--- title: "Persuasion" year: 1995 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/persuasion" fi1m_id: "persuasion" imdb_id: "tt0114117" tmdb_id: 17015 wikidata_id: "Q919025" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-10-07T12:19:16.200820+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T12:19:16.969491+00:00" region: "HU" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Persuasion (1995) Directed by Roger Michell · 1h 47m · Drama, Romance ## Identity Persuasion - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/persuasion - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** persuasion - **IMDb ID:** tt0114117 - **TMDB ID:** 17015 - **Wikidata ID:** Q919025 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/17015, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q919025 **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 74 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* Everyone in the family is looking in a mirror except the one woman worth looking at > Roger Michell’s Austen is shot by candlelight and daylight with no vanity on either side of the camera, and Amanda Root’s watchful Anne is the reason to see it. The Bath stretch is busier and less sure; we recommend it warmly anyway. ## Synopsis Kellynch Hall, Somerset, with the war over and the navy coming home. Sir Walter Elliot (Corin Redgrave), a vain baronet, is in debt and must let the house. His middle daughter, Anne Elliot (Amanda Root), is twenty-seven and unmarried. Eight years earlier she was engaged to a penniless naval officer and was persuaded by her late mother’s friend, Lady Russell (Susan Fleetwood), to give him up. The new tenants are Admiral Croft (John Woodvine) and his wife (Fiona Shaw), and her brother is that officer: Captain Frederick Wentworth (Ciarán Hinds), now rich on prize money. While her father and sister Elizabeth (Phoebe Nicholls) go to Bath, Anne is sent to her other sister, Mary Musgrove (Sophie Thompson), at Uppercross, where Wentworth comes to dinner. ## Review Jane Austen’s last finished novel is about a woman who said no to the right man because she was told to, and has spent eight years finding out what that costs. Roger Michell’s film, from a screenplay by Nick Dear, keeps faith with that. It does not dress Anne Elliot up, it does not give her speeches, and for most of its 107 minutes it keeps her at the edge of rooms where other people are talking. That is where Amanda Root is at her best, and the main reason to see the film. Michell and his cinematographer John Daly shoot it as if nobody had told them it was a costume drama. Interiors are lit by candles and whatever comes through the window, faces are unpowdered, and the camera moves hand-held through dinner parties as though it has wandered in from the kitchen. William Dudley’s Kellynch is grand and half under dust sheets; the Musgroves’ house at Uppercross is a muddle of dogs, children and crockery, which says more about Anne’s two families than any line could. Alexandra Byrne puts Anne in browns and dull greens and her sister Elizabeth (Phoebe Nicholls) in everything else. Root hardly speaks for the first half hour and does not need to. Watch her at the pianoforte while the Musgrove girls dance with Wentworth, or on a country walk when he hands her into the Crofts’ carriage without a word. Her face does the work: a glance down, a glance up, a mouth that nearly says something and then does not. Ciarán Hinds plays Wentworth as a big, weathered man who has decided to be angry and keeps forgetting to be. When Mary (Sophie Thompson) cheerfully passes on his remark that Anne is so altered he would not have known her, Hinds’s unease afterwards tells us where this is going. The scene that got us is at Uppercross. Anne is kneeling by a sick child, a second child climbs onto her back and will not be shifted, and a hand she knows lifts him off without a word and without looking at her. Michell holds on Root’s face and Kate Evans does not cut away. It moved us more than we were ready for, because nothing has been said and both of them know exactly what has been done. Jeremy Sams’s score, mostly piano, has the sense to stay out of it. Around the lovers Michell has cast well. Corin Redgrave’s Sir Walter cannot pass a looking-glass, and Redgrave plays the vanity straight. Fiona Shaw and John Woodvine’s Crofts are the one happy marriage in the film: the Admiral steering his gig at a post while his wife quietly takes the reins is the nearest it comes to showing what Anne gave up. Sophie Thompson’s Mary, forever ill, is pitched broad, and some will find her a trial. We laughed at her every time, then felt slightly guilty, because she is the only Elliot who admits to being unhappy. Susan Fleetwood’s Lady Russell is kind and wrong and sure of herself, and Fleetwood never lets us hate her. The film is less sure once it moves to Bath. The plot gets busier: a cousin, Mr Elliot (Samuel West), heir to the title, starts paying Anne attention, Mrs Clay (Felicity Dean) attaches herself to Sir Walter, and Dear’s screenplay has more story to get through than the first half had. West is given too little to be interesting, which matters, because we need to believe Anne might consider him. And the last few minutes reach for a flourish the rest of the film has got along without. We will not describe it, except to say that a story this quiet did not need to raise its voice at the end. It came out in the same year as Ang Lee’s [*Sense and Sensibility*](https://film.one/film/sense-and-sensibility), a bigger and prettier film, and the comparison flatters Michell. Lee’s Austen looks like a painting of a house; Michell’s looks like a house. It is a U certificate and 107 minutes. Watch it with someone who was once talked out of something and has not quite forgiven the advice. *Fi1m score 84, published 7 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Persuasion, and the praise lands in one place: Amanda Root as Anne Elliot. Review after review singles out how much she does with very little, her awkward, watchful glances carrying the character’s feeling where the script keeps her quiet. Beyond the lead, the reviews call Roger Michell’s adaptation faithful and finely made, a romantic period drama that respects the book without becoming stiff about it. The Los Angeles Times goes furthest, finding it sophisticated and sharply funny as well as moving. The reservations are mild. Variety thinks the staging stays a little theatrical and could use more energy, and that is the sharpest complaint on record. The spread is narrow, from warm to very warm, with no negative notices at all; the two lower scores belong to reviews whose full text could not be read, so their verdicts are inferred rather than known. Nobody who has written at length has argued against it. ## Straight answers **Is Persuasion worth watching?** *Persuasion* (1995) is worth watching for anyone who likes Austen played quietly, and we scored it 84. Amanda Root's watchful Anne Elliot, kept at the edge of rooms where other people talk, is the main reason to see it. The Bath stretch is busier and less sure, and the ending reaches for a flourish the rest of the film does without. **How long is Persuasion, and what is it rated?** *Persuasion* runs 1h 47m. It is a drama and romance film. **Where can I watch Persuasion in Hungary?** *Persuasion* is not on any streaming or rental service in Hungary at the moment. It is available in 3 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Persuasion compare to Sense and Sensibility?** *Persuasion* is the plainer and more intimate of the two 1995 Austen films, and we think the comparison flatters it. Ang Lee's [*Sense and Sensibility*](https://film.one/film/sense-and-sensibility) is bigger, prettier and funnier, and worth an evening for Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet alone. Michell's film looks like a lived-in house rather than a painting of one, and suits viewers who prefer glances to speeches. **Is Persuasion based on a true story or a book?** *Persuasion* is based on Jane Austen's last finished novel, about a woman who gave up the right man because she was advised to. Roger Michell's film and Nick Dear's screenplay keep faith with it, leaving Anne unadorned and without speeches for most of the running time. You do not need to have read the book to follow it. **What should I watch after Persuasion?** After *Persuasion*, try [*Sense and Sensibility*](https://film.one/film/sense-and-sensibility) (1995, Fi1m 85): The same year, the same author, a bigger budget and a brighter palette. Then [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): Two people, a railway station and everything they cannot say out loud; and [*The Remains of the Day*](https://film.one/film/the-remains-of-the-day) (1993, Fi1m 88): A lifetime of service, one chance missed, and Anthony Hopkins saying nothing beautifully. ### Reviews we read (6) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, calling it a sophisticated and sharply funny Austen adaptation. He especially praises Amanda Root’s quietly expressive performance as Anne Elliot. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-06-ca-53884-story.html) - **Radio Times**, Angie Errigo (4/5): Errigo praises the adaptation as a fine romantic period drama, beautifully realised. She singles out Amanda Root’s performance and the ensemble cast. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nl4x9p/persuasion/) - **Variety**, Derek Elley (75/100, inferred): Elley finds the adaptation convincing and finely realized, though its theatrical presentation lacks some oomph. He especially praises Amanda Root’s quietly moving performance as Anne. [Read](https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/persuasion-1200442005/) - **Time Out**, GA (72/100, inferred): The available metadata suggests a favorable review, but the full verdict is unavailable. It singles out Amanda Root’s expressive, awkward glances for praise. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/persuasion) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The page identifies a review of the 1995 film, but its contents are inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/persuasion-1995) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (65/100, inferred): The page was inaccessible, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism could not be verified. The URL indicates a review of Roger Michell's 1995 Persuasion. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/27/movies/film-review-austen-tale-of-lost-love-refound.html) ## Details - **Director:** Roger Michell - **Director:** Roger Michell - **Screenplay:** Nick Dear - **Novel:** Jane Austen - **Cinematography:** John Daly - **Editor:** Kate Evans - **Music:** Jeremy Sams - **Production design:** William Dudley - **Costume design:** Alexandra Byrne - **Producer:** Fiona Finlay - **Cast:** Amanda Root as Anne Elliott; Ciarán Hinds as Captain Frederick Wentworth; Susan Fleetwood as Lady Russell; Corin Redgrave as Sir Walter Elliot; Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Croft; John Woodvine as Admiral Croft; Phoebe Nicholls as Elizabeth Elliot; Samuel West as Mr. Elliot - **Runtime:** 1h 47m - **First release (the UK):** 16 April 1995 - **Genres:** Drama, Romance - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $5 million ## Where to watch in Hungary Not streaming, renting or buying in Hungary at the last check. Also available in: CA, IT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Sense and Sensibility* (1995), Fi1m 85: The same year, the same author, a bigger budget and a brighter palette. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sense-and-sensibility.md) - *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: Two people, a railway station and everything they cannot say out loud. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md) - *The Remains of the Day* (1993), Fi1m 88: A lifetime of service, one chance missed, and Anthony Hopkins saying nothing beautifully. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-remains-of-the-day.md) - *Bright Star* (2009), Fi1m 82: Jane Campion’s Keats, shot plain and close, with the same trust in faces. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bright-star.md) - *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: Hong Kong, 1962, two neighbours, and a love that is never once spoken. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/persuasion