Убеждение: Экранизация романа Джейн Остин

Television film by Roger Michell

Persuasion is a BBC Screen Two 1995 period drama film directed by Roger Michell and based on Jane Austen's 1817 novel of the same name. In her theatrical film debut, Amanda Root stars as protagonist Anne Elliot, while Ciarán Hinds plays her romantic interest, Captain Frederick Wentworth. The film is set in early 19th century England, eight years after Anne was persuaded by others to reject Wentworth's proposal of marriage. Persuasion follows the two as they become reacquainted with each other while supporting characters threaten to interfere. The novel was adapted by Nick Dear, who considered the story more mature than Austen's other novels, characterising it as one of realism and truthfulness, particularly in telling the story of two people separated and then reunited. As Austen's style conveys Anne's thoughts internally, Dear and Root felt compelled to express the character's emotions using less dialogue. Director Roger Michell avoided what he felt was the polished, artificial feel of other 19th century depictions, and discouraged his actors from wearing make up or appearing too hygienic. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne produced clothing that appeared "lived in", which won her a BAFTA. Persuasion was shot in chronological order, allowing Root to portray more easily Anne's development from being downtrodden to happy and blossoming. It was filmed during a period of popularity for Austen's works. Originally the BBC was the sole production company of Persuasion until it partnered with the American WGBH Boston and the French Millesime. This gave the production a larger budget and allowed it to be filmed at locations featured in the novel, including Lyme Regis and Bath. Persuasion originally aired on 16 April 1995, when it was broadcast on BBC Two. Sony Pictures Classics released the film in American cinemas on 27 September 1995, as Austen's increasing popularity became apparent to Hollywood. Persuasions cinematic release attracted the attention of film critics, and it received generally positive reviews, with many praising Root's performance. Film scholars have observed significant changes from the source material, as well as class and gender themes.

The film opens by cross cutting between scenes of a Royal Navy ship carrying Admiral Croft, and a carriage carrying Mr. Shepherd and his widowed daughter Mrs. Clay to Kellynch Hall. Shepherd and Clay are accosted by creditors due to the debts owed by the Hall's owner, Sir Walter Elliot, while Croft discusses the end of the Napoleonic Wars with fellow officers of the navy. Sir Walter, a vain foppish baronet, is faced with financial ruin. Though he initially opposes the idea, he eventually agrees to move temporarily to Bath while the Hall is let; the idea came from Shepherd, family friend Lady Russell, and his second daughter, the intelligent Anne Elliot. Anne is visibly shaken upon learning that the new tenant of Kellynch Hall will be Admiral Croft, who is the brother in law of Captain Frederick Wentworth. Wentworth is the naval officer whom Anne was persuaded to reject in marriage eight years previously because of his uncertain prospects. Captain Wentworth has now become wealthy from taking prize ships in the Napoleonic Wars and has returned to England, presumably to find a wife. Later, Anne expresses to Lady Russell her unhappiness at her once wealthy family's current predicament, and at her past decision to reject the captain's marriage proposal. She visits her younger sister Mary, a hypochondriac who has married into a local gentry family, the Musgroves, and lives at nearby Uppercross near her in laws. Anne patiently listens to the various complaints made to her by the members of the Musgrove family about the others, including Mary, Mary's husband Charles, sisters in law Louisa and Henrietta, and mother in law Mrs. Musgrove. Captain Wentworth comes to stay with Admiral Croft and Mrs. Croft, and one evening dines at the great house at Uppercross. Anne, however, misses the dinner party, taking the responsibility of nursing Mary's injured son while Mary and Charles leave to attend the dinner. The following morning at breakfast, Anne and Mary are met briefly by Wentworth, the first time he and Anne have seen each other since she rejected him. Anne later hears that Wentworth thought her so altered that he “would not have known [her] again". An experienced theatre and television serial director, Roger Michell was chosen to direct Persuasion, in what was to be his first feature film. He described the work as an "erotic love story which is full of sexual yearning". The character was described to Root as "haggard", which attracted the actress. "I relish a job like this, starting off downtrodden and gradually blossoming", she said. The Irish actor Ciarán Hinds, who depicted Frederick Wentworth, commented that Austen "understands a man's heart and how delicate it can be sometimes". He also appreciated that, though Wentworth was a "competent leader of men in his profession", he was "socially inept" in Anne's presence. Susan Fleetwood, the actress who played Lady Russell, had also worked with Michell on The Buddha of Suburbia. She died soon after filming; Persuasion was her last film role.

[[File:Persuasion 1995 film scene. png|thumb|right|290px|Michell sought to avoid giving his film a polished, artificial feel, She said in a separate interview, "I wanted to make Anne Elliot a somewhat plain woman who was not really miserable but had found a way to be content somehow, and yet emotions are buzzing around her all the time". The film's costume design was overseen by Alexandra Byrne, who created clothing that appeared "lived in" and "realistic". Like Fleetwood, Byrne had also worked with Michell on The Buddha of Suburbia. During shooting, the crew often had to compete for costumes and props with the BBC production Pride and Prejudice, which was being filmed at the same time. Persuasions crew consequently had to send for replacement items from Italy and Australia. For her work in the film, Byrne won a BAFTA for Best Costume Design. Louise Watson, writing for Screenonline, felt the film's costume and make up help "convey the full Cinderella transformation of Austen's heroine. At first the undervalued family martyr, Anne is the wallflower who has lost her 'bloom'. Her loose fitting costumes hint at how she has pined away since refusing Wentworth As she regains her confidence, she blossoms; she dresses becomingly, her eyes sparkle and her features become animated". Paulette Richards argues that the film's "unreliable" male characters, such as Sir Walter, are identified as such by the flamboyant nature of their clothing. This flamboyance is especially clear to modern viewers, who live in a culture where "real men" are expected to care little for their clothing. Conversely, Wentworth is typically depicted in the film wearing naval uniforms, which is a contrast to Bryan Marshall's version of the character in the 1971 adaptation. This uniform helps set Wentworth apart from many of the other male characters, allowing him to appear romantic but isolated. Gina and Andrew MacDonald had a similar view of the film, writing that it accurately captures Austen's satire by juxtaposing the upper classes' extravagance in fashion with the virtuous qualities of the Royal Navy. The naval men's profession is emphasised by the frequency of wearing their uniforms, in contrast to other adaptations of the novel.

As a BBC production, Persuasion originally received a budget of £750,000. The British broadcaster proposed a collaboration with the American public television station WGBH Boston, a partnership that had also produced the American anthology television series Masterpiece Theatre as well as literary adaptations like the serial Pride and Prejudice. Rebecca Eaton, the executive producer of Masterpiece Theatre, approved the co production as she had a preference for Persuasion out of all Austen's novels. The decision led to additional funding. Eaton would cite Persuasion as a successful example of WGBH using its small budget to invest in television projects, though she later expressed regret that the adaptation was two hours rather than a "luscious" six part miniseries. Additionally, the French company Millesime co produced the film in exchange for airing it on television in France. This decision further increased funding to £1,000,000. Mobil Oil Corporation, a major sponsor of Masterpiece Theatre, co produced the film. The diverse sources of funding meant that the production team had to field opinions from various sources. Millesime was unhappy with certain aspects of the story, for instance wanting the entire Lyme sequence removed because they considered it "too boring". WGBH gave the BBC detailed notes, which were then integrated into the script. One change concerned the ending. To display the climax when Anne and Wentworth finally approach each other with their feelings, two different scenes were shot, one in which they kiss and one in which they do not. Dear first wrote a scene closely modelled after Austen's ending: Anne reunites with Wentworth on the streets of Bath, and the two exchange words and hold hands. Eaton felt that after hours of waiting, audiences "would go nuts with frustration and irritation" if the two did not kiss. Eaton also thought "a kiss would be an emotional pay off", The American ending is reflected on the international poster, which shows the two protagonists embracing. While the kiss attracted some criticism among fans, actress Amanda Root defended it. "After the great suspense of the story, by the end you're desperate for Anne and Captain Wentworth to get together, desperate! Film is a visual medium, after all. You don't necessarily want to see them in bed together, but you do want to see something like a kiss", she said. Dear desired the opening sequence be on board a Royal Navy ship of the period, but the only authentic vessel available was Nelson's HMS Victory. It was dry docked as part of a museum in Portsmouth, and filming was only possible during short periods when the vessel was closed to the public. The final shot, in which Anne and Wentworth gaze into the ocean, was taken from the 1984 historical film The Bounty. The film's low budget also resulted in one of the opening shots, depicting Admiral Croft's ship on the ocean, being taken from The Bounty.

While Dear has received praise for "remarkably retain[ing] most of the source novel's complex plot and numerous characters", Root described Anne as a "feminist in a prefeminist period" and a "strong, independent character", to whom modern viewers can relate despite the story's period setting. Near the end of filming, Rebecca Eaton noticed the growing "buzz" surrounding Austen and costume dramas in Hollywood. WGBH had never made a theatrical film before, but "decided to try its luck on the big screen". Sony Pictures Classics saw a cut of the adaptation and requested permission to show it in American cinemas, releasing it on 27 September 1995. There, it was characterised as an "art house" film, with a small niche audience. It was shown at the Toronto and Chicago International Film Festivals. Persuasion earned $56,000 in its first week of release in New York and grossed $150,000 in Los Angeles. The total US gross was $5,269,757. The film also was given a limited cinema release in Australia, Germany, and France in 1996. It was less financially successful than the popular Sense and Sensibility, which was released in cinemas several months later. The film was released in VHS format on 12 November 1996; a DVD version followed on 1 February 2000.