Sense and Sensibility (1995)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel)
Emma Thompson (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Lose your heart and come to your senses.

Plot:

Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. Two daughters are the titular opposites.

Plot Keywords:

Heartbreak | Love | Colonel | Inheritance | Sword Fighting

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 27 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

James Fleet	...	John Dashwood
Tom Wilkinson	...	Mr. Dashwood
Harriet Walter	...	Fanny Ferrars Dashwood
Kate Winslet	...	Marianne Dashwood
Emma Thompson	...	Elinor Dashwood
Gemma Jones	...	Mrs. Dashwood
Hugh Grant	...	Edward Ferrars
Emilie François	...	Margaret Dashwood
Elizabeth Spriggs	...	Mrs. Jennings
Robert Hardy	...	Sir John Middleton
Ian Brimble	...	Thomas
Isabelle Amyes	...	Betsy
Alan Rickman	...	Col. Christopher Brandon
Greg Wise	...	John Willoughby
Alexander John	...	Curate

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Taiwan:GP | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:TE | Denmark:A | Finland:S | Germany:6 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Berry Pomeroy Church, Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The dark purple velvet and silk gown Harriet Walter (Fanny Dashwood) wears to dinner at Norland Park is the same costume worn by the theatre guest seated next to deSade's wife in Quills (2000), and by Jane How (Lady Holland) at the London party in Byron (2003) (TV).

Goofs:

Continuity: The scene in which Lucy Steele reveals to Fanny Dashwood that she (Lucy) and Fanny's brother (Edward) have been secretly engaged initially shows Lucy stroking a dog. When Fanny realizes what Lucy is saying, she becomes hysterical and sends everything flying, but the dog is no longer there.

Quotes:

Lucy: We were talking of London, ma'am, and all its diversions.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "British Film Forever: Corsets, Cleavage and Country Houses: The Story of British Costume Drama (#1.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Weep You No More Sad Fountains

A subtle masterpiece

I saw this movie in a cinema back in 1996 and since that June I have seen it about a dozen times. It is true, that being an ardent lover of the so-called Romantic (as if the 13th century couldn't be Romantic or 17th, but these things are academic nonsense) period I can enjoy even minor pieces of period cinema, however this is most probably the best film set in the early 19th century. Although it centers on the relationship of the two sisters and their respective romantic relationships, it also seems to be a salute to the period itself in its precise description of the English country society. It is truthful to Jane Austen's novel, but Emma Thompson's script is fine in its own right, with many omissions and additions to the novel. The acting is superb, Kate Winslet as the typical Romantic dreamer (sensibility) is breathtaking (try not to be moved when her character wanders in the rain to see the house of her beloved and when she whispers half-deranged: 'Willoughby, Willoughby, Willoughby.') is perfect as is Emma Thompson as the rational but equally tormented older sister(sense). Greg Wise is perfect as the dashing semi-Byronic hero Willoughby and Allan Rickman as the mellow Brandon. To say nothing of the art direction, the music or the fantastic image composition. I would recommend everyone with some sort of emotional subtlety to see this film, for the story, the wit, the period and the imagery.