Sense and Sensibility Review

Sense and Sensibility Review: Jane's Straightforward Adaptation of a Classic Romance Novel

Sense and Sensibility opens in theaters on October 16.

Georgia Oakley's Sense and Sensibility is one of the most eye-catching films you're likely to see this year, but as an adaptation of Jane Austen's first novel - which she published anonymously. It was originally written "by a lady" - ironically, it sounds cinematically anonymous. It unfolds as an anomaly, thanks in large part to the way it engages with the novel's tone—or rather, breaks with it—and the result is a film that can barely tell the difference between social farce and genuine romance. It's certainly watchable, but when it comes to such respectable material, is that enough?

Sticking closely to its source, the late 18th-century story follows the plight of the Dashwood family—mainly sisters Eleanor (Daisy Edgar Jones) and Marian (Esme Creed-Miles)—when their patriarch dies, leaving them destitute and forcing them to evacuate their lush estate. The girls, along with their mother, Mrs. Dashwood (Caitriona Balfe), and their younger sister Margaret (Bodhi Rae Bratnach), soon move to a more humble home. Then Eleanor and Marian encounter eligible bachelors, respectively, amid the complexities of marriage, betrothal, and inheritance procedures in Georgian England.

These social constraints set the film's dramatic lines, as headstrong Elinor remembers the summer she spent with Edward Ferrari (George Mackie) and Marian becomes more attractive. She meets the rebellious John Willoughby (Frank Dylan) - through a classic and high-profile meeting - while rejecting the advances of Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordram). As questions about the sisters' financial compatibility become entangled with the men's white lies and half-truths, things gradually fall apart.

A key problem with the film's disappearance emerges early on, when the Dashwoods lament their lack of wealth moving forward, thanks to a selfish half-brother, the cartoonishly scheming John Dashwood (Tom Brooke) and his equally sinister wife, Fanny (Stacey Martin). For most films, a beautiful atmosphere with melodic, dreamy strings would be an undisputed strength, but in this version of Sense and Sensibility, the film's appealing aesthetic is juxtaposed with its borderline satirical tone, which ultimately fails to settle.

Filmmaking rarely emphasizes elements of their personalities. It's a failure that becomes particularly apparent during the attempt at a comedic beat, when a secondary character, Lady Middleton (Chloe Peary), talks about the weather. It's an ad nauseam to show how boring he is, but few of the characters around him have more life or energy of their own. Sure, there are standouts who give engaging and energetic performances, from Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Jennings's talkative and kindly aunt to the Dashwoods' older neighbor Sir John Middleton (Turlough Convery), but they also overshadow the leads. Despite their efforts to inject life and mischief into the sisters' dynamic, several degrees.

The camera is never close enough to evoke real emotion or removed enough to highlight the class absurdities of the era.

Oakley's cinematography creates a distinct sense of place and time, but the film's emotional moods are often overwhelmed by the somber drama, which lacks detailed close-ups and other shot choices to shake things up a bit. These still scenes are generally played at an unobtrusive distance from lukewarm medium shots. The camera is never close enough to evoke real emotion or far enough away to highlight the class absurdities of the era.

It's an adaptation that's stuck in the middle, unable to decide between a contemporary commentary on outdated social mores or a complete absorption in the drama of the period. Are these women justifiably offended or stupid for taking too much notice of the situation? You can make up your own mind, of course, but the film's lens doesn't seem to point to a conclusion with both possibilities in the ether, making it difficult to fully invest in either side.

Georgia Oakley's Sense and Sensibility is a lush and beautiful adaptation of Jane Austen whose story is emotionally simple. Despite an adequate lead and some standout performances in the supporting cast, the film rarely creates the mood it needs for a modern adaptation, and is trapped between tawdry retelling and half-hearted humor. Although watchable, it should be much more