The new Sense and Sensibility adaptation directed by Georgia Oakley, starring Daisy Edgar Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, was released to theaters this October and immediately entered public discourse concerning its loyalty to the 1811 novel by Jane Austen.
Here’s how I see it: though it is less than faithful to the original story, it is still a beautiful period piece that I will most likely turn to time and time again.
Plot-wise, this adaptation of the classic story deviates many times: the context of Edward Ferras’ engagement is fully altered, the two Eliza’s of the novel are smushed into one (this was a painful blow to realize for me, personally), the duel that was previously off-page is now central to the film, and much, much more.
Cinematically, there were several changed-elements that I admittedly enjoyed: Elinor chasing after Edward, Colonel Brandon throwing Willoughby out of the manor, as well as the one-on-one Marianne has with the Colonel at the end of the film by the stream. In this being a visual story, I found these moments quite compelling and enjoyable to watch. They added to the narrative in a way that didn’t irk me too much, nor did they seem too distasteful to the original. I’m not saying they were necessary or realistic, but in what was changed, I didn’t mind these parts much at all.
Now, I don’t want to comment specifically on the controversial decision of the Dashwood sisters’ hair styling as I am not a hair historian. I will only say that even if Marianne’s hair was intentionally dirty and messy, it was too much so. It was a bit obvious and could have been enacted better.Â
The aesthetics are to die for in this film. I need a poster of it on my wall immediately. The coloring, nature-centered images, and music choices curated a beautiful, earthy-based environment still clearly set in the regency era.Â
I’ll end with the performances themselves. Daisy Edgar Jones was amazing as Elinor (as I expected), and EsmĂ© Creed-Miles gave a compelling performance of Marianne. As for the loverboys themselves, I can’t believe I’m saying this but they somehow made me like Colonel Brandon. I’m still not a fan of either Edward Ferras or the Colonel in the novel, but both were portrayed in this adaptation in a way that did sway my opinion (though I knew I would probably like Edward Ferras’ portrayal given how Hugh Grant stole my heart in the 1995 version). Some characters that lingered in my memory from this adaptation were Willoughby, Mrs. Jennings, and Fanny Dashwood, all because they were so distinctly and extravagantly played.Â
Overall, I was shocked by the bountiful changes made from the original story but was still captivated by the story that was alternatively created. I expect to watch this many times again when it comes to streaming in the future.