Sense and Sensibility (DVD)

This set comes with three movies: Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and Miss Austen Regrets. I'll begin with Sense and Sensibility. May contain spoilers if you've never seen any version of these movies.I am a big fan of the Sense and Sensibility movie with Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant. However, after watching this version, I may never watch the old one again. For one, the Dashwood sisters are more the age in the movie that they were in the book (16 and 19). The casting for the entire movie (I felt) was pretty spot on. Marianne was so full of life and gorgeous besides. Elinor was composed, but you could still see her love for Edward. The mother was more dramatic (like in the book) and Edward (played the same man who was Matthew in Downton Abbey) was more manly. And little Margaret was so natural she almost stole the show.The Steel sisters were exactly what they needed to be. I disliked Lucy Steel from the moment I set eyes on her and she did a great job of flaunting Edward in front of Elinor without being mean (after all, she didn't know Elinor's feelings). Willoughby was played by Dominic Cooper and was so worm-like. It was much easier to picture him as the seducer that he is than it was the old Willoughby. It's also easier to believe how much in love with Marianne he truly was. The end of the movie also shows a little snippet of what happened after they were all married, which was kind of fun.All in all this movie far and away exceeded my expectations. The length (174 minutes) allowed them to tell the story as the book tells it. This movie is equal to the BBC Pride and Prejudice. I'm so glad to have found a version that is. The only thing to discredit it is the seduction scene at the very beginning. But it's easy to skip.Now for Persuasion. I've seen this version about 5 times and I really enjoy it. Persuasion isn't as dramatic as Austen's other novels, but it is a good one to know. Again the cast is very well portrayed and Captain Wentworth is one of the most attractive men I've ever seen. This version is not as true to the book as the older version, but all the characters are more enjoyable to watch, so I prefer it. Anne is a little breathy, but I think it's meant to show how depressed she is that she's missed her chance at happiness. The comic relief in this movie definitely comes from Anne's sister Mary. All in all I'd give this movie 4/5 stars. It is not equal to Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice, but if you need a quick Jane Austen fix, it's definitely worth the watch.Miss Austen Regrets also came with this set, but I have not watched it yet.

Though I did really like the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Watson and Kate Winslet, I was a bit disappointed that it could only be two hours long and had to stray a bit from the book in order to save time. I was excited when I heard about this production because Andrew Davies always writes very strong screenplays and I always like and admire his work. This was another fantastic screenplay and production.The story follows the lives of one family the Dashwoods. Mrs. Dashwood's husband dies and all of his property and possessions goes to his only son from a previous marriage. This leaves his three daughters and wife with really nothing. The son wants to help his step-mother and sisters but his pernicious wife Fanny Dashwood quickly is able to talk him out of helping them. From here the family is able to find a small cottage with a distant relative of Mrs. Dashwood. At the heart of the story is Elinor Dashwood, the oldest and most responsible and level-headed character in the story. She takes on most of the responsibility of seeing to the family's needs, she is very practical and is able to manage the family well. When she meets Fanny Dashwood's eldest brother Edward Ferrars, they develop a deep attachment towards each other that Fanny tries and prevent. Unfortunately, Edward never promises Elinor marriage or really speaks of his feelings for her because he is secretly engaged to another woman. In contrast to Elinor, her sister Marianne is very impulsive, romantic and lets everyone see her real feelings. Marianne and her family meet a friend of their cousin Colonel Brandon, who falls in love with Marianne despite the age difference. Marianne does not love him but eventually falls in deep love with the dashing Willoughby.All of the important characters that were missing in the first version were in this one. Hattie Morahan is absolutely perfect as Elinor. I always felt that Elinor was the center of the story and Hattie Morahan really hits the part well. When I read the book I imagined someone exactly like her in this role. I also really liked Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars and I thought he portrayed the part well. I especially liked Charity Wakefield as Marianne, I thought she captured the spirit and romantic nature of the character. Her innocence sparkles. Another great feature of this one is the scenery and locations picked in this production, they are wonderful. I especially love the Dashwood's cottage, it really is a romantic wild place with the waves crushing onto the steep hills. This movie is worth watching just for Adrew Davies screenplay. He is a genus!Also included in the DVD is a short film about the later years of Jane Austen's life called Miss Austen Regrets, it is interesting and well worth watching.