Kevin Standlee: Fandom Is My Way of Life

I was scrolling for knitting shows the other night, and saw the 2007 version of Persuasion, which is perfect, so I watched that. Then I remembered that my roommate had always insisted that the 1995 version was vastly superior, so I watched that. Then I made Nenya watch the 2007 one. Then I reread the book (alternating reading and the Juliet Stevenson audiobook). Then I wondered if anyone had written an AU where Anne marries Mr. Elliot, which someone had! It is, all in all, my favourite Jane Austen story, so just kind of rolling around in it for the last week has been really nice.

Persuasion (2007)
This is the one with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, which was that generation's attempt to adapt Jane Austen to Appeal to the Youth! I have no idea if it appeals to the youth, but its honestly always been my favourite version, aside from a few quibbles.

Both the leads are perfect. I know Penry-Jones is probably too pretty, but he's also very pretty, so I can't complain, and he sells being impulsive and set in his ways so you can see why he's 50% of the idiots in love brigade. Sally Hawkins is selling quiet misery, occasionally broken by being one of the few people with her head on straight. It's great. It's also really fun to get Tony Head as Sir Walter, Alice Krige as Lady Russel, and Tobias Menzies as Mr. Elliot.

I also really like the soundtrack, which sells a relentless, almost oppressive, urgency of forlorn hope.

It's only 92 minutes, so chop chop chop to get through it, which mostly works. What they cut generally makes sense, and the story holds together as its own thing. Is throwing in a sub plot where Anne thinks Wentworth is engaged to Louisa gilding the lily? Probably! But I very much enjoy the extra angst, so no complaints here.

My three quibbles are: 1) It's part of the '00s War on Colour. Why is Anne's shawl the only visible colour in almost every scene? What did colour ever do to ITV? 2) I'm not sure Medic!Anne was needed to show that she's the only one who can handle a crisis, naval officers included. 3) WHY DID THEY CUT THE LETTER WRITING SCENE!? OMG! It's the most iconic scene in the book, and they cut it.


Persuasion (1995)
I'm sorry, roommate I had fifteen years ago, this version isn't actually the best one :(

For some reason, I thought this one was much longer, but it's actually only 105 minutes. However, that's enough time to include more scenes from the book, which shows off the Crofts' marriage being the best, how much Wentworth basically moved in to Uppercross, and we get the letter writing scene at the end. We also get a bit more Mr. Elliot, to show off why Anne was even vaguely interested him when he doesn't look like Tobias Menzies. Colour is also allowed! Yay! Colour!

This version is hilariously invested in the Royal Navy aspect, so everyone wears their uniforms at all times, which... IDK if accurate? It also includes scenes from a HMS Bounty movie. They want all the boats! Which I can live with. I like boats.

I'm not as hot on the casting though. Amanda Root is luminous, and a lot more interior as Anne, which I appreciated. Nenya thought she looked too '90s (maybe makeup?), but I didn't notice. Both Lady Russell and Mrs. Croft did look off puttingly '90s though. I said, "They have faces that have seen a smartphone, which is impressive in a show made before they had smartphones!" I did like Corin Redgrave as Sir Walter. But Wentworth. Oh, man. I really hate to say this, because I adore Ciarán Hinds, and he's very beautiful when he's sad, but I think he was terribly miscast. He's fifteen years too old for the role, off the bat, which makes such a difference because it makes so much less sense that he's 50% of the idiots in love brigade. And he has too much gravitas; I just don't buy him as having that mix of inexperience and intensity that makes Wentworth make all his bad decisions.

Anyway, got some good points, didn't really come off for me? I wish I could graft the missing scenes and some colour into the 2007 one, which would then be perfect.

Incidentally: they both have an added scene where Wentworth shows up to ask if Anne's going to want the house back, pretending to be asking for his sister, when he really wants to double check if she's marrying Mr. Elliot. I assume one copied from the other? Is there some alternate version of the book? What is happening?


Persuasion (1817)
Still great! Absolutely platonic ideal of mutual pining. Also very funny, and incredibly economic pacing and style.

I do wonder, though, if Austen had more time to edit it, if she'd have smoothed out some of the second half. There's never any real danger that Anne is going to marry Mr. Elliot, because she never really trusts him, which makes needing a full chapter to explain why he's The Worst feel a bit out of left field?


I was then toying with the idea of a fic wherein Mr. Elliot had somehow gotten Anne to marry him, because more pining! Why not!? I went see if there was one, and found this absolute gem:

Murder by Mischance by Seldarius
Fandom: Persuasion by Jane Austen (Anne/Frederick)
Word Count: 28,000
Rating: Teen
Summary: Mr Elliot, through some minor scheming, has secured himself Anne Elliot’s hand in marriage. Unfortunately ‘death do us part’ comes around much faster than anticipated, in the form of a dagger swiftly separating him from his life. His Majesty’s Coroner Mr Edmund Simpson investigates the foul murder and quickly finds that most people in Bath prefer Mr Elliot dead to alive. But who did them all the favour in bringing it about? The not-so-bereaved widow? The dashing and very angry rival? The jealous sister? Or someone else entirely with a motive yet to be uncovered?
Notes: This is very funny, and grabs the absolute chaos of the novel, where you need a chart to figure out who everyone is and how they're related. It's also got an enjoyable outsider PoV some very nice angry pining from both Wentworth and Anne. Not sure why minor Discworld crossover, but Sure! Why not!? It's tagged with a major archive warning for rape, which refers to an off-page sexual assault. There's a sequel which I haven't read.

May not completely scratch the itch, but probably enough that I don't need to write another version of basically that plot.

Any adaptations I missed? I'd be happy to continue to splash around in the feels.