Top 10 Austen adaptations: #1

~No. 1 - Sense and Sensibility 1995~

And so we finally come to #1! Most of you have probably guessed what it is by now. :-)

Well. . . where to begin? I think this review is going to be the hardest to write in this series. . . probably because I like this film the most! So try to be bear with me. It's hard for a fangirl to write a well-written critical analysis - "Oh, I LOOOOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH!!!" :P Oh, and prepare for a barrage of pictures. . . I have literally hundreds of S&S pics saved on my computer, and I had a hard time choosing which ones to include in this post. Hopefully my blog doesn't take too long to load these days. . . 

This film is, in a word, exquisite. Unlike other Austen adaptations - such as P&P05 - there's scarcely a false note in the entire movie. Everything - cast, screenplay, score, etc. - seems to fall into place, creating a glorious symphony of a film.

Gotta love this scene, even though it's not in the book. . . 

The cast was just about perfect. Yes, Emma Thompson was too old, but her performance as Elinor Dashwood was brilliant - she's such an incredible actress. In light of this, the fact that she was technically several years too old to be Elinor isn't so very important! It simply adds a slightly different dynamic to the film, having an older Elinor, on the verge of "spinsterhood". 

Elinor (Emma Thompson), Marianne (Kate Winslet) and Mrs. Dashwood (Gemma Jones)

In fact, you could argue that having an older Elinor actually helps rather than hinders some plot points - for instance, when Colonel Brandon is telling Elinor about Eliza. A retired old soldier like the Colonel, telling his life story to a 19-year-old girl? I know Elinor is supposed to a very mature 19, but in the context of the story, I don't think it hurts to have an Elinor in her late 20s. (Emma Thompson was actually in her 30s when filming S&S, but she could pass for a 28/29-year-old.)

Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon

Alan Rickman was lovely as Colonel Brandon, Greg Wise was suitably dashing and romantic as Willoughby, while Harriet Walter, Gemma Jones, and Elizabeth Spriggs were all excellent as Fanny Dashwood, Mrs. Dashwood, and Mrs. Jennings, respectively. Hugh Laurie was unforgettable as Mr. Palmer, and Emilie Francois was delightful as "Captain" Margaret Dashwood! Hugh Grant was okay as Edward Ferrars, though I'm not really a big fan of his. . . 

The real standout in the cast - alongside Emma Thompson - was, of course, Kate Winslet. She embodied the role of Marianne so beautifully. And there was great chemistry between the two actresses - they were very believable as sisters. Many of the best scenes in the film were those between Emma and Kate.

Greg Wise as John Willoughby

Sense and Sensibility, the book, is unlike any other Austen novel in that it concentrates (this is just my opinion) more on two female characters and their relationship, than it does on the romance. This is, after all, the only Austen book with two heroines. The heroes, on the other hand, are not as well developed as most of Jane Austen's other male protagonists. S&S 1995 does a great job at emphasizing Elinor's and Marianne's relationship, and rounding out the male characters in the story.

Beautiful Neo-Classical architecture

Emma Thompson's Oscar-winning screenplay is brilliant. She does manages to condense the novel into a feature-length film, while still preserving the wit and richness of Austen's prose. Much of the dialogue is taken straight from the book.

Patrick Doyle's score is. . . hm, I'm trying to think of an adjective that doesn't sound too gushy! It is sweepingly beautiful and romantic, one of my all-time favourite movie soundtracks. The soundtrack CD is a must-buy for anyone who loves the film - whenever you're in need of a bit of romance, just put the CD on and re-live the film all over again. . . 

The soundtrack contributes enormously to the depth of feeling in this film. This is one of only two Austen movies (I think Persuasion '07 is the other one) that has had me in tears!

LOL, poor Alan Rickman seems to be straining a bit. . . Kate Winslet wouldn't be the lightest actress to carry around

Visually, it's a beautiful film to look at. Gorgeous locations, and some of my favourite costumes from a Regency-era movie. I much prefer the early Regency fashions - 1790s and very early 1800s - to those of the 1810s and 1820s. S&S95 is set around 1800.

A devastated Marianne

Like I said at the top, this is an exquisite viewing experience, spanning a range of human emotions and experiences - particularly love, in its different forms. This is, after all, Jane Austen. :-)

All this talking about Sense and Sensibility makes me want to watch it again. . . I've probably seen it 50 times, but I'm not sick of it yet!

P.S. - many of my photos are from KateWinsletFan.com

The Dreame

Or scorne, or pity on me take,
I must the true redemption make,
I am undone tonight.
Love, in a subtle dreame disguised,
Hath both my heart and me surprised,
Whom never yet he durst attempt awake;

Nor will he tell me for whose sake
He did me the delight or spight,
But leaves me to inquire,
In all my wild desire
Of sleep again, who was his aid,
And sleep so guiltie and afraid,
And since he dares not come within my sight.

~Ben Jonson (1572-1637)

Included in the soundtrack for Sense and Sensibility (1995), composed by Patrick Doyle.

CLICK HERE to listen.

S&S v. S&S

Yes, that's right, it's this:

versus this!

Sort of. Okay, let's start this properly.

Sense and Sensibility is one of my favourite Jane Austen novels. Actually, every Austen novel is my favourite Austen novel, if that makes any sense - it probably doesn't. (If I had to pick an all-time fav. JA novel, it would probably be Persuasion.)

Seriously though, let's take a look at some of the reasons why Sense and Sensibility stands unique among the pantheon of JA books.

* It is the darkest of Jane Austen's novels. A light-hearted romp through Regency society this is not. The opening premise of the book is not a happy one: a man dies, leaving his wife and three young daughters at the mercy of their half-brother and his selfish, scheming wife. The four women have to leave their home and move to a run-down little cottage in the middle of nowhere (Devonshire. No offence to modern-day residents of Devon, I was only implying that Devonshire would have seemed like the middle of nowhere to the four Dashwood women.) As the story runs its course, the two elder daughters both fall in love and subsequently have their hearts broken. Yes, it is at times quite a depressing book to read, even though it (fortunately) has a happy ending. . .

* It is also the most melodramatic of Austen's novels.

* It is (possibly) the most utterly romantic JA book. Pride and Prejudice fans will no doubt take exception to this. :-) I think this impression of romance springs from the fact that, within the pages of S&S dwell two of the most 'hopeless romantics' ever created by Austen - Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon. . . one might also include the Byronesque John Willoughby, although, as Marianne discovered too late, it was Brandon, not Willoughby, who was the "true romantic". . .

* It is the most "Bronte" of Austen's novels.

Of course, in spite of all the bleakness and heartbreak, Austen's brilliant wit and humour are still very evident in S&S, particularly in the wonderfully witty and ironic dialogue given to Elinor Dashwood.

Now, there have been three major screen adaptions of S&S produced in recent years: the 1983 BBC version which I have yet to see, the much acclaimed 1995 version, and most recently the 2008 BBC miniseries.

There are certain pros and cons to both versions.

S&S95 Pros:

* Emma Thompson's Academy Award-winning screenplay. Simply brilliant, especially when you consider that she had to squeeze all of Sense and Sensibility into a two-hour running time.

* Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood. She is absolutely gorgeous, and she portrays the innate sweetness and luminosity of Marianne's character very well.

* Emma Thompson, while obviously too old to play Elinor, is nonetheless a great actress with a strong presence. Her performance was very good. Alan Rickman, while also a little too old, made a lovely Colonel Brandon.


* Lavish and beautiful production values. Everything - from costumes, musical score, scenery, all are exquisite. I though the London ballroom scenes and the scene where Marianne goes out walking alone in the direction of Combe Magna were particularly well-done.

* Ang Lee was the director.

* Hugh Laurie as Mr Palmer - one of the best things about this film.

Cons:

* Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars. Ugh! I don't like that man.

* As I mentioned earlier, Emma Thompson was about 15 years too old to play Elinor Dashwood, and the same goes for Alan Rickman as Brandon. Certain other characters, including Mrs. Palmer, Sir John Middleton, Lucy Steele, and Mrs. John (Fanny) Dashwood, also looked older than they are in the book.

* Several minor characters were omitted. These included Anne Steele, Lady Middleton and her children, and Mrs. Ferrars, who is mentioned but doesn't appear onscreen.


Now, for S&S08.

Pros:

* The cast were, in general, a good bit younger than the cast for S&S95, so a lot of the characters looked closer to their proper ages (e.g. Elinor is supposed to be 19, Marianne 17, Edward 24, and Colonel Brandon no older than 35-6).

*This was a miniseries, not a movie, hence more time was available for filling out the details of the plot. It also meant that they were able to include more of the minor characters from the story.

* The scenery is absolutely stunning. The soundtrack is also good - it is by Martin Phipps, who also composed the musical scores for Persuasion 2007 and North and South (2004).


* Dan Stevens (Edward Ferrars) had the advantage of not being Hugh Grant. Some of my fellow Janeites complained that he was too good-looking to be Edward, and perhaps he was, but he captured the character of Edward very well, I thought.

* David Morissey was wonderful as Colonel Brandon. Hattie Morahan, while not the actress Emma Thompson is, did a good job playing Elinor nonetheless.

* The little kid who played Harry Dashwood - absolutely priceless!

* I loved the duel between Brandon and Willoughby. :) I am very glad they chose to include it.

Cons:

* Dominic Cooper as Willoughby - wrong, wrong wrong! This was probably the single major jarring note in this production, for me. Willoughby is supposed to be tall, handsome, and completely charming. Cooper's Willoughby was simply not as charming or attractive as he is supposed to be, making it very difficult to fathom why Marianne would fall for him.

* Screenwriter Andrew Davies messed up in several places, most notably in the infamous opening scene with Willoughby and Eliza. I was very disappointed that this scene was included. I thought it was distasteful and unnecessary, and it mars what would otherwise have been a fairly family-friendly series that I could have watched with my younger brothers and sisters without worrying about scenes to fast-forward through. I still watch it with them, I just have to be sure to skip past that bit. The wood-chopping scene was also rather silly and unnecessary in my opinion.

* Mrs. Jennings was not nearly as boisterous and loud and hilarious as she is supposed to be.


Well, there are a lot of good points and both points to both versions. Sense and Sensibility 1995 has been my favourite Jane Austen movie for some time, so it was always going to be difficult for S&S08 to overtake it. . .

The first time I saw S&S08, I didn't like it very much. Here's an excerpt from my journal, written after I watched the first couple of episodes online in January 2008:

Andrew Davies is truly an extremely aggravating man. Who does he think he is, taking such liberties with my beloved Jane's books. But I really think [the problem is] not so much his script as the cast. Nearly every one of the actors is dreadfully miscast. With a few notable exceptions. Lucy Boynton is gorgeous as Margaret, Hattie Morahan makes a lovely, luminous Elinor, and David Morissey (arguably the most skilled actor in this production) does an admirable job in portraying Colonel Brandon. . .

Finally, I actually like Dan Steven [as Edward]. . .But I am afraid that even the best Edward in the world cannot atone for the worst Willoughby AND Marianne. . .

The final consensus: 3 out of 5 stars.

Since writing that earlier this year, I have changed my mind on several things. . . I have softened a good deal in my opinion of Charity Wakefield as Marianne, even though I still don't like Dominic Cooper as Willoughby. I can't say how or why, but Sense and Sensibility 2008 continues to grow on me. . . S&S95 still remains as my favourite version of Sense and Sensibility, but I would now recommend both versions to anyone. I would now give it a 4 out of 5 rating - maybe even 4 1/2 out of 5.

So, my advice: rather than trying to pick just one, buy both versions, if you don't already have one or both of them on dvd! :-)


So - what was your favourite version of S&S?