Tuesday, November 13, 2007

In the Screening Room - Ang Lee's
Sense and Sensibility


Session 012 - Sense and Sensibility

Who saw it and what are your thoughts on it?

By Brian Mulligan at 7:22 AM

2 comments:

Brian Mulligan said...

There seems to be a glass ceiling on these Jane Austen/Edith Wharton literary adaptations. Doesn’t matter if it’s directed by Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence) or Ang Lee, they’re never great films. They’re good. They’re solid. They’re unspectacular. Sense and Sensibility is no different.

Maybe it’s all the stuffiness of these palaces they call homes? Either that or everyone’s underwear is two sizes too small, as everyone walks around stick straight and talks without showing the littlest bit of emotion.

The only exceptions to the rule was the welcome-ly minimalist Pride & Prejudice which managed to blend the propriety of the time with an authenticity in the relationship (with a fiery cameo from Dame Judi Dench to boot) and Sofia Coppola’s only half-successful Marie Antoinette, which was an attempt to throw all these conventions on their ear.

Sense and Sensibility is another one of those costume dramas with the upper class whining about their money issues and women pining for potential husbands (this time being Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet). A pleasingly foppish Hugh Grant pops up and interjects some early life into the story, but disappears for entire reels at a time and takes a lot of the entertainment with him.

In the meanwhile we watch Winslet work wonders falling in and out of love as Thompson pines for the soon-to-be wed Grant. There are some interesting moments and a strong turn from Alan Rickman (for once cast as a good natured guy falling for Winslet instead of the villainous role – i.e. Die Hard) but there’s nothing to elevate this film over any of the other solid period pieces of this age. It all feels like a retread from some of the other Austen material. So while it’s good… it’ll never be considered a classic.

Maybe there’s only so far that these blueblood tales can go?

November 27, 2007 at 11:19 AM
chachiincharge said...

Wow, this was posted over a month ago, and I just now finally saw the film.

It was ok.

You hit the nail on the head Mulligan. These period pieces just don't work for me, though I think Age of Innocence did the best of any.

My big problem with these films is how they just through "love" around. It has such a narrow minded view on what "love" is. Much like a recent film "Feast of Love" the filmmakers put too much stake in love at first sight, and it just doesn't translate into film. I'm supposed to just go with it, but how can I invest in the story if I don't believe they are truly in love. These people seem to swap partners more than a swingers party. Also I'm pretty sure there was not one kiss the entire film. There was a deleted scene between Elinor and Edward, where they shared a passionate lip lock before he leaved for London. But otherwise nothing. How can you be a romance and not have any passion?

Kate is great though. She really brings some energy to this rather droll film. Whether she is sad, or happy, she is always more interesting to watch than Emma Thompson's Elinor, who finally sheds her armor at last for a scene that managed to actually put a big smile on my face.

December 29, 2007 at 12:40 PM

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