Post by klep on Mar 30, 2020 6:56:01 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 3/30: Sense and Sensibility
IT'S LADIES' WEEK!
Note: This week's essay is graciously provided by a guest contributor
Sense and Sensibility is one of the most commercially and critically successful British period films ever produced. The classic Austen tale follows three recently impoverished sisters who must maintain their dignity and sense of self while also navigating the social conventions of Regency England. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility is one of the rare instances where the film in nearly every way outpaces the original novel. The biggest influence on the enduring humor, relatability, and engagement of this film comes down to two factors: Emma Thompson’s screenplay adaptation and Ang Lee’s direction.
Emma Thompson’s first screenwriting credit here is so spectacular that it made her the first recipient of Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting. The result of her five year screenplay maintains the integrity of Jane Austen’s original novel. The main characters and major events of the stories are virtually identical. However, each major character has gone through specific changes in order to appeal to modern sensibilities.
Marianne Dashwood, the second daughter, is flighty, romantic, straightforward and sensitive- the “Sensibility” of our main duo. She is played by a charming nineteen year old Kate Winslet. Elinor, the first daughter, is reserved, responsible, socially-conscious and the “Sense” of the two. She has been aged up from the novel where she is a teenaged spinster and, instead, in her late twenties is played by Emma Thompson. The original novel focuses on Elinor’s “sense” winning her a husband and happiness by being polite and patient. Marianne, then taking a page from her book, is able to settle comfortably for a secondary suitor after some disappointment.
The movie, on the other hand, thrives in creating situations where each sister learns from the other. Elinor’s sense of misplaced responsibility after learning her love is doomed condemns her to suffer alone. Marianne’s inability to scrutinize situations like her sister causes her to put too much faith in someone unworthy. In that way, happiness and love is obtained through self-actualization, which is only possible through healthy and supportive female friendships and family ties. For instance, by the end, the audience feels that Brandon deserves Marianne because he listens to her sister and helps her mother during Marianne’s illness. And also, perhaps a little, because he is played by Alan Rickman.
The ability to attract a star-studded cast can also at least in part be attributed to Thompson. Her persuasion led Hugh Grant to play Edward Ferrars at a cut-rate price, and her friendship with Hugh Laurie landed him the dry humored Mr. Palmer who is rather reminiscent of a 19th century Dr. Gregory House. Nearly every actor was seasoned and British, lending the performances authenticity.
One major role did not go to a native Brit. The culture shock of filming Sense and Sensibility with a POC director from Taiwan is fairly well documented. However, the same sense for family dynamics and social comedy that Ang Lee used in previous films like The Wedding Banquet was proof that he could tackle Austen properly. In fact, the outsider perspective becomes something of a charm point for the film. When Edward Ferrars comes to confess his love to Elinor and sees she is already visiting with his secret fiancee Lucy Steele, the scene is tense and funny, in a tragic way. The sit-stand-bow conventions of the time period highlight the uncomfortable element of the scene- gestures held too long or performed too late. This is only successful because the film has done such an excellent job establishing status quo. Explanations as to why certain conventions are observed or forbidden are helpfully worked into a film that does not assume its viewers are Austenites.
Sense and Sensibility is a Jane Austen movie for people who aren’t into Jane Austen. It’s a period movie for people who don’t like the genre. Above all other reasons to give it a try, it is feminist movie that still recognizes the historical need to equate romance and security. Sense and Sensibility is the poster child for why POC directors deserve more exposure. As Ang Lee put it “I realized that all along I had been trying to do Jane Austen without knowing it. Jane Austen was my destiny. I just had to overcome the cultural barrier.”
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/6: Casablanca
ESCAPISM WEEK!
In an attempt to get our minds off of the goings on in the world, we're taking a trip to old Casablanca, back during the war. Join us for a tale of love and principles in one of the best films ever made. Casablanca is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 3/31: Contagion
Next week the current podcast pairing concludes with Steven Soderbergh's procedural about a deadly pandemic which originates in bats and soon sweeps the globe. You know, fiction. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of Contagion, available for rent in the usual places.
IT'S LADIES' WEEK!
Note: This week's essay is graciously provided by a guest contributor
Sense and Sensibility is one of the most commercially and critically successful British period films ever produced. The classic Austen tale follows three recently impoverished sisters who must maintain their dignity and sense of self while also navigating the social conventions of Regency England. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility is one of the rare instances where the film in nearly every way outpaces the original novel. The biggest influence on the enduring humor, relatability, and engagement of this film comes down to two factors: Emma Thompson’s screenplay adaptation and Ang Lee’s direction.
Emma Thompson’s first screenwriting credit here is so spectacular that it made her the first recipient of Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting. The result of her five year screenplay maintains the integrity of Jane Austen’s original novel. The main characters and major events of the stories are virtually identical. However, each major character has gone through specific changes in order to appeal to modern sensibilities.
Marianne Dashwood, the second daughter, is flighty, romantic, straightforward and sensitive- the “Sensibility” of our main duo. She is played by a charming nineteen year old Kate Winslet. Elinor, the first daughter, is reserved, responsible, socially-conscious and the “Sense” of the two. She has been aged up from the novel where she is a teenaged spinster and, instead, in her late twenties is played by Emma Thompson. The original novel focuses on Elinor’s “sense” winning her a husband and happiness by being polite and patient. Marianne, then taking a page from her book, is able to settle comfortably for a secondary suitor after some disappointment.
The movie, on the other hand, thrives in creating situations where each sister learns from the other. Elinor’s sense of misplaced responsibility after learning her love is doomed condemns her to suffer alone. Marianne’s inability to scrutinize situations like her sister causes her to put too much faith in someone unworthy. In that way, happiness and love is obtained through self-actualization, which is only possible through healthy and supportive female friendships and family ties. For instance, by the end, the audience feels that Brandon deserves Marianne because he listens to her sister and helps her mother during Marianne’s illness. And also, perhaps a little, because he is played by Alan Rickman.
The ability to attract a star-studded cast can also at least in part be attributed to Thompson. Her persuasion led Hugh Grant to play Edward Ferrars at a cut-rate price, and her friendship with Hugh Laurie landed him the dry humored Mr. Palmer who is rather reminiscent of a 19th century Dr. Gregory House. Nearly every actor was seasoned and British, lending the performances authenticity.
One major role did not go to a native Brit. The culture shock of filming Sense and Sensibility with a POC director from Taiwan is fairly well documented. However, the same sense for family dynamics and social comedy that Ang Lee used in previous films like The Wedding Banquet was proof that he could tackle Austen properly. In fact, the outsider perspective becomes something of a charm point for the film. When Edward Ferrars comes to confess his love to Elinor and sees she is already visiting with his secret fiancee Lucy Steele, the scene is tense and funny, in a tragic way. The sit-stand-bow conventions of the time period highlight the uncomfortable element of the scene- gestures held too long or performed too late. This is only successful because the film has done such an excellent job establishing status quo. Explanations as to why certain conventions are observed or forbidden are helpfully worked into a film that does not assume its viewers are Austenites.
Sense and Sensibility is a Jane Austen movie for people who aren’t into Jane Austen. It’s a period movie for people who don’t like the genre. Above all other reasons to give it a try, it is feminist movie that still recognizes the historical need to equate romance and security. Sense and Sensibility is the poster child for why POC directors deserve more exposure. As Ang Lee put it “I realized that all along I had been trying to do Jane Austen without knowing it. Jane Austen was my destiny. I just had to overcome the cultural barrier.”
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/6: Casablanca
ESCAPISM WEEK!
In an attempt to get our minds off of the goings on in the world, we're taking a trip to old Casablanca, back during the war. Join us for a tale of love and principles in one of the best films ever made. Casablanca is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 3/31: Contagion
Next week the current podcast pairing concludes with Steven Soderbergh's procedural about a deadly pandemic which originates in bats and soon sweeps the globe. You know, fiction. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of Contagion, available for rent in the usual places.