 Michell attempted to be as faithful to the novel as possible , in particular avoiding what he felt was the polished , artificial feel of other period dramas set in the 19th @-@ century . The director explained , " I was desperately trying to make it feel like it could be happening in the next room . I tried to make it something which is absolutely about real people and not about dressing or hairstyles or carpet " . Consequently , because he felt the realistic look of the age would make the film more dramatic , Michell chose to depict the actors without make @-@ up , and disallowed them from looking too hygienic . Root commented about the film 's natural look in an interview , " I basically didn 't wear any makeup [ in the film ] , and my hair was obviously set in a very unflattering way ... I suppose the lighting was quite harsh , as well . None of us looked good " . She said in a separate interview , " I wanted to make Anne Elliot a somewhat plain woman who was not really miserable but had found a way to be content somehow , and yet emotions are buzzing around her all the time " . Root believed the film 's realistic depiction of the age was a key aspect of its appeal . 
