Abby Davidson
If you have watched Netflix’s recent adaption of Persuasion and were left feeling underwhelmed, you are not alone. With a 32% Rotten Tomato score and one critic titling their review of the film as ‘Everyone involved should be in prison’, it would not be an overstatement to call the film a disaster.
Jane Austen’s classic, although admittedly one of her less known novels, is still loved by her fanbase who expect Austen film adaptions to live up to their expectations. But like many classic book adaptions, it just doesn’t work on screen. But why?
Jane Austen’s Persuasion
The simple problem with Persuasion is that it tries too hard. The Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge style character that the film’s protagonist Anne Elliot is turned into, comes across as forced and unnatural. I would even go as far as to say that the performance behaves as an act of unfaithfulness to Austen’s original character. The film’s modern references are received as being cringy and bring nothing additional to the storyline.
“lack of continuity…leaves viewers wondering if any of the production team even read Austen’s work”
The lack of continuity between the book and the film’s characters leaves viewers wondering if any of the production team even read Austen’s work. In the film, Anne is portrayed as a witty, confident, and outspoken woman who is presented as aesthetically beautiful. Austen’s Anne is a shy and withdrawn character with little interest in her physical appearance.
And then we come to Frederick Wentworth. Played by Cosmo Jarvis, this version of Wentworth is difficult to watch with his stiff movements and frankly uninteresting characteristics. Viewers have no motivation to support the couple’s reunion because they don’t understand why Anne would still be in love with such a man after eight years apart. The two characters produce little to no tension at all.
Changing Dialogue
The dialogue is what contributes to the film’s biggest downfall. Anyone who has picked up an Austen novel will know that Austen’s dialogue is what makes her writing so relatable. Of course, the film adaption decides to alter some of the very best of Austen’s writing and rewords some of the interchanges completely.
The worst offender is Anne’s line: “Now we’re strangers. No, worse than strangers. We’re exes.”
This is a poor rewrite of Austen’s quote: “Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.”
I think it is clear which of these lines is more effective and heartfelt than the other.
Anachronistic phrases such as “Because he is a ten. I never trust a ten” or “I’m single and thriving” add nothing to the film’s realisation and fail to pull the viewer into the world they attempted to create.
Other Failed Adaptions
Persuasion is not alone amongst classic books whose film adaptations failed to impress audiences. Another Austen adaption, based on the spinoff book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, received negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. Likewise, the three-part adaption of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson, took liberties with the text that received mixed reviews from audiences.
Other examples include the 1984 adaptation of Dune directed by David Lynch which he is said to have publicly disowned.
The 1995 film version of The Scarlett Letter added in so many additional scenes and action that it achieved a shockingly low score of 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film attempts to inject steaminess into the narrative but unintentionally leaves the audience laughing.
Oh, and let’s not forget Baz Luhrmann’s edition of The Great Gatsby which for all its visual splendour completely missed the heart of the classic novel on which it is based.
Trying Too Hard
“they often sacrifice the author’s intentions for flashy aesthetics, humour and sexualisation”
So, what is going so wrong with all these readers’ favourites once they hit the screen? The conclusion that I always reach is that they try too hard. They often sacrifice the author’s intentions for flashy aesthetics, humour and sexualisation.
These directors are understandably trying to make entertaining films which draw new and old audiences in, but when it comes to an adaptation of a well-loved classic filmmakers must be aware that audiences are coming into theatres with expectations and knowledge of their favourite novels.
There are of course adaptations which have been successful. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 retelling of Little Women received a glowing score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes with its faithful location settings, deep and emotive characterisation, and a world that the viewer can’t help but imagine themselves in.
The modern classic Atonement written by Ian McEwan enjoyed success in its cinematic version, loyally portraying the novel and creating real emotion.
These films pay attention to the nuances and tones of the novels they are based on. They use mis-en-scene, dramatisation, and dialogue until the films and the novel’s characters become synonymous in viewers’ minds.
Could Failed Adaptions Be Created Better?
To bring us back to where we began, could Persuasion have achieved what these films managed to?
The short answer is: not with the protagonists and production team that it had.
Audiences who know Austen’s text would not be convinced by Dakota Johnson belonging in a period drama, or so boring a Wentworth. Although some of the supporting cast like Mia McKenna-Bruce as Anne’s sister Mary and Henry Golding as the dashing Mr. William Elliot showed promise, they failed to make up for the downfalls of the scripting.
I do, however, believe that film adaptations hold some value. They can bring books and authors to new audiences, give fresh energy to a classic that has fallen into the shadows, and create a visual aid for people who struggle to read. However, nothing compares to the original.
So, the next time you watch an average-rated film adaption of a classic novel, please pick up the original paper copy and give it a read (or listen.). Don’t rely on a cinematic retelling to show you a story after it has already been perfectly told.
Featured image courtesy of Leah Kelly on Pexels. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Abby Davidson
Abby Davidson is a freelance journalist and content creator from Belfast, NI. She is currently a Deputy Editor of The Scoop at Queen's University Belfast.