Sense and Sensibility [G]

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are two sisters with very different opinions about love and marriage. Elinor uses her head while Marianne follows her heart, but as both girls journey down their different paths, they’re about to discover that there’s only one road that leads to true love. 

Based on the novel by Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility is a wonderful romantic comedy filled with satire, memorable characters, and many a twist of the plot. 

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are two sisters with very different opinions about love. Having recently lost their father and barely receiving enough money to live on, the girls struggle to make their lives as comfortable as possible. Elinor uses her head whilst Marianne follows her heart and as both girls journey down their separate romantic paths, they’re about to discover that there’s only one road that leads to true love. 

The only reason I rented out this film at the very beginning was because of the cast. I had never read the book, in all honesty Jane Austen is rather hard to read, and therefore had no idea what the film was about. What I received when I first sat down to watch this film over a year ago was a beautiful blend of comedy, romance, drama, and suspense. Directed by Ang Lee, the film is beautifully crafted in terms of the visual stimuli that are provided by the marriage of the scenery, lighting, makeup, and costumes. The vintage English costumes are just lovely and play a big part in creating the atmosphere of the story. 

Without a doubt, the real power of the film is in the performances of the cast. Emma Thompson stars as Elinor and she was absolutely lovely. Playing the role with street smarts and sedateness, her more dramatic scenes just became all the more powerful. Emma Thompson is one of the rare actresses that I love and in this movie she was positively charming and sincere. 

180 degrees away from Emma is Kate Winslet who plays Marianne, the fiery and more romantic of the two. Bringing strong romantic passion into the film, Kate played her part divinely. She was passionate, forceful, cultured, and exceedingly romantic. She’s an absolute delight from start to finish. 

Starring Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie, Elizabeth Spriggs, James Fleet, and Robert Hardy, Sense and Sensibility is a wonderful film filled with romance, comedy, satire, drama, suspense, lovely costumes, beautiful music, manners, and a surprise ending. I adore this film.