Review of Sense and Sensibility (1995) by Kenneth L — 21 Jun 2012

All things considered, this is probably the best movie adaptation of a Jane Austen novel I've seen yet. Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightley) is a beautifully made movie with some of the best direction, cinematography, and music you'll ever see, but it also seemed to over-romanticize the story and thus miss that hint of irony that, to me, is one of the most important elements of Austen. This version of Sense and Sensibility, however, while romantic enough for fans who read Austen earnestly, also retains enough of the wit and irony that I like about her novels. It's also got a great cast and very nice production values, so it pretty much hits all the requisite Austen notes.

The story, adapted from the classic novel (which I admit I haven't read yet), follows a pair of sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Emma Thompson, who also won an Oscar for writing the screenplay, and Kate Winslet), whose father has just died and left the question of their future fortunes hanging in the air. Into their lives come strolling (or riding, as the case may be) a series of gentlemen: Mr. Ferrars (Hugh Grant), a polite but oddly reserved man; Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman), a noble-hearted soldier; and Mr. Willoughby (Greg Wise), a handsome and charming rake. Austen-ish things happen from there.

Just listing the names of those actors is almost enough to indicate that the movie is good. Emma Thompson, who got an acting Oscar nomination for the movie as well as winning for writing, is excellent as Elinor. She keeps her emotions to herself, but you can guess how she's feeling. A very young Kate Winslet is also good as the headstrong, romantic Marianne. Hugh Grant's performance is actually very stiff here - he looks like he feels incredibly uncomfortable in each scene - but I guess that's part of the character. Alan Rickman plays a good guy for once, convincingly. Greg Wise is good as Mr. Willoughby, though we don't really get to see him much after a big revelation about his character. And Hugh Laurie (!) is hilarious in a small role as a gentleman who chose poorly in his marriage.

The movie looks how an Austen novel reads - clean, pretty, and ornate. The sets and costumes are all very high quality. Ang Lee's direction is quiet and observant. (Sidenote - allow me to observe what a bizarre filmography Lee has: among his films are this one; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hulk; Brokeback Mountain; and Lust, Caution. How can one guy make all those wildly different movies?) It all works because of Emma Thompson's excellent screenplay - I haven't read the novel, but I would guess she got just about everything essential to it into the movie. I'm not going to rush out and read the novel immediately, but I feel slightly more educated now thanks to this movie.