Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 1981)

Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 1981)
by Rodney Bennett

Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 1981)
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Bosco Hogan, Diana Fairfax, Irene Richard, Peter Woodward, Tracey Childs
Director: Rodney Bennett
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 174 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner

Movie Reviews of Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 1981)

Movie Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars

In general, I avoid movie adaptations of novels I enjoy, because often they're too Hollywood-ised (the most recent version of P&P with Knightley, or Lord of the Rings), though I make exceptions for Austen adaptations and others I feel I perhaps can count on. After reading reviews on this version about how it was vastly superior to all the others, and it was so much more faithful, I was very excited. But this BBC version is just difficult to sit through.

As others have said, Tracy Childs (Marianne), Irene Richards (Elinor), and Bosco Hogan (Edward) are thoroughly bad actors. The dynamic romance between Marianne and Willoughby is subdued and I don't see what at all is dashing about Peter Woodward as Willoughby. Marianne's supposed passion for life becomes juvenile whiny teenaged angst (she might have been the one to inspire the current emo trend), while Irene Richards's Elinor seems to be reading from a teleprompter. Even her smiles are unconvincing, being rather watery and disconnected. I am not sure if it is that she is trying too hard, or not trying hard enough, but she certainly is not an appealing Elinor.

The little chemistry that appears in this film centres around the few actors whom I appreciate. Diana Fairfax was wonderful as Mrs. Dashwood, and I quite liked Amanda Boxer's portrayal as Fanny--very well done.

As others have said, the set and lighting are less than desirable, but that is excusable considering budget constraints. But it should not be so difficult to find good actors when so many are in want of good roles! All-in-all, this film may (on paper) be more true to Jane Austen's literal written word, but as others have said, the spirit is lost. Even the lines the actors recite seem contrived and cliche at times, and very stiff, almost like a Hemingway book. Ugh.
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Summary of Sense and Sensibility (BBC, 1981)

Hailed as "wonderfully 18th century" and offering equal measures of humor and drama this magnificent BBC production tells the story of two sisters attempting to find happiness in the tightly structured society of 18th century England.Running Time: 226 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?DRAMA UPC:?794051168320
Don't look for Margaret Dashwood in this BBC version of Sense and Sensibility, because you won't find her. For some inexplicable reason, they opted to write her out of this 1985 adaptation of Jane Austen's first published novel. Still, despite the absence of the youngest Dashwood sister, this is an otherwise faithful adaptation of Austen's original. Sense and Sensibility concerns the unfortunate Dashwood family, who, at the death of the patriarch, are forced to move out of their home and into a cottage on the property of relatives. Sensible Elinor falls quietly in love with Edward, her sister-in-law's brother, while impetuous Marianne (Tracey Childs) rejects the respectable courtship of Colonel Brandon (Robert Swann) for the flashy (and ultimately destructive) Willoughby (Peter Woodward).

Those wowed by Emma Thompson's more sumptuous 1995 version may complain that Bosco Hogan (yes, that's his real name) isn't nearly as yummy as Hugh Grant. But they may fail to remember that Edward Ferrars, was, from Jane Austen's plume, a nondescript guy, and yet Elinor (here, Irene Richards) still found something wonderful about him.

Childs is a beautiful, passionate Marianne and her performance, as well as Richards's, and the rest of the cast, is topnotch. Accurate detail is given to settings and costumes (if not the existence of Margaret) and it's easy to get swept away in this BBC version. --N.F. Mendoza

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