Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 British period drama film directed by Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee. The screenplay by Emma Thompson is based on the 1811 novel of the same name by English author Jane Austen. The film stars Thompson and Kate Winslet as the two eldest Dashwood sisters, while actors Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman play their respective suitors.
Thompson earned her second Academy Award, this time for Best Adapted Screenplay, making her the only person, as of 2011, to have won a writing Oscar and an acting Oscar (Thompson won the Best Actress award for Howards End, in 1993).
The film was also nominated for six other Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Summary[]
Elino and passionate Marianne. When their father dies unexpectedly, his estate must pass by law to his son from his first marriage, leaving Mr. Dashwood's current wife and daughters without a home and with barely enough money to live on. As both sisters struggle to find romantic fulfillment in a society obsessed with financial and social status-Elinor with shy, charming Edward, and Marianne with either the dashing Willoughby or the haunted Colonel Brandon they must learn to mix sense with sensibility in their dealings with both money and men.
Plot[]
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When Mr. Dashwood dies, his wife and three daughters — Elinor, Marianne and Margaret — are left with an inheritance of only £500 a year; the bulk of his estate, Norland Park, is left to his son John from a previous marriage. John and his greedy, snobbish wife Fanny immediately install themselves in the large house; Fanny invites her brother Edward Ferrars to stay with them. She frets about the budding friendship between Edward and Elinor, believing he can do better, and does everything she can to prevent it from developing into a romantic attachment.
Sir John Middleton, a cousin of the widowed Mrs. Dashwood, offers her a small cottage house on his estate, Barton Park in Devonshire. She and her daughters move in, and are frequent guests at Barton Park. Marianne meets the older Colonel Brandon, who falls in love with her at first sight, although Marianne does not fall for him herself. Competing for her affections is the dashing John Willoughby, with whom Marianne falls in love with after he rescues her in the rain after spraining her ankle. Marianne is truly taken with Willoughby but Elina does not approve of some of his actions such as taking Marianne on a wild carriage ride through town. One day when the family and many friends go to a picnic at the Colonel's estate, he receives an express letter where after reading it, leaves to attend urgent business but allows the picnic to resume. While out walking Willoughby asks Marianne to skip church on Sunday as he has a question to ask. On the morning she expects him to propose marriage to her, he instead says that he must live for London almost immediately on business and may not be back anytime soon. This leaves Marianne heartbroken and in tears where her family comforts her.
Sir John's mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings, invites her daughter and son-in-law, Mr and Mrs Palmer, to visit. They bring with them the impoverished Lucy Steele. Lucy confides in Elinor that she and Edward have been engaged secretly for five years, thus dashing Elinor's hopes of a future with him. To help both of the sisters get over the sad events that occurred, Mrs. Jennings takes Lucy, Elinor, and Marianne to London for some time. Margaret the youngest stays behind with her mother. After arriving in London, Marianne writes to Willoughby and keeps expecting a letter from him, but she receives nothing. One evening however, they meet Willoughby at a ball and he barely acknowledges their acquaintance, during the ball, they notice he is with another young lady of high society leaving Marianne in shock. The next day Willoughby has returned all of Marianne's letters as well as her lock of hair they learn from Mrs. Jennings he is engaged to the extremely wealthy Miss Grey who has 50,000 pounds. Marianne is inconsolable as well as heartbroken but despite revealing Willougby never once said he loved her, she still believed that he did. Soon they receive a visit from Edward and while Marianne is happy to see him again, Elinor soon reveals he is engaged to Lucy much to Marianne's surprise. The engagement of Edward and Lucy soon comes to light, and Edward's mother demands that he break off the engagement. When he honourably refuses, his fortune is taken from him and given to his younger brother Robert. Elinor does ask for Colonel Brandan's assistance and while not acquainted with Edward he offers his help by giving Edward a house and Elinor himself has given the news. With Marianne still unwell, Elinor decides they should return home. Soon Colonel Brandon reveals an important fact to Elinor that her family didn't know about but must know in light of the situation. A long time ago Colonel Brandon had a friend named Eliza who had given birth to an illegitiment daughter named Beth. Before Eliza died, she asked Brandon to take of her daughter, so he did just that by placing her with an adoptive family and seeing her when he could. However almost a year ago, Beth disappeared and for eight months not a trace of her was found out, until the day of picnic. He had discovered Beth was with child and the man who was responsible was Willougby who left without a trace. The Colonel had planned on confronting Willoughby but Lady Allen had already turned him away (this was why he left that morning without explaining). Because of what happened, he lost all his inheritance and was in debt, which is why he was engaged to Ms. Grey. Beth meanwhile has agreed to return to the country until the birth, Colonel Brandon does believe that had this not come to light, Willoughby would have proposed that day. Elinor tells Marianne that night and she is saddened as well disheartened.
On their way home to Devonshire, Elinor and Marianne stop for the night at the country estate of the Palmers, who live near Willoughby. Marianne cannot resist going to see Willoughby's estate and walks a long way in a torrential rain to do so. As a result, she becomes seriously ill and is nursed back to health by Elinor after being rescued by Colonel Brandon. Marianne recovers, and the sisters return home she starts a relationship with Colonel Brandon whom she now loves and knows she made the right choice not marrying Willoughby. They learn that Miss Steele has become Mrs. Ferrars and assume that she married Edward. However, Edward arrives to explain that Miss Steele has unexpectedly wed Robert Ferrars and Edward is thus released from his engagement. Edward proposes to Elinor and becomes a vicar, whilst Marianne marries Colonel Brandon.
Cast[]
- Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood
- Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars
- Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood
- Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon
- Imogen Stubbs as Lucy Steele
- Greg Wise as John Willoughby
- Gemma Jones as Mrs. Dashwood
- Harriet Walter as Fanny Dashwood
- James Fleet as John Dashwood
- Hugh Laurie as Mr. Palmer
- Imelda Staunton as Charlotte Palmer
- Robert Hardy as Sir John Middleton
- Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs. Jennings
- Tom Wilkinson as Mr. Dashwood
- Emilie François as Margaret Dashwood
- Richard Lumsden as Robert Ferrars