Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Unfamiliar with Jane Austen’s work? Too busy to read the books, but not enough to be content with the Wikipedia synopsis? Perhaps you're thinking of testing the waters with a film adaptation first? If so, 1995's Sense and Sensibility is a great choice. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the work it’s based on, you'll be under its charms in no time.
Sisters Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne (Kate Winslet) Dashwood lose their home and the comforts of wealth when their father passes away. Forced to move out of their house along with their mother (Gemma Jones) and younger sister Margaret (Emilie François), the two women must now look for financial security through marriage. Courtship is challenging for level-headed Elinor and heart-driven Marianne as they struggle to find a man who will support their family and marry them for love.
This is what you want out of a romantic drama. It succeeds in making these people's dating lives a big deal. Life was very different in the 1800s, particularly for women. You couldn’t get a job or run a household by yourself without getting weird looks even if you were wealthy, so what chance do these women have? Through no fault of their own and because of deliberate scheming against them they suddenly need a man who will take care of them. That sucks, particularly if you're smart like they are. Even if Elinor and Marianne find a man that's available, likable, and rich, there are probably a dozen equally desperate women after him too. This isn’t some high school drama nonsense; it’s survival. You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, even the romantic rivals. You couldn’t pull off a story about relationships with this much urgency in modern times.
With that foundation, you're drawn into Sense and Sensibility completely. Not only because of the high stakes; because the romance is nice and juicy. You don’t know who these women will end up with. It’s not just about who is the most handsome, or the kindest. It’s not even necessarily about the money. These people aren’t machines, they want to be happy and that’s difficult in this world they live in. This could've easily made it alienating but you're never lost. Even 200 or so years back, human emotions weren't so different from the way they are now, and the material is made to be very digestible.
All this is made even more accessible by strong performances and great direction by Ang Lee. My favorite scene is one set in a ballroom, a place that naturally lends itself to drama. There are so many opportunities in there to suddenly bump into someone you wanted to avoid and there’s no way you’ll be able to escape their gaze forever. Inevitably, the music will force you to switch partners. Suddenly, you’re inches away from them. Now what?
My exposure to Jane Austen before Sense and Sensibility was limited. Through osmosis, I’d gotten the gist of it: the peril that accompanies sudden impoverishment, the challenges women faced at the time, the evergreen drama of wanting to be with someone but not knowing if you’ll get your happy ending. I’m embarrassed to say the only adaptation of the writer’s work before this was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, not exactly a great example. But I’m an open-minded person. The movies I enjoy don’t need superheroes, giant monsters, big special effects, or bone-breaking punches to the face. It helps, but when you've got characters like these, performers on this level, writing of this quality, it doesn't matter who you are. You'll love it. (On DVD, March 27, 2016)
