 Sue Parrill observes that Persuasion 's larger production budget , which allowed the crew to film much content on @-@ location , " enabled the filmmakers to make fuller use of setting for symbolism and for creation of mood " . The weather , for instance , is particularly important to Anne 's state of mind in the novel . Persuasion 's opening scenes establish its historical context , as well as the financial predicament in which the Elliot family finds itself . Indeed , for Rachel Brownstein , by opening the film with a depiction of sailors , the director is confronting a common complaint of Austen 's works — her failure to mention the Napoleonic Wars . The juxtaposition between the navy and the Elliots establishes their differences , with the former group discussing the fall of Napoleon and the latter group discussing the relatively minor inconvenience of overspending . 
