Jane Austin's most famous stories are mostly about how money is a cage for those who have it and for those who don't, especially the women caught up by economic machinations. Oakley's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility finds the dark undertones of this and highlights them. I was struck by the gloom of this take although I found it highly appropriate for the material and perhaps a fresh way into the trials and tribulations of the Dashwood sisters.
17th century England feels very lived in and worn in this film. The countryside life of the upper class (or in the Dashwoods' case the lower upper class) is close to nature while London is grimy and smelly to match the social experiences they find there. The film focuses on the disparity between those who choose their honour over their financial state and those who choose the money. There is a desperation palpable in this version, a kind of essentialism. Austin often brings into clarity the precariousness of women's lives even in the upper stratosphere of society, and Oakley captures that. But that precariousness extends to the men as well, whether its Ferrars, Willoughby, or even Colonel Brandon, everyone is on the brink of ruin.. in one way or another. This gives an urgency to the story that isn't just about denying one's feelings or letting them run rampant; it is about one's well being.
What felt a little lacking were the characters. The film spends much time on Elinor and Edward but much of the rest of the cast of characters feel more like they are filling a role than coming to life as real people. Even Marianne gets less life breathed into her than I would have hoped. I was happy anytime Fiona Shaw was onscreen, chewing it all up as the wonderful Mrs. Jennings (one of my favourite side characters in literature), as she found not only the character's lust for life and her circle of loved ones but also the tiresome nature of her overbearing love, she even found some of that character's rougher edges as well. Going back to Elinor and Edward, who both come off as more rounded characters that most of this cast, the film still doesn't give either quite enough to make me feel the tragic nature of their love so the film's climax ends up a bit underwhelming.
Perhaps something I appreciated and was frustrated with at the same time was the resolution of Marianne and Branden's story. On the one hand I found it satisfying that they don't just rush from his rejected admiration to her finally seeing his worth and embracing him. Even with her exuberance for passion, sometimes it can feel a bit like whiplash to see her 180 be too rapid. Yet the film's subtle suggestion of their future still felt a bit cold. Maybe it is a bit more real. Yet it felt a bit less rewarding.
Still, this Sense and Sensibility does find a way, through its exploration of money's evil pull, to offer up something fresh. This story is a compelling one, even with some flaws, and it is gorgeously filmed in that way that makes you want to lose yourself in the heath and in the passion of a denied love.
Sense and Sensibility
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, George MacKay, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, Fiona Shaw, Bodhi Rae Breathnach
Director: Georgia Oakley
Writer: Diana Reid
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