has garnered praise from audiences for its interpretation of one of Austen's more subdued novels, compared to the more spirited Pride and Prejudice and Emma.

One viewer penned in their review: "Compels you slowly; before you realize [sic] it, you're caught up", further adding: "This current adaptation of Austen's mature novel is very endearing."

Another audience member defended the production on IMDb, stating: "Having read some of the earlier comments I felt I had to jump to the defence of this highly enjoyable production of Persuasion.

"Having seen the 1995 BBC adaptation I cannot deny that this adaptation was done in a somewhat different style, however that does not take away from the pleasure gained by watching this ITV production."

A glowing 10/10 review read: "I was swept up by this brilliant adaptation from second one, when a young woman looked straight at me with melancholic eyes in an extreme close up. I was engaged, I was on her side and watched, utterly spellbound, as her story unravelled.

"A clever script manages, with all the cuts and changes which are invariably part of all adaptations, to distill the spirit of Jane Austen's novel unerringly."

Yet another 10/10 review lauded the series: "I was very impatient to see this adaptation because I had seen adaptations of Jane Austen's Persuasion from 1971 and 1995.

"I had read this novel and I can say that it belongs to my favourite. I love this adaptation. It made me cry."

Enthusiasts have hailed: "This is the best adaptation of Persuasion I've ever seen."

ITV's 2007 retelling of Jane Austen's final work, Persuasion, cast a sombre perspective on unrequited passions and prospects of love rekindled. The novel, being her most succinct and published posthumously with Northanger Abbey in 1817, explores themes poignant and tender.

Sally Hawkins, an actress graced with an Oscar nod, brought to life the mature protagonist Anne Elliot, while Rupert Penry-Jones of Whitechapel fame infused vitality into the noble yet wounded Captain Frederick Wentworth.

The narrative opens with Anne ruing her dismissal of Captain Wentworth's proposal, swayed by a confidante's concerns about his meagre financial status back then.

Fast forward eight years from that piercing farewell, we see Anne, heartsick and incapable of moving on, thrown again into the company of Captain Wentworth under drastically altered circumstances.

Captain Wentworth re-enters the scene as a bachelor on the hunt for a bride - but with no inclination towards Anne, after she severed their engagement previously.

Joining Persuasion's cast are notables like Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame as Sir Walter Elliot, Alice Krige of Star Trek: First Contact as Lady Russell, Julia Davis from Gavin and Stacey playing Elizabeth Elliot, and Outlander's Tobias Menzies as the character of William Elliot.

The ensemble cast also features Michael Fenton Stevens as Mr. Shepherd, Mary Stockley as Mrs. Clay, Joseph Mawle as Captain Harry Harville, Finlay Robertson as Captain James Benwick, Nicholas Farrell as Mr. Musgrove, Stella Gonet as Mrs. Musgrove, Amanda Hale as Mary Musgrove, Sam Hazeldine as Charles Musgrove, and Jennifer Higham as Louisa Musgrove.

The 2007 rendition is often contrasted with the BBC's cherished 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, yet the noughties interpretation offers a fresh take with a more modern feel.

Despite Netflix's 2022 Persuasion adaptation featuring Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis and Henry Goulding not resonating with audiences, this 2007 interpretation of the tale remains a must-watch.

Persuasion (2007) is streaming on Prime Video now


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