Those who know me know I am a big Jane Austen fan. I’ve read all of her novels and own a copy of almost all of them. Moreover, I am also known as one of the biggest fans of the Pride and Prejudice (2005) movie. It is one of my favorite films of all time, and I will hear no slander about it (looking at you, BBC truthers). So, when I learned that Focus Features, the same studio that made P&P, was releasing a Sense and Sensibility adaptation, I just had to go see it.
Though it is probably obvious that Pride and Prejudice is my favorite novel by Austen, I’ve always loved Sense and Sensibility as well. If you are not familiar, the novel follows Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who have recently had to move from their childhood home with very little funds to support themselves and their family after the death of their father resulted in the estate being passed to their estranged half-brother.
Elinor is characterized as the “sensible” mature older sister, whose own reserve sometimes leads to her feelings and desires being pushed aside for the sake of propriety. On the other hand, Marianne is a “free spirit.” She thinks anyone without a “great passion” is boring or dull. However, her unguarded display of her opinions and desires is sometimes at the expense of what is deemed appropriate by society and leads her to get into some messy situations (and relationships).
Though Elinor and Marianne’s personalities seem at odds, their different dispositions are often complementary to each other, and the girls eventually rub off on each other, showing the importance of having both sense and sensibility.
When I went into this film, I was subconsciously comparing it to the 1995 adaptation along with the novel itself. I really do love the 1995 version; however, I do think some of the decisions they made when it came to casting or what scenes to omit were not the best. With that being said, I am not a purist when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations; I’m all for directors taking creative liberties, as long as it does not require a large suspension of belief or largely change a pivotal point in the story. Since this was a focus features adaptation, I was expecting sweeping scores, beautiful set design and camera shots, and passion-filled confessions. I would say it met my expectation on those fronts (with a few critiques).
First off, I thought that the romance between Elinor and Mr. Edward Ferrars was done exceptionally well. One of my main qualms with Edward has always been that I found him to be a bit of a pushover, and kind of stupid if I’m being honest. He seemingly leads Elinor on at the beginning of the book. He allows his fear of his family and his fear of letting Ms. Steel down keep him from ending his undesirable engagement to be with the woman he loves and leading a life he wants.
However, in the film, his conflict with staying connected with Ms. Steel is put in a more forgivable light. By honoring their prior engagement and not leaving her destitute as his family would like, it shows that he is a good man who is willing to do what is right even if it means he will suffer. The film shows that, while deeply hurt by this news, Elinor finds this to be an admirable quality in him, that ironically only endears her more to him. However, it goes further than that.
In this adaptation, Edward’s affections toward Elinor are by no means to be guessed at. When they first meet, there are many scenes where the two show obvious attachment to each other, and he cannot stay away from her in London despite Ms. Steel’s presence (the actors had amazing chemistry as well). The final time he tells Elinor about his intention to marry Ms. Steel, he does offer to break it off to be with Elinor. He is willing to go against his uncompromising values of duty and honor to be with Elinor because he is so in love with her. And of course the ending proposal scene was amazing; the misunderstanding, the chase, the love confession, *chefs kiss.*
On the other hand, I felt that Marianne’s romantic relationships were not given enough exploration. One of the primary reasons that we feel such betrayal at Willoughby’s abandonment of Marianne is because we get to see how enraptured the two of them are with each other. However, the film seems to spend barely enough time on their relationship to warrant a true feeling of betrayal.
In the 1995 adaptation, we get to see Willoughby constantly gravitating toward Marianne, along with him charming the rest of the Dashwood family. In this, we see a few scenes at a ball, the two reading to each other, and the fact that he gifts Marianne a horse. It is not enough. Furthermore, the film softens the blow of Willoughby’s despicable nature. In the book, he had previously gotten the teenage ward of Colonel Brandon pregnant and abandoned her. In the movie, he had a relationship that resulted in a pregnancy with Brandon’s former lover, who was now a widow and most definitely not a teenager. Though still a horrible act, it is not quite so unforgivable as taking advantage of a young teenage girl. It also makes his relationship with Marianne all the more sinister, as she too is young and impressionable.
I did like the actor for Colonel Brandon this time; I enjoyed that they made him a bit younger than in the book, and the duel scene was a wonderful addition to the story. However, in the same vein as Willoughby, I don’t think they gave enough time for the Colonel to fully express his love for Marianne. His rescue of Marianne from the storm was greatly missed by me.
One of the main appeals of this novel to me has always been the relationship between Elinor and Marianne. If I’m completely honest, both of their love interests have some serious flaws that have led me to sometimes root against them. Because of this, the redeeming quality of this novel is the sisterhood displayed by the two main characters. I think this film did a wonderful job of exploring this, more so than previous adaptations. The two girls get into plenty of arguments, but at the same time they support each other when they need it most. It’s realistic, relatable, and incredibly endearing. One of my favorite scenes in this film is when Elinor confronts Willoughby when he comes to see Marianne when she is deathly ill. We get to see how Elinor will shirk her reserve and politeness to come to the defense of her sister, and it was also really satisfying to see Willoughby be berated by Elinor.
Overall, I thought it was a solid adaptation. A perfect one? No. But an entertaining one, yes. I actually felt compelled to reread the novel after leaving the theater, so it succeeded in making me feel immersed in the story itself. In what I felt lacked in the portrayal of Willoughby and Colonel Brandon, was made up for in the deeper exploration of Elinor and Marianne’s relationship and the evolution of Edward Ferrars. The cinematography was also expectedly beautifully, I do love an English countryside. All in all, I would recommend you give it a watch if you want a story about the deep bonds of sisterhood and romance with a healthy dose of yearning too.