Aw, crap, I'm getting behind in writing these things. I'm not really behind in watching them, though. Here we go:
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, based on Jane Austen's novel, came out in the mid-90s but doesn't seem out of place at all compared to some of the older movies I've been looking at this month. Set in the late 18th or early 19th century in England, the story involves the sudden loss of wealth thrust upon a widow and her three daughters as the man of the house dies and passes his estate to his brother. Forced to adjust to living within their means in a cottage on another estate, the group of ladies, especially the oldest two daughters, find themselves under more pressure than before to find themselves mates and marry off.
Emma Thompson, wrote the screenplay and clearly feels close to the material, stars as the eldest sister. She's a little past her prime, but still pretty and level-headed, approaching life's problems with reserve and logic. The middle sister, played by Kate Winslet, is more free with her emotions and feels Thompson might be unhealthily keeping her true feelings hidden. This just makes it all the more dramatic when Thompson finally lets go in the last scenes of the movie.
Most of the story deals with a revolving door of suitors who may or may not be perfect for the girls, and episodes with the various extended family members who either help the girls out or stand in their way. It's an impressive cast and everyone is entertaining, not least of which is Hugh Grant as Thompson's love interest, an affable but slightly befuddled gentleman who would rather pursue a modest career in the clergy than go after his family's (or another's) wealth. But, my favorite was Alan Rickman as the tragic, quiet, and ultimately honorable suitor who comes calling for Winslet. He's a little older than she'd like, and a little too boring for her tastes, but he's about as gentlemanly and devoted as they come. His performance is heart breaking.
I don't mean to make this sound like a boring, stuffy drama. Part of the strength of the movie is how funny it is. Austen's original novel, I assume, and Thompson's screenplay along with Ang Lee's direction and the quirky performances of the ensemble cast allow a lot of room to pick up on the inherent humor in a lot of these situations -- Elizabeth Spriggs and Hugh Laurie, for example, make a lot out of supporting roles: Spriggs as the loud, energetic, queen of gossip, who thinks she's pulling the strings but is always a step behind, and Laurie as a gentleman who has been married off and spends most of his time rolling his eyes at the proceedings before him . That's how the movie avoids being a complete soap opera -- we can tell the individuals involved in the gossip and intrigue know how ridiculous some of it is, but they're kind of stuck acting their parts out. Here's a culture that doesn't spend much time actually talking about their feelings or sharing secrets with each other, so there's little choice but to rely on gossip and intrigue in order to figure out what's going on with the people around you.
The film is also beautiful to look at, with lots of great sweeping shots of the green countryside and surrounding ocean, taking the changing seasons into account and setting important moments out among nature instead of within the walls of estate houses.
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