Sense and Sensibility (1995)

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

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Jan. 8

8:00 AM

HBO

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
Imelda Staunton	...	Charlotte Jennings Palmer
Imogen Stubbs	...	Lucy Steele
Hugh Laurie	...	Mr. Palmer
Allan Mitchell	...	Pigeon
Josephine Gradwell	...	Maid to Mrs. Jennings
Richard Lumsden	...	Robert Ferrars
Lone Vidahl	...	Miss Grey
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Doctor Harris
Eleanor McCready	...	Mrs. Bunting
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lindsay Doran	...	Maid admitting Col. Brandon (uncredited)

Directed by
Ang Lee

Writing credits
Jane Austen		(novel)
Emma Thompson		(screenplay)

Produced by
Laurie Borg	....	co-producer
Lindsay Doran	....	producer
Sydney Pollack	....	executive producer
James Schamus	....	co-producer
Geoff Stier	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Patrick Doyle

Cinematography by
Michael Coulter		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tim Squyres

Casting by
Michelle Guish

Production Design by
Luciana Arrighi

Art Direction by
Philip Elton
Andrew Sanders		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Ian Whittaker

Costume Design by
Jenny Beavan
John Bright

Makeup Department
Jan Archibald	....	chief hair stylist
Miri Ben-Schlomo	....	makeup artist
Sallie Jaye	....	makeup artist
Morag Ross	....	chief makeup artist
Astrid Schikorra	....	hair stylist
Barbara Taylor	....	hair stylist
Anita Burger	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Anthony Bregman	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bernard Bellew	....	second assistant director
Ben Howarth	....	third assistant director
Christopher Newman	....	first assistant director (as Chris Newman)
Keith Young	....	second second assistant director
Mick Ward	....	additional assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
John Behan	....	stand-by carpenter
Roy Biggs	....	stand-by stagehand
Harold Burst	....	plasterer
Darryl Carter	....	carpenter
Jack Carter	....	construction manager
Stan Cook	....	chargehand dressing propman
Gill Ducker	....	production buyer
Gary Fox	....	dressing propman
Mark Fruin	....	chargehand stand-by props
Les Hall	....	carpenter
Robert Harper	....	supervising painter (as Bob Harper)
Philippa Hart	....	art department assistant
John Hedges	....	supervising chargehand
Kenneth Langridge	....	stagehand
Pippa Marks	....	assistant art director
Mark McNeil	....	dressing propman
Christina Moore	....	storyboard artist
Sophia Müller	....	assistant art director (as Sophia Mueller)
Norman North	....	stand-by painter
Darren Reynolds	....	stand-by propman
Anthony Rhone	....	painter
Lee Shelley	....	painter
Graham Stickley	....	dressing storeman
Alan Titmus	....	stagehand
Kenneth Welland	....	painter (as Ken Welland)
Mark White	....	construction
Arthur Wicks	....	property master
Roger Willis	....	carpenter
Will Ayres	....	props (uncredited)
Robin Heinson	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Seth Anderson	....	apprentice sound editor
Jaya Bishop	....	sound assistant
Paul Carr	....	adr artist
Pietro Cecchini	....	assistant sound editor
Joe Cimino	....	assistant sound editor
Tony Dawe	....	production sound mixer
Robert Farr	....	adr artist
Chris Gurney	....	boom operator
Steve Hamilton	....	supervising sound editor
Cynthia Leigh Heim	....	foley artist
Andrew Kris	....	assistant sound editor
Thomas O'Shea	....	sound effects editor
Mary Ellen Porto	....	dialogue editor
Jennifer Ralston	....	foley editor
Linda Russo	....	foley artist
Steve Silkensen	....	adr editor (as Steven Silkensen)
Reilly Steele	....	sound re-recording mixer
Juan Carlos Zaldívar	....	dialogue editor (as Juan Carlos Martinez)
Tom Meadows	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeff Clifford	....	special effects technician
Ricky Farns	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Randall Balsmeyer	....	visual effects supervisor
Kathy Kelehan	....	visual effects producer
Daniel Leung	....	digital compositing supervisor
James Madigan	....	scanning and recording technician (uncredited)
Matt McDonald	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Nick Wilkinson	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Bain	....	camera trainee
Keith Batterbee	....	rigger
Richard Broome	....	camera grip
Clive Coote	....	still photographer
Uinkar 'Bobby' Dhillon	....	clapper loader (as Uinkar Bobby Dhillon)
Terry Edland	....	gaffer
Darren Gatrell	....	electrician (as Darren Gattrell)
Tony Hayes	....	best boy
Sid Hinson	....	stand-by rigger (as Sidney Hinson)
John Jordan	....	focus puller
Paul Kemp	....	electrician
Kenny Monger	....	electrician (as Ken Monger)
Rob Monger	....	electrician (as Robert Monger)
Chris Plevin	....	photographer: second unit
Ronnie Rampton	....	construction electrician
Mel Sansom	....	rigger
Philip Sindall	....	camera operator
Al Watson	....	electrician
Andrew Watson	....	electrician
Danny Young	....	electrician
Jan Pester	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Suzy Catliff	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joe Hobbs	....	wardrobe master
Yvonne Hobbs	....	wardrobe mistress
Sue Honeybourne	....	wardrobe assistant (as Sue Honeyborne)
Anna Kot	....	wardrobe assistant (as Anna Krystyna Kot)
Janet Tebrooke	....	wardrobe supervisor
Richard Cooke	....	costume trainee (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Edward Berger	....	post-production assistant
Mark Ginsberg	....	color timer
Jeanette King-Segnini	....	post-production assistant (as Jeanette King)
Susan Littenberg	....	first assistant editor
Larry Richardson	....	assistant editor: UK
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Stan Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Simon Astbury	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Lawrence Ashmore	....	orchestrator
Tonia Davall	....	orchestra contractor
Paul Hulme	....	music recording engineer
Roy Prendergast	....	music editor
Maggie Rodford	....	music supervisor
Tony Stanton	....	music preparation
Robert Ziegler	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Brian Bassnett	....	driver: camera car
Roy Bond	....	facilities driver
Jed Bray	....	unit driver
Peter Brook	....	unit driver
Gerard Bryson	....	unit driver
Sonny Donato	....	driver: grip truck
Gerry Gore	....	transportation captain
Eddie Kaye	....	rushes driver

Other crew
Colin Anderson	....	caterer
Libbie Barr	....	script supervisor
Mona Benjamin	....	assistant to producers: UK
Debbie Brodie	....	food stylist
Cecile Cabal	....	tutor: Ms. François
Paul Caldicott	....	caterer
Jean Castelli	....	assistant: Mr. Schamus (as Jean-Christophe Castelli)
John Charles	....	software engineer: Sony DAC
Tony Clarkson	....	location manager
Ginger Corbett	....	unit publicist
Kay Cutts	....	animal coordinator
Joy Geoghegan	....	chaperone: Ms. François
Jane Gibson	....	movement consultant
Pippa Grant	....	stand-in
Andrew Hafitz	....	film conform assistant
Mick Hart	....	trainer
Andrew Hill	....	assistant location manager
Stuart Hopps	....	choreographer
Joyce Hsieh	....	post-production accountant
Bobbie Johnson	....	production accountant
Ross Katz	....	assistant: Ms. Doran
Debbie Kaye	....	horse and carriage coordinator
Lesley Keane	....	assistant production coordinator
David Lee	....	assistant: Mr. Lee
Annie Livings	....	stand-in
Tamara Morris	....	caterer
Paul Newton	....	unit paramedic
Donna Ostroff	....	assistant: Mr. Pollack
George Albert Pointer	....	location runner
Carol Regan	....	production coordinator
Steve Ricard	....	stand-in (as Steve Rickard)
Terry L. Robertson	....	coach builder (as Terry Robertson)
Phil Stoole	....	production runner
Rebecca Tucker	....	production assistant
Jan Unger	....	film conform assistant
Nick Waldron	....	location runner
Chris Webb	....	assistant location manager
Nick Wilkinson	....	horse master
Betty Williams	....	assistant accountant
Deborah Leakey	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Humphrey Barclay	....	thanks
Margaret Devitt	....	thanks
D.A. Doran	....	special thanks
Sarah Eastel	....	thanks
Stephen Fry	....	thanks
William Horberg	....	thanks
John Kouwenhoven	....	thanks (as John A. Kouwenhoven)
Eric Thompson	....	special thanks
Brenda Walton	....	thanks
Josephine Webb	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Mirage

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1998) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (Argentina)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (Spain)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Balsmeyer and Everett (visual effects)
• Effects Associates

Other Companies

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• Air Studios  music recorded at
• Alston Hall Hotel  thanks
• Balsmeyer and Everett  title design
• D & D International Locations  facility vehicles
• Goldcrest Post Production London  adr studio
• Kenwood House  thanks
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Location Facilities  facility vehicles
• National Trust, The  courtesy of: Montacute House
• Panavision Grips  grip equipment
• Samuelson Film Service  camera equipment
• Set Meals  catering
• Sony Classical  soundtrack
• Sound One  re-recording studios
• South West Film Commission  thanks
• Spin Cycle Post  post-production facilities

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 windowpane check gown Emma Thompson (Elinor Dashwood) wears while explaining Col. Brandon's offer to Edward is the same costume Billie Piper (Fanny Price) wears in Mansfield Park (2007) (TV), Rosamund Stephen (Henrietta Musgrove) wears in Persuasion (2007) (TV), Victoria Hopkins in "The Regency House Party" (2004), and Honeysuckle Weeks in the sketch "Plots & Proposals" in Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000) (TV). The same costume is also worn by an extra at the London party where Byron meets Annabella Milbanke in Byron (2003) (TV).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The story takes place in the early 1810s. However, when Margaret is hiding under the table in the library, Edward Ferrars refers to Belgium and Vladivostok. At this time, the region now known as Belgium was under Dutch rule and only became a separate country in 1830. The city of Vladivostok was founded in 1860.

Quotes:

Margaret: [a large box has arrived at Barton cottage] It's for us!
Mrs. Dashwood: What is it Thomas?
Thomas: I don't know ma'am but it's very heavy.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

The Dreame

Excellent period piece, well adapted and with a witty script and fine performances.

This is a remarkable film that does a very good job of depicting a rigid and quite hidebound society that often made India's caste system look reasonable and moderate by comparison. One of the more enjoyable points for me was the fact that the "sense and sensibility" of the title had a most definite 19th Century feel and yet still remains very timeless and does not attempt to force Twentieth Century mores (probably by use of a crowbar) into a script where they do not belong. Modern day viewpoints do not belong here. If you want a modern day version, fine. But it would be, at best, only a glancing and quite loose adaptation of the novel, so why do an adaptation at all, then? Not all films have to reflect present day sensibilities. This is a very human and compelling story with a fine cast and wonderfully witty script. Look for a very dry and understated performance by Hugh Laurie as Mr. Palmer, the long-suffering husband of the daughter of Mrs. Jennings. Were I Mr. Palmer, I'd have long since invested in earplugs or opened a vein. Very fine film and most highly recommended.