I recently went to see the new movie version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, having just listened to Juliet Stevenson reading the book superbly in an audio version. I adore the book and named my daughter Elinor after its heroine, and my favourite Jane Austen film version ever is the Emma Thompson version which is now thirty years old. So, I knew this new movie would need to be really good to even begin to match that.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would (having seen the YouTube clip and read some reviews), but I also found it had many problems and was much more like a Brontë novel, or even a Dickens one, than one by Jane Austen.
The actors playing Elinor and Edward were excellent, I was interested in the way the duel was used to make Marianne start to see Colonel Brandon in a romantic light, I quite liked Lady Middleton’s only topic of conversation being the weather, and there were some nice scenes. I was moved at the end when the lovers finally come together.
However, Jane Austen’s irony was almost totally lacking from the script (written by Australian Diana Reid), it was completely unnecessary to make Mr Palmer of indeterminate sex (in the novel, he has just fathered a child), Fiona Shaw (an actor I usually love) was too over-the-top as Mrs Jennings, and there was far too much time wasted on nature and animals. Clearly, the director wanted to show that the Dashwood sisters love nature, but we got that point early in the film and didn’t need to see so many caterpillars, spiders, ducks, dogs, horses and a cat. Then there was the hair …. Oh, my goodness! In Austen’s era, when a young woman came out into society, she put her hair up. There were very few females in this film who had their hair up, and it was always messy. Marianne’s hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed for months! There were many breaches of Regency decorum and etiquette as well.
Hopefully this new movie will bring new readers to the utter joy of reading the novel, but for those of us who know and deeply love the book, it left us wanting. It’s Emma Thompson’s glorious version that I’ll be going back to. Now I must wait until 3 December to start watching the new Netflix Pride and Prejudice. Once again, it will have some superb versions to live up to, and I do so hope they don’t mess it up.
Have you seen the new Sense and Sensibility? If so, do let me know what you thought of it. Please leave a comment.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here.
I provide these links for convenience only and do not endorse or assume liability for the content or quality of these third-party sites. I only recommend books I have read and know. Some of these links are my affiliate links. If you buy a product using one of these links I may receive a small commission. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but does help cover the cost of producing my free newsletter.
Comments are moderated, and will not appear until approved.
Images- Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Margaret Dashwood, Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and George MacKay as Edward Ferrars, Sense and Sensibility 2026, by Focus Features, LLC – Fair use, https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/sense-sensibility-review-moody-modern-193536965.html & https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84482501
What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here.
The Marriage Question: George Eliot’s Double Life by Clare Carlisle
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Adam Bede by George Eliot
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot links
Susannah Fullerton: Mary Ann Evans is born
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot dies
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot commences work on Middlemarch
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot turns 200
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot – Middlemarch, A video talk
Susannah Fullerton: George Eliot – Middlemarch, Discerning Reader’s Guide
Exploring George Eliot: Discover George Eliot
George Eliot Archive
George Eliot Archive: George Henry Lewes
Felicity Pulman
I saw Sense and Sensibility yesterday and agree that the Emma Thompson version is definitely the go-to so far as I’m concerned. I was also struck by how very alike the two new male characters sounded to their previous counterparts (ie Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant.) And I found the Dashwood sisters looked sufficiently alike to be confusing, at least at the beginning. But I did prefer the ending of the new one, where Marianne’s turnaround became more feasible and, while the duel was perhaps unnecessary, it did play an important role in explaining this. And I also liked the tension towards the end caused by the confusion of the new Mrs Dashwood (without giving any spoilers away, I hope!)
Maria
I saw it yesterday and liked it very much. The fact that I saw it with my adult daughter, and she also enjoyed it, enhanced the experience I’m sure. I thought the actors who played Elinor, Edward, Marianne (unkempt hair not withstanding) and Brandon were all very good. I was annoyed by some of the departures from the original story but these were relatively minor. Emma Thompson’s version is excellence personified and remains my favourite by a big margin. Thompson’s script was delightful and Alan Rickman was perfection as the Colonel. Nevertheless, over 30 years have passed since the Thompson version and it’s important to bring the story to a new audience and I hope, bring new readers to Austen.