Narrated by TIME AI.
When news got around that a new movie version of Sense and Sensibility was in the works, cries of dismay rang forth from Bath to Brooklyn. How could anyone dare try to top Ang Leeâs 1995 adaptation, penned byâand starring, alongside Kate Winsletâ Emma Thompson? But the idea that fine adaptations of great books need to be stopping points, rather than springboards, is alarming by itself. Why is a new adaptation of any Jane Austen novel such a bad thing? There are always new movie audiences, eager for their own fresh take. And just as important, why shouldnât another generation of actors have a crack at these roles? Our ability to stream anything we want, whenever we want, hasnât necessarily made us more adventurous; sometimes itâs just a way of clinging to familiar favorites at the expense of welcoming anything new. Austen herself, with her aversion to sentimentality, would have disapproved.
Then what would she make of Georgia Oakleyâs amiable, if occasionally a little sluggish, reading of her debut novel, published anonymously in 1811? Itâs hard to say for sure, but thereâs nothing thatâs offensive about this new Sense and Sensibility, and plenty thatâs lovely. Daisy Edgar-Jones and EsmĂ© Creed-Miles play Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, sisters in a close-knit family whose temperamental differences temporarily drive them apart. As the film opens, Elinor and Marianne, along with their mother (CaitrĂona Balfe) and younger sister Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), are just learning that theyâll soon have to vacate the airy, comfortable house theyâve called home for years. The girlsâ father has just died; his property will not go to his daughters, but to his son from a previous marriage, John (Tom Brooke), who nevertheless hopes to do right by making sure his father's second family well provided for. But his disagreeable wife Fanny (Stacy Martin), feels differently, and to maintain their pride, the Dashwood women choose to move into far more modest quarters, in an arrangement brokered by a family friend, Mrs. Jennings (a blissfully dithery Fiona Shaw).
Advertisement
Mrs. Jennings is also an unrepentant meddler, and she believes she can easily marry off the two eldest Dashwood girls. Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fannyâs brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant. And Marianne, a dreamer who lives for music and books, has her sights set on flirty, fun Mr. Willoughby (Frank Dillane): He loves to laugh and sing and dance, and Marianne is sure heâs perfect for her, though another potential suitor, the stalwart and rather dull Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum), is also circling. If youâve never read Austenâs lively and perceptive novelâor seen either Leeâs 1995 version or the 2008 BBC miniseries adaptationâyouâre left to guess which men the sisters will end up with, which is just one of the storyâs delights.
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles Courtesy of Focus Features
Advertisement
But as always with Austen, thereâs more to love than romance: The economics of âmaking a good matchâ are always, by necessity, lurking somewhere in these charactersâ minds. In the case of the sisters Marianne and Elinorâone too dreamy, the other perhaps not dreamy enoughâthe differences in what they look for in a partner are almost enough to pull them apart. Oakley, who previously directed the 2022 drama Blue Jean, has a deft touch with the material and a deep respect for the English countryside setting. There are drowsy closeups of wildflowers, and shots of placidly grazing deer; a country dance feels lively and lived-in, contrasted with a later ball, set in London, where the steps are more formal and regimentedâOakley leaves no doubt as to which is more fun. Shot by Arnaud Potier, the film has a handsome, genteel look. And if at times the movie comes off as a bit decorous and stiff, the actors, particularly Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles, do their best to keep the proceedings whirring. Creed-Miles shows that thereâs a slightly self-centered quality to Marianneâs romantic preoccupationsâshe takes pride in wearing her heart on her sleeve, though in some sense itâs also a means of getting her way. And yet as Creed-Miles plays her, itâs impossible to dislike her. When Marianne become truly hurt, we hurt for her, thanks to the bruised anguish in Creed-Milesâ eyes.
Advertisement
And Edgar-Jones plays Elinor, the practical sister, with just the right amount of subdued fire. Elinor is the one who always matches her expectations with reality, and as much as she loves Edward Ferrars, she doesnât put up much of a fight when she learns she might have to give him up. Edgar-Jones gives us clues to Elinorâs submerged longing, but only in flashes. And in a pivotal scene, where Marianne accuses Elinor, angrily, of âalways being right,â we can see how wounded she is, even as she recognizes that Marianne is onto something: Elinor would rather be correct than look foolish. Edgar-Jones plays Elinor as reserved without making her recessive; we can see the ways in which she wants to want more. In an age of lowered expectationsâfor movies, for romance, for just about everythingâmaybe sheâs the Austen heroine we need, ready to break out of the box sheâs drawn around herself. Austen knew what she was talking about, and time hasnât eroded her wisdom.