MovieChat Forums > Persuasion (1971) Discussion > Ann Firbank miscast

Ann Firbank miscast

posted 11 years ago by TomInSanFrancisco
1 reply | jump to latest

I've just watched three versions of "Persuasion" and their accompanying IMDB comments, and I really do sympathize with the casting person's attempt at finding real live actors to play parts we viewers have already "cast" when we read the book. We're a hard to satisfy group!

For me, Amanda Root came closest to matching my concept of Anne Elliot. Sally Hawkins came next. And now, in dead last, we have Ann Firbank.

Ms. Firbank was 38 years old when the 1971 version was filmed, and simply looked too old for the part. It also mattered to me that she looked fine for her age. This wasn't a woman who had lost her bloom, as they used to say. I'd even say that she was prettier than her sisters, if you overlook that hideous hairdo.

Did this bother anyone else?

[–] Anhun 8 years ago

I saw this version after having seen the awful 2007 version. Because of that, I was much more forgiving. Yes, Ann Firbank was too old for the part, but her portrayal of Anne was an interesting and valid interpretation.

Firbank portrayed Anne as being initially resigned to her fate as the forgotten child. She seems almost sluggishly complacent, but, as the story progresses and she finds herself in situations where she is valued and useful, she goes through an awakening that's delightful to watch.

Amanda Root had a different, but equally valid interpretation. At the beginning, she shows Anne as being visibly frustrated with her lack of status in the family. There are several scenes where you can practically read the thoughts on the tip of her tongue, but she remains silent because she knows that no one will listen to her. Her transformation is more of a liberation than an awakening, but it is also interesting to watch.

Hawkins was basically playing Fanny Price grafted onto the plot of Persuasion. I couldn't stand her cowering and sniveling. Not at all like the quietly dignified Anne Elliot.

"You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves . . . two grown men acting like . . . grown men!!!"