Title: Sense and Sensibility
Director: Georgia Oakley
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, Fiona Shaw
Where: In Theatres
Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Review
Revisiting Jane Austen after Ang Lee’s celebrated 1995 adaptation is rather like arriving at a ball after everyone has praised the previous dance. Director Georgia Oakley attempts to justify the invitation with a moodier, earthier Sense and Sensibility, trading drawing-room sparkle for windswept longing and emotional turbulence.
Following their father’s death, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles) face financial insecurity, romantic disappointment and the indignities of a society where a woman’s future depends heavily on marriage. Elinor tempers her feelings with reason, while Marianne follows her heart into potentially ruinous territory. Their contrasting temperaments give Diana Reid’s adaptation its emotional core, even as the familiar romantic entanglements unfold.
Oakley’s interpretation emphasises the sisters’ bond and Marianne’s affinity with nature, presenting Austen through a contemporary sensibility. The approach has its merits, particularly in examining the constraints imposed on women. However, melancholy frequently overwhelms the wit and social comedy that make Austen’s writing so enduring. The narrative can feel oppressively sombre, while several supporting characters lack the spark needed to enliven proceedings. Against the formidable memory of its predecessor, this version struggles to establish why the story needed another telling.
Actors’ Performance
Edgar-Jones brings restraint and quiet vulnerability to Elinor, while Creed-Miles gives Marianne a raw, impulsive energy that occasionally borders on the overwrought. George MacKay makes Edward Ferrars appealingly diffident, and Frank Dillane lends Willoughby sufficient charm to explain Marianne’s attraction, although the character remains underdeveloped. Herbert Nordrum’s Colonel Brandon is tender but lacks the commanding presence the role demands. Fiona Shaw’s Mrs Jennings supplies welcome eccentricity, though the character’s warmth sometimes gets lost amid her boisterousness. Caitríona Balfe is given frustratingly little room to shine.
Music and Aesthetics
Shot on 35mm film, Arnaud Potier’s cinematography embraces natural light, muted colours and Devon’s untamed landscapes. Grace Snell’s costumes reinforce the sisters’ earthy informality, while Roger Goula’s score deepens the romantic yearning. Yet the deliberately unkempt styling and occasionally conspicuous modern flourishes feel less like fresh interpretation than calculated rebellion against period-drama convention.
FPJ Verdict
Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility offers a sincere, visually distinctive Austen adaptation, elevated by its leading actresses but weakened by subdued humour and uneven characterisation. Admirers of the 1995 film may find little reason to switch allegiances; newcomers may discover a thoughtful, if overly melancholy, romance.
