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Sense and Sensibility Customer Reviews (7 - 9 of 85 Reviews)

Absolutely my favorite movie of all time!
A beautiful adaptation. I have read this book three times and am amazed by how wonderfully the story is told in only two hours. All of the actors are absolutely perfect for their parts, save that Emma Thompson may have been a bit old to be playing Elinor. However, her acting was so poignant and exquisite and perfectly subtle that it more than made up for it. Kate Winslet's Mary Anne is passionate and heartbreaking, and radiantly beautiful. I can't say enough about this movie and about those who wrote, directed, and starred in it. You'll love it!

"Is there a felicity in this world superior to this?"
... the romantic, Mariane Dashwood (Kate Winslet), exclaims to her wary younger sister Margaret while walking up a grassy hill on a windy day while the dark clouds of approaching rain hover nearby. So goes a scene from "Sense and Sensibility", Emma Thompson and Ang Lee's adaptation of the Jane Austen classic. The story, which takes place early 1800's England, focuses on the Dashwood sisters, Marianne, about 16 years old, and her older sister Eleanor, played by Emma Thompson.

After their father dies, the Dashwood family, including the mother and the three sisters lose their fortune and begin to embark upon a more modest life, being forced to move from their estate to a relative's "snug" cottage.

The film, in essence, follows Eleanor and Marianne as they are thrown into love with their likely and unlikely suitors, the humble and slightly bumbling, Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant), the dashing John Willoughby (Greg Wise) and the tormented yet dependable Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman). Another key element is the loving bond between the two sisters.

From the sweeping and lush English countryside to the historic streets of London, we see the two young women experience infatuation, passion, heartbreak, patience, wisdom, and finally, love. Emma Thompson's screenplay is both funny and touching, sometimes pointing out how the times were hard for women. She does not follow the book religiously but does an amazing job in capturing the essence of the Dashwood girls and their struggle to live a full life amidst their limitations of both class and sex.

The sets and the exterior scenery are beautiful, the acting amazing throughout the entire cast (including a younger yet still brooding Hugh Laurie). It sounds like a cliche but it's true, you will laugh, cry and fall in love through the eyes of the Dashwood sisters.

You can't go wrong with this one
Emma Thompson thoroughly deserved the Oscar she received for her adaptation. Her love for the novel and respect for Austen's art is obvious. Nothing significant is missing, and all changes stay true to the spirit and meaning of the book.

My only real complaint about the production is that, while Emma Thompson played an excellent Elinor, she was at least 10 years too old for the part. There were times when her Elinor and Margaret looked more like mother and daughter than two sisters.

However, I think that the rest of the casting was spot-on. Elizabeth Spriggs and Robert Hardy as Mrs. Jennings and Sir Middleton made an excellent team and Imogen Stubbs captured Lucy perfectly. I think that Emilie Francois as Margaret was particularly well cast; it can be difficult to find good child actors, and she was very believable and not a bit precocious.

There aren't oodles of extras, but the ones that are present are worth viewing, but they make up in quality what they lack in quantity.

This movie would make an excellent addition to your DVD collection.

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