Masterpiece Theatre: Persuasion

Alright, I admit that I have always had pretty high expectations for Masterpiece Theatre productions, especially after 2006's Bleak House. So perhaps I was expecting too much for the new adaptation of Persuasion. But all in all, this is about the most disappointing Masterpiece adaptation I have ever seen. At only 1 1/2 hours long, there was no time to develop any of the characters or their relationships. I was left watching Anne Elliot and Capt. Wentworth and thinking "Who are these people, and why should I care if they get together or not?" Now I have never read Persuasion, (shame on me, I must do penance) but I have read enough of Austen's works to know that there should be alot more wit and dialogue in these stories, not just a bunch of looks, glances and sighs. And the ending, though meant to be tense and thrilling, was actually absurd almost to the point being hilarious. I do not, however, fault the actors for these shortcomings. I think that with more screen time and a better script, they could have done justice to Austen's original.

But I still hold out hope for the rest of the adaptations and look forward to Northanger Abbey this Sunday evening. In the meantime, I think I will add Persuasion to my reading list and see if I can hunt down a copy of the Amanda Root adaptation.