“Persuasion” stars Dakota Johnson. Nick Wall/Netflix Netflix’s “Persuasion” is a Jane Austen adaptation starring Dakota Johnson as Anne. The film has a few interesting details you might have missed and differences from the novel.
Anne doesn’t have a rabbit in the book, and Sir Walter’s servants don’t actually groom him. None of the servants pampering Anne’s father are actually doing anything. The powder never touches him.
NetflixAnne describes her father, Sir Walter Elliot, as extremely vain — and viewers immediately see that’s true. The first time he’s shown on screen, he’s being pampered by multiple servants in front of a mirror, but the people around him aren’t actually doing anything. The servant holding scissors never cuts Sir Walter’s hair and the one applying powder never touches his face, but Sir Walter is too busy admiring his reflection to notice.
Sir Walter only reads about other noble families. This fits with his image. NetflixAnne’s family is introduced through Sir Walter reading from a baronetage, a book that lists Britain’s noble families.
This is described as his favorite book in the novel, and is one of two things Sir Walter reads on screen. The other is the social page of a newspaper, which mentions a member of high society. Sir Walter only reading information about noble families contrasts with Anne’s reading taste, which instead includes poetry and mythology.
Anne’s rabbit companion is not mentioned in the books. Rabbits aren’t mentioned in the Jane Austen novel. NetflixAnne has her pet rabbit with her throughout the film, but this furry companion doesn’t exist in the Austen novel.
In fact, the novel doesn’t mention rabbits at all. The news from Anne’s clippings is told directly to her later. Anne has a collection of articles about Wentworth.
NetflixAnne keeps a box of news clippings about Wentworth’s career, which is the only way she’s managed to keep up with his life during the years they’ve been apart. One of the articles states that Wentworth rescued a beached whale — Louisa also tells Anne about this bit of news during a later scene. Anne’s bedroom mural highlights the differences in her and her father’s tastes.
Anne’s room (left) has more color than the rest of her home. NetflixThere are multiple murals painted on the walls of Kellynch Hall, but the one in Sir Walter’s office is quite different from the one in Anne’s room. Sir Walter’s office mural shows a classic, drab painting style modeled after paintings that would have been considered high-class art at the time.
Anne’s bedroom instead has a brightly colored mural with animals and flowers. The difference between the two art styles highlights Sir Walter’s obsession with appearance and class and Anne’s interest in the world around her. Anne references a famous Greek legend when talking to Captain Harville.
The legend is pretty dark. NetflixCaptain Harville mentions to Anne that Captain Benwick enjoys reading Greek poetry. Anne responds with a joke about coming home from Troy to find another man in his bed.
The comment is a reference to Agamemnon, the star of a particularly brutal Greek play filled with revenge and murder. Anne and Wentworth wear matching colors throughout the movie. They’re often wearing outfits in the same color family.
NetflixAnne wears blue dresses throughout most of the movie, and Wentworth typically wears something blue in the scenes she’s in as well. Even when Louisa is pursuing Wentworth, his clothes often continue to match Anne’s blue dresses rather than anything Louisa is shown in. The decision to have Wentworth and Anne’s clothing match consistently might foreshadow their eventual reconciliation.
Captain Benwick and Anne quote a poet who’s referenced multiple times in Austen’s book. Captain Benwick recites a poet that’s mentioned in the book this movie is based on. NetflixDuring their first dinner together, Captain Benwick is reading a book of poems that he and Anne recite a section from.
The lines they quote are from Lord Byron’s “The Giaour,” which is quoted in Austen’s “Persuasion” novel as well. This is actually one of several Byron references found in the book, which also quotes a line from his poem “The Corsair. ” Mary is often dressed in white, except during the wedding at the end.
White is sometimes used to symbolize innocence. NetflixMary is constantly shown in white dresses throughout the film, except during Mrs. Clay’s and Mr.
Elliot’s wedding. The decision to regularly keep her in white helps to highlight her role as the youngest sibling — white is often used to symbolize innocence. Being dressed in such a pale color may also be a conscious choice on Mary’s part, to keep her looking more subdued than her sisters to try to convince them that she’s as ill as she claims.
Anne seems to prefer red wine — she rarely drinks white in the movie. Anne is seen with a bottle of red throughout the movie. NetflixWhen Mary asks how Anne would suggest dancing to Beethoven, Anne replies she’d do so alone “with a bottle of red.
“Plus Anne is almost exclusively shown drinking red wine throughout the movie. The few times she’s seen with white are during large gatherings or dinners. Mary only complains about her “illnesses” in front of her family.
Mary doesn’t seem to be sick around nobility. NetflixMary’s family is shown to be very aware that she overexaggerates how poorly she feels to force the others to keep her company or do things for her. Although Mary does this frequently, she doesn’t complain about any fake illnesses when she’s in front of people she wants to impress.
The entire time she dines with the captains and visits the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple, Mary’s too focused on appearances to continue feigning sickness. Kellynch Hall and Uppercross have some similarly groomed gardens. Both gardens are well-maintained, which shows wealth.
NetflixAnne’s home at Kellynch Hall has a large garden with distinctly shaped hedges and a fountain. The garden at Mary’s home, Uppercross, has a similar, funky style of hedges as well. Both homes having shrubs arranged in such a way highlights the wealth of both estates, as these styles would require frequent upkeep from gardeners.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/persuasion-movie-details-you-missed-netflix-2022-7
