A classic adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s most admired novels, Jane Austen’s romantic masterpiece comes to DVD in a thrilling new production from the BBC.

At the age of nineteen, Anne Elliot fell deeply in love with handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. But with neither fortune nor rank to recommend him, Anne's family were against the match and persuaded her to break off the engagement. Now twenty-seven, Anne has lived to regret her decision. Wentworth returns after making his fortune at sea. Has he forgotten the girl he left behind? And can he forgive herfor listening to her family instead of her heart?

Jane Austen fans will delight in the sumptuous production design and first-rate acting in the 2007 Masterpiece Theatre version of  Persuasion. Sally Hawkins is controlled and moving as Anne Elliot, the quietly heartbroken but sensible heroine who was "persuaded" (read: forced) to turn away her true love but still carries an unseen torch for him. Hawkins's performance is genteel yet steely, and the quiet strength of the entire production. Hawkins looks alternately quietly lovely and sadly pinched--as one might expect the long frustrated Anne to look.

Other highlights include a post-Buffy Anthony Head, as Anne's clueless, blustery father, Sir Walter. Head gets to turn on his deft comic talent here in ways most American audiences have not yet seen him; he's clearly enjoying himself immensely, blustering about "my shrubberies" and other trivial affairs. The cinematography is lush (several breathtaking tracking shots are used, especially early on), as are the period costumes. The production was filmed exclusively on location, and the reality of the sets enforces the story.