Friday, February 10, 2006
Sense and Sensibility
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: We watched this one afternoon on TCM and our interest in it surprised us both. Every performance is a delight. The film of the story is much better than the book, full of character scrutinizing scenes. My mother teared up at the end of the movie; very unusual for her. When I saw a copy of it being sold, I had to have it. We watched it again, the day I bought it. Again, my mother was transported to tears at the end. We'll be watching this again.
It's notable that Roger Ebert reconsidered his initial two-and-a-half star review of this film. The article in which he talks about this is here, but surrounded by many other opinions on many other movies. Thus, I'm going to quote his reconsideration here:
"I didn't give 'Sense and Sensibility' a favorable review when it was first released. I preferred one of the year's other Jane Austen adaptations, 'Persuasion,' a tougher and more thought-provoking film. But as 'S & S' began to emerge as the Oscar front-runner, I went back to see it again. I enjoyed it, yes, and if I had it to do all over again I might be tempted to give it three stars instead of two and a half. (I wouldn't change a word of my newspaper review, however, which expresses both what I liked and didn't like about the film.)
"What 'Sense and Sensibility' has, above all, is the image of a high-minded, literate, respectable Oscar winner. It is from Britain (the Academy loves British films and actors). It is attached to Jane Austen, one of the most beloved trade names in literature. It has no negatives like sex, violence, or naughty words. Hollywood can honor it and feel good about itself: See here, it can say, what wholesome films we make!"
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Emma Thompson Elinor Dashwood Kate Winslet Marianne Dashwood Alan Rickman Colonel Brandon Imogen Stubbs Lucy Steele Hugh Grant Edward Ferrars Greg Wise John Willoughby Gemma Jones Mrs. Dashwood Hugh Laurie Mr. Palmer Imelda Staunton Charlotte Palmer Tom Wilkinson Mr. Dashwood Harriet Walter Fanny Dashwood Elizabeth Spriggs Mrs. Jennings
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1995
Directed by Ang Lee.
Labels: alan-rickman, emma-thompson, imelda-staunton, period4, romance2, shared-favorite, tom-wilkinson
