Sense and Sensibility is a great story about love, prejudice and disappointment. It begins with the death of the patriarch of the Dashwood family who leaves behind a widow and three daughters. Their elder half-brother inherits the estate and so his step-mother and siblings must move out to a countryside cottage. They are left penniless and rely on the kindness of a cousin and his mother-in-law.
The elder of the sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a restrained and sensible woman who falls for her half-brother’s brother in law Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) but he has a previous secret engagement to a Miss Lucy Steele (Ceara Coveney). When this is uncovered, Edward is disinherited by his snobbish mother and sister Fanny (Stacy Martin).
Marianne Dashwood (Esmé Creed-Miles) is the passionate middle sister who adores poetry and despises social niceties which she sees as stifling. She falls for John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) who is as passionate as she is, but hiding his true uncouth nature.
Eventually Willoughby’s dark past catches up with him and he ditches Marianne leaving her heartbroken and deathly ill. This is the era where there is no paracetamol or antibiotics to prevent a sudden chill from becoming a death sentence, and Marianne nearly succumbs.
What she needs is true love and she gets that in the previously dour and spurned Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
It sounds like one giant Regency Era soap opera yet in Austen’s original story it is peppered with humour and sharp social commentary. This version is big on emotion and intrigue but short on the genuine humour that is present in the book. Other than the occasional bit of dialogue straight from the story, this film takes a more modern approach in its script and slightly loses something in the process.
The plot is reasonably faithful to the original, but some modern touches were a little jarring. This is particularly true of the dance sequences which were far more exuberant and sexual than they would have been in early 19th century.
It is beautifully filmed and plays a lot on gloomy weather and candlelit rooms and so has a dark moody feel to it. The performances were all very good and down to earth in a way that while well done once again diminished the sparkle of Austen’s original. Much of the interactions seemed more subdued and again, the wit that is associated with this story was missing.
This is a reasonably good film and it does have a superb cast yet it left me wanting more.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, Fiona Shaw
Directed by: Georgia Oakley
Duration: 132 minutes
In New Zealand cinemas 15 October 2026
