My Review of the New Sense and Sensibility Movie

                                                                     Image: Wikipedia 

Have you seen the new Sense and Sensibility movie yet? Today I ventured to see the new film, directed by Georgia Oakley, and I am eager to share my (very mixed) feelings about the adaptation. 

As an avid Janeite, it is difficult to avoid comparing the new adaptation to the previous ones (e.g. 2008, 1995), or to avoid comparing the film to the book. However, I decided to view the adaptation with an open mind. This time, my now 13-year-old daughter joined me, and I was excited to hear her opinion, as she represents a new generation of viewers and might well have an alternative point of view to mine. 

Firstly, I was distracted by the unusual costumes and hair choices (as often happens with modern adaptations!). Many of the main characters had their hair down, and Marianne had long, messy, matted hair throughout the film. This may well have been an intentional choice to reflect her free-spirited nature; however, I'm not quite sure why the more restrained Elinor had her hair 'wildly' down, too. 

The costumes seemed strange and, in my very humble opinion, not period-appropriate or reflective of the social standing of the characters. These costumes would have been have been more appropriate for the servant classes than the gentry; there should have been a marked disparity in costumes between the servants and the masters. Perhaps costuming was intentionally chosen to attune to the autumnal tone and colour palette in the movie - everything seemed toned down to autumnal browns, bronzes, and other dark colours. The lack of bonnets would have annoyed many a Janeite, as ladies would not have been prancing about in public with nothing on their heads.That said, if I wasn't a connoisseur of the period, I most probably would have enjoyed the carefully chosen colour schemes reflective of the emotional aspect of the movie. 

On a positive note, I must say that I enjoyed the cinematography in this film very much indeed; the film has been beautifully shot, and locations such as the wild, coastal Devon countryside are portrayed like a period painting. The cinematography somewhat reminds me of Pride and Prejudice (2005) and scenes from Bronte adaptations. Scenes are shot in natural light, and the camera moves with the characters, making each scene feel like you are a part of it. 

The actors are wonderful, too. The legendary Fiona Shaw (the delightful Mrs Croft in Persuasion, 1995) is outstanding as Mrs Jennings and had me in fits of laughter. The main characters are also beautifully portrayed by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Elinor) and Esmé Creed-Miles (Marianne). 

The production has taken some creative liberties with the plot; there are some scenes that have been altered or added and do not appear in the original book. I won't mention those for fear of spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it, but I would love to hear your opinions if you have! We don't get to see a full resolution at the end of the film either, which differs from the previous adaptations. 

My biggest criticism is perhaps how the dialogue is shown in this movie. I would much prefer to hear authentic dialogue from Jane Austen's book rather than a screenwriter's version of it. Again, this wouldn't be an issue if I hadn't been introduced to Jane Austen and hadn't read the book, as the film itself is beautifully made and the story is a wonderful portrayal of 'sense' and 'sensibility' - reason and feeling. 

However, this version doesn't compare to the 1995 masterpiece by Ang Lee, which will forever remain in my heart as the most brilliant portrayal of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and more specifically, of the duality of reason and feeling. I have vivid memories of discussing the movie back in 1995 with my grandad, who sadly passed away two years later; my grandad loved Emma Thompson's Elinor and vastly preferred the movie to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, which I adored. I will cherish the memories of these debates as some of my last interactions with my grandad and the bond I shared with him in our love of Jane Austen.