10 Reasons Why Sense and Sensibility (1995) Is the Best Theatrical Adaptation of Jane Austen’s Novel  

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

We are coming up on a significant anniversary next year in the Jane Austen film adaptation world. Sense and Sensibility (1995) will be thirty—an age in Austen’s Regency world when unmarried women were considered old maids, unworthy of serious consideration on the marriage market. Not so with this film. It has aged like a fine wine and holds its own against any subsequent Austen-inspired movies.

Yes, I am tagging Sense and Sensibility (1995) Austen-inspired. The Oscar-awarding winning screenplay by Emma Thompson only used seven of Austen’s original lines from her 1811 novel. That is surprising when you evaluate the movie as a whole. Every scene and character interpretation feels so Austen that many who have read the book and are looking for the same experience will be so swept up in the costumes, settings, performances, and plot that they will not notice. Thompson has managed to bring out all the best qualities from Austen’s tale of two divergent sisters and their struggles to find love (and financial security) in an unfair world.  

MOVIE DESCRIPTION

Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic comedy that swept the Ten Best Lists and was named the Best Picture of the Year by the Golden Globes. Based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor (Thompson) and passionate Marianne (Winslet), whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family’s sudden loss of fortune. Rickman, Grant, and Greg Wise co-star as the well-intentioned suitors who are trapped by the strict rules of society and the conflicting laws of desire.

The official trailer for Sense and Sensibility uses another movie’s theme music. You are a real period drama aficionado if you recognize it!

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MY REVIEW

I had the pleasure of a re-watch this past week. Here are my top ten reasons why Sense and Sensibility (1995) is the best theatrical adaptation of Austen’s classic novel.

1. The cast is stunning. So many talented British actors giving superb performances.
2. The director Ang Lee used a fine brush to help emphasize the details of why the Dashwood women are powerless in primogenital Regency society.
3. Thompson’s brilliant portrayal of the reserved and self-sacrificing Elinor Dashwood parallels Alan Rickman’s equally moving and heartrending Colonel Brandon.
4. The horses, carriages, and bonnets! Yes, I like women in bonnets in Regency films.
5. Thompson’s use of humor and irony, an Austen trademark, offsets the darker side of the story.
6. Actor Hugh Grant’s foppish hair had more personality than his interpretation of Austen’s passive hero, Edward Ferrars. Still love him, though.
7. The dramatic and sweeping film score by Patrick Doyle.   
8. Austen’s brilliant plot twist at the end is beautifully interpreted and portrayed.
9. The symbolism of the coins being thrown in the air during the final wedding scene. This story is all about cash and those that have it, and those who do not.
10. The story’s uplifting, happy ending makes me cry every time.

5 out of 5 Stars

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MOVIE INFORMATION

• Sense and Sensibility (1995)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Director: Ang Lee
• Screenwriter: Emma Thompson based on the novel by Jane Austen
• Cast: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Greg Wise, and Hugh Grant
• Length: 2 hours 16 minutes
• Genre: Period Drama, Romantic Comedy

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We purchased a copy of this movie for our own enjoyment. Austenprose is an Amazon affiliate. Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment © 1995; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2024, austenprose.com.

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