Sense and sensibility is by all means a wonderful film, filled with exquisite performances from Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson. Thompsons screenplay also deserves praise- it is witty, funny, poignant, and does the best it can given the source material. The problem with sense and sensibility has always been that the ending was a big rubbish- it wraps all plot lines up in such a contrived, happy manner. We are not offered much reason as to why Marianne ends up with Brandon, or why Lucy switched her affections to edwards brother- all these events are skimmed through briefly to offer us the happy ending the Dashwood sisters so rightly deserve. What I can say is wonderful though is the two lead performances and their interactions- the sisters' interactions with each other highlights their intimacy and their differences. The tempestuous and rash Marianne ends up heartbroken from placing her love in man she perhaps does not know fully, while the overly restrained Elinor gives the wrong impression to a man she actually very dearly loves. The tempestuousness and quiet restraint is perfectly captured by Winslet and Thompson. The film is also very beautiful shot, with lush, saturated colours of the countryside, which is authentic, though not as stylish as the later Austen adaptation pride and prejudice(2005). Overall, sense and sensibility is pretty great, though let down by some baffling plot problems.
Review of Sense and Sensibility
