Trailer For “persuasion” Debut function From Carrie Cracknell, the British theater director who landed in mid-June. The social media attacks led by fans of Jane Austen’s novel, which was the basis of the movie, continued quickly. Viewers opposed the flash of modern language (“exes”, “a 10”) and the moment Dakota Johnson, who plays the heroine Anne Elliott, speaks directly to the camera. There were complaints about the “Fleabag” of Regency romance and the emphasis on comedy. “Jane Austen enters her grave” Daily mail headline read.
41-year-old Kraknell, speaking on a video call from his home in London, doesn’t see it that way.
“This movie was made with a great deal of love and attention to the original, and a sincere respect for Jane Austen,” she said. “There was no attempt to dismantle the original material.”
Cracnel, a drama wonder and co-leader of major London theaters Before she turned 30, Has always focused on the experience of women in her work. She rejected her suitor at a young age, and Anne’s complex personality, which she has regretted since then, appealed to her. And the playful script by Alice Victoria Winslow and Ron Bass “provided an opportunity to talk to a new audience who may not know Austin,” Kraknell said.
Before the new viewers were able to stream the movie on Netflix starting Friday, Cracknell discussed the reaction to the trailer and why the movie’s hood was so low.
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Why is it “persuading”?
I love the novel. There is incredible longing and melancholy. But that is tied to Anne’s character’s enthusiastic wit. Ann has been suffering for a long time, but she is perceptual, bright and funny.
How do you diagnose Anne? Is she depressed?
To be honest, I don’t know if I want to diagnose her. She had the choice of freedom, the choice of fulfilling life, the choice of becoming an adult, and she turned it down. So she was trapped in this endless childhood. She is completely dependent on her family and has no space for her or her agency, causing a kind of fatigue. I see it as a series of situations, rather than necessarily a central part of her emotional landscape or her presence. Because she really thinks she has the aptitude for joy.
I was actually diagnosed with fatigue many years ago. actually.
Like you needed a smelling drug to bring you back?
yes. Or a glass of Madeira. Austin’s great literary innovation is leveraged third-party narration. This movie uses the direct address instead. why?
The direct speech gave us this opportunity to uncover Anne’s inner life and also made us confident in her. We hope to balance the use of direct addresses, with complexity and churn, and a hidden inner life still remaining.
The script also uses modern language. why?
I was a little interested in modern psychology and language. That’s because you can assemble your character in a modern way that’s really accessible. One of the great hopes I had for this film was to attract a new audience to Austin and make them feel that they were really aware of the people on the screen.
Will I lose something if I lose the words of those days?
I think that’s what you say. I really enjoy playfulness and iconoclasm destruction.
And now the difficult question: why are there so few hoods?
We tried to respect the shape and essence of the Regency Form, but simplified and pulled out additional details. When I watch a historical drama, there are many things between me and people. Releasing it and finding an aesthetic with few traps of the era felt liberated.
For me, color-conscious casting is about the widest audience in which I can see myself represented in these classic stories that I felt were exclusive and excluded in the past. The production of period objects was an act of imagination, and in this case it became an ambitious act of imagination. It is to make a larger audience feel that they belong to this world and that they have access to this story.
Your theatrical productions have often explored feminist themes. Is this a feminist work?
I saw a series of adaptations of Jane Austen with my daughter in preparation for the shoot. She told me one night, “Why do all women always fall? They are always crying and always getting sick.” We can talk to a young and much more feminist audience. I wanted to make a more rigorous, questionable, and rewarding quality version so I could. Jane Austen absolutely questioned the structure and scope in which the woman found herself.
The reaction when the trailer was released was passionate. Are you surprised?
People have a really strong opinion about Jane Austen. And they feel huge ownership. Almost all indications have some repulsion. The trailer focuses on the quality of the movie comedy, not the more mature melancholic elements. Some people whose book is their favorite did not necessarily see it represented. I hope they enjoy the balance of tones when they watch the movie.
