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Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Wonderful Period Piece with Strong Performances & Script
Review: Emma Thompson won her secnd Oscar for her adaptation of Jane Austen. As filmed by the one-and-only Ang Lee, the result is pure bliss, with first rate performances from Thompson herself and Kate Winslet, both Oscar nominees for acting. Lee infuses every scene with high costume comedy-drama, so that even the simplest overtures become symbolic of somthing far greater, more refined and visually grand than anythnig Hollywood has released in nearly a decade. Think "A Room With A View" with high-jinks and you'll get the picture. A Romantic Classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sensitive, Sensuous Sensory Experience
Review: Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of life in London and Devonshire with Mrs. Dashwood and her three beautiful daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret. Mr. Dashwood has died, and due to the laws of inheritance in 19th century England, the handsome estate passes to the male descendants, and the Dashwood women are evicted by their evil sister in law, Fanny Dashwood, with only 500 pounds a year to support themselves. The Jennings', kind but eccentric cousins in Devonshire, offer them the use of their drafty stone cottage for a nominal rent, and they are packed off and moved with only one servant to attend to their needs.

Elinor (portrayed perfectly by Emma Thompson), the sensible oldest sister, has a tight rein on her emotions and is ever aware of the proprieties of single women in society, and struggles to keep within their budget. She mourns the fact that ladies are taught no useful skills, are not allowed to earn their living and are totally dependent on the largesse of men. She has also fallen in love with Edward Farris (Hugh Grant), the brother of Fanny, but Fanny is intent on keeping them apart, for the family has grander plans for Edward.

Marianne (Kate Winslet), is the emotional, romantic expressive younger sister who recites Shakespearean sonnets, and plays mournful, romantic songs on the pianoforte. She falls passionately in love with John Willoughby, the handsome rake from a nearby estate, who toys with her affections but never openly declares his love for her. All the while, she is being courted by Colonel Brandon, a mature thoughtful and sensitive gentleman who is smitten with this spirited middle sister.

The youngest sister, Margaret, still a child of 12 or so, is playful and loves to study her atlas and travel in her mind.

The verdant scenery, opulent period costumes, and lavish English manors and ballrooms will mesmerize you. The sisters are romantic, witty and funny, perfectly cast and supported by a wonderful cast of characters. This is a film that I will watch over and over to rediscover all the nuances of conversation and character interactions and revel in the beautiful scenery. Emma Thompson's award for best screenplay was well deserved.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: wonderfully touching
Review: it's amazing that emma thompson can add things into a story which wasn't perfect for a jane austen novel and turn it into one of the loveliest movies i have ever watched. my mum, who's rather hard to please, was surprisingly pleased with it too.
as said, i applaud the script, which i feel was much better paced than in the novel. the movie successfully shows the changing feelings marriane had for colonel brandon, unlike in the book. the scene where the colonel carried marriane home was so hauntingly beautiful, a distinct touch added to remind us the first time marriane was carried home in the rain by willoughby.
the actors were all convincing in their parts. emma thompson (she waas really steady in her acting), alan rickman (he was marvellous! and i liked his character the most), kate winslet (she was refreshingly beautiful) and hugh grant (very sweet).
the movie flowed real smoothly as well. i hardly felt that over 2 hours had passed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A very awesome movie
Review: Sense & Sensibility is a wonderful movie. It is based on the classic novel by Jane Austen.

It won critical acclaim and was nominated/won many awards. All of the actors do a superb job in this film.

I recommend this movie to anyone who needs a chance at a romantic flick and a beautiful story of love, loss, and growing up. Run out to your nearest video store and get this movie!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sense and Sensibility is the Ultimate Cinderella story where
Review: all sisters win in this heart-warming epic of once supported household of 3 daughters and a gentle mother who now face with pride and determination to overcome the odds life has dealt them.
And where true human goodness rewards itself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A PERIOD MASTERPIECE...
Review: The enormously talented Emma Thompson wrote the marvelous screenplay for this brilliant adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name. Ms. Thompson rightly won a Academy Award for Best Screenplay for her efforts. The film itself, first class in every respect, received seven Academy Award nominations and was named Golden Globe Best Picture of the Year.

The film revolves around the two Dashwood sisters, the passionate and highly impetuous Marianne (Kate Winslet) and the more conformist and restrained Elinor (Emma Thompson), who have had a sudden reversal of fortune, having been left impoverished upon the death of their father. Their financial condition is exacerbated by the evil machinations of their sister in law, Fanny Dashwood (Harriet Walter), who manipulates her husband, their half brother, into pinching pennies with them, causing them no end of hardship.

This nineteenth century tale of morals and manners details the romantic trials and tribulations of the Dashwood sisters. Marianne falls in love with a scoundrel, John Willoughby (Greg Wise), who leaves her high and dry for a woman with a fortune. Meanwhile, the kind and courteous Col. Brandon (Alan Rickman) falls in love with Marianne and suffers from unrequited love for some time, until Marianne regains her senses. Elinor falls in love with Edwards Ferrars (Hugh Grant), her evil sister in law's brother, and he with her, but many obstacles to their pairing are interposed along the way. All comes out right in the end, however, but it is the getting there that makes this film a must see.

A witty, funny, and romantic film, it boasts a first class ensemble cast. While Ms. Thompson may be a bit long in the tooth for the role which she plays, her thespian talents and charm enable her to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Beautifully directed by Ang Lee, this film should top the list of those who love Jane Austen and those who adore superlative period pieces.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: True to the Novel
Review: All novels have to be abridged for their movie debut. Those adapting for screenplay must carefully consider scences that can be condensed or eliminated to allow the film to conclude in two hours. "Sense and Sensibility" is no exception. It has been beautifully and skillfully adapted for film. The spirit and beauty of Jane Austen's novel remains intact.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A superb job of bringing Jane Austen's novel to the screen
Review: I suppose it makes perfect sense that if you want to make a 19th-century English romance novel into a superb film you hire an actress almost twice the age of the main character to not only play the role but also adapt the screenplay into a book and then hire a Taiwanese director to direct the film. You might say, yes, such things happen in Hollywood, but the success of "Sense and Sensibility" is due to what transpired in England, not Southern California. Having read the novel and the original screenplay, the largest share of credit goes to Emma Thompson, who deservedly received the Oscar for Best Screenplay Adaptation. Thompson began by dramatizing every scene in the novel, which resulted in 300 hand written pages to be followed by 14 drafts as the 1811 novel was crafted into the final script. The result was a script that manages to be not only romantic and funny, but also romantic and funny in the best Austen sense of both.

After watching the film again I focus on three particular points, which I think best reveal the strength of Thompson's script. First, the entire introductory sequence, which induces us to like the Dashwood sisters because we are introduced first to their step-brother and his shrewish wife (credit for this particular sequence also goes to Film Editor Tim Squyres, who recut the scene so that we get all of one side and then the other instead of alternating back and forth as in the original script). Our sympathies cannot help but be with the plight of Elinor and Marianne. Second, the use of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not the marriage of true minds"), which Marianne and Willoughby share to their great mutual delight (except he gets a word wrong, in an elegant little bit of foreshadowing) and which Marianne repeats standing in the rain looking at Willoughby's new estate. Third, Austen has Elinor bolt from the room to cry outside during the happy ending but Thompson creates a wonderful moment by having her stay in the room and having the rest of her family flee. There are not too many scenes where you are crying and laughing at the same time, but Thompson certainly created one (and has the added virtue of relying on herself as an actress to nail the performance as well). All of these are marvelous examples of playing to the strength of the cinema to bring Austen's novel to the screen.

The performances are first-rate, especially Kate Winslet as the passionate Marianne, Gemma Jones as Mrs. Dashwood and Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon (the look on his face when Marianne thanks him for rescuing her is so wondrously touching). Hugh Grant does find a way of slowing the delivery of his dialogue more than usual, but it does fit the overall pace of the film. The supporting cast is exactly what you come to expect from a British production with Elizabeth Spriggs stealing every scene she is in as Mrs. Jennings, Robert Hardy as Sir John Middleton, Hugh Laurie as Mr. Palmer, Oliver Ford Davies as Doctor Harris, and the enchanting young Emilie Francois as Margaret Dashwood ("They always kneel down"). On the darker side of the ledger we have Greg Wise as the less than honorable John Willoughby, and Imogene Stubbs as Lucy Steele and Harriet Walter as Fanny Dashwood vying for the main villainess role in the proceedings. No wonder Emma Thompson's performance as Elinor is almost lost in the proceedings, but she is the center around which everything resolves who has to keep it together when everybody around her is losing it (even when she first confesses her broken heart, she ends up consoling Marianne instead of the other way around).

Ang Lee had already proven he could handle a tale of sisters in love when he directed "Eat Drink Man Woman." In "Sense and Sensibility" he has the script, the actors and the set design all working in his favor to create a sense of 19th century England. But there are a few moments when he uses the camera to great advantage; in particular the overhead shot of Marianne on her sick bed achieves a painting like quality and the tracking shot of Mrs. Jennings running down the street bearing the latest gossip.

I first say this film when visiting England and I was so caught up in the story that I had no idea who was going to end up with who. Actually, I was sort of rooting for Elinor to end up with Colonel Brandon since they were obviously the two finest members of their respective sexes in the proceedings. So the ending was as much of a surprise to me as it was to the Dashwoods, which is certainly something to be cherished. Obviously if you love this film it will lead you to other Austen adaptations (the film versions of "Emma" and "Persuasion" along with the BBC mini-series "Pride & Prejudice" immediately leap to mind), but hopefully it will also lead you to the original novels as well. Finally, Thompson published "The Sense and Sensibility: Screenplay & Diaries," which I would highly recommend after you have done both the film and the novel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just A Perfect Movie
Review: This movie is just wonderful! I love the acting of Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. The two sisters are opposite in terms of one being practical and the other who bases her actions only upon emotions. They both learn through the trials and tribulations of their time how to balance logic and feelings to overcome the odds and fall in love. It was just so heartwarming and I can't say enough about the acting, every little look meant something, every action had meaning. The sets were gorgeous, you could just feel the wind blowing and the beauty all around you when you watched the film. The whole movie was a perfect 5. I don't rate many at this number, so be prepared for a good time well spent. Warning, it may appeal more to the female sex, but men could learn a thing or two from watching this comedy/drama.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I got sense and sesibility too ! haha
Review: Originally I thought it would be a bored movie, but it's much better than what I expected ! It's an old movie...wow... been 5 yrs from now.but I really suggest u to see this film, it's great and give you a fabulous inspiration!


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