I really enjoy period movies; I really enjoy Jane Austen stories. It's hard for me to dislike anything that falls in these categories. I would not say that I did not enjoy this movie; Ciaran Hinds is wonderful, the Crofts are immensely lovable, I was amused by Sophie Thompson as the self-centered Mary Musgrove, I even liked to dislike Sir Elliott. But Amanda Root as Anne Elliott sometimes gets on my nerves, with her "poor me" expressions and her sad puppy eyes. It was too much; Jane Austen heroes - and heroines - are all about hiding true emotions in public in order to appear as composed as possible at any time. I had a really hard time to believe people would not have seen through Anne's displays of emotion. However, I must say that as I've watched the movie several times, I notice it less, and it doesn't get on my nerves as much anymore. But I have to say it's the one thing that stuck out for me on first viewing, and I found it very distracting, and hard to identify with her because of that.
Review of Persuasion
