Out this week in Irish cinemas is the latest retelling of Jane Austen’s romance Sense and Sensibility, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones & Esmé Creed-Miles as the famous Dashwood sisters.
If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, you already know this story from either reading her novel or the famous 90s era version starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman and Kate Winslet. For the uninitiated, this is a story about a family finding themselves lost as they lose their beloved family home when the patriarch of the family dies and leaves his wife and daughters nothing. As eldest daughter Elinor (Edgar-Jones) and the rest of her family find stability in the countryside, complications come to their lives in the form of the men in their lives. Middle child Marianne (Creed-Miles) wishes for passion and may have found it in a daring young man, and Elinor herself finds herself pining after Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), a man who sadly may forever be out of reach.
Such spirit is all too rare
Sense and Sensibility is an absolutely brilliant film, full of that authentic charm and character that has made Austen adored the world over. This stems from a talented ensemble. There is not a weak link in the bunch, from Edgar-Jones quietly strong Elinor to Creed-Miles’ over-the-top Marianne; there are a lot of enjoyable performances. My particular favourite performance came from Herbert Nordrum, who plays Colonel Brandon. It is difficult to portray a person with such intensity who is trying to hold everything in. With a lesser actor, it may come across as simple stoicism. In Nordrum’s hands, however, I could see the tempest of emotions within Brandon.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are a lot of characters with humour around them. Fiona Shaw’s Mrs Jennings is the best example, filling scenes with giggles with her disarming charm. There is also Bodhi Rae Breathnach as young Margaret Dashwood. She bounces off her sisters with the warmth of innocence, and the trio work well together.
At the centre of Sense and Sensibility are the budding romances, and though the genre itself has become so saturated with tropes, this film still rises above it, for the most part. Thanks in no small part to the beautiful locations, dialogue and chemistry of its cast. MacKay is magnetic as Edward, and you wish for nothing but the best for him and Elinor as they stumble through the world trying to hold onto each other.
Another element which I have to commend in Sense and Sensibility is the stunning cinematography. Filmed all across England, Sense and Sensibility is a testament to the beauty of the country. It is a character unto itself and is another example of the excellent work of director Georgia Oakley and cinematographer Arnaud Potier.
I found myself moved many times throughout the course of the film, and it’s a testament to the legacy of Austen that even now, with all these pretenders to the throne, she remains unassailable in the genre she created all those years ago.
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