Sense & Sensibility

This is a good new version. I'm surprised it was made, since the one with Emma Thompson is still quite fresh in people's minds.

However, I think that this one has some better characterisations. Both versions had good Mariannes, but this one is hard to beat. Hatty M. plays Elinor with all the right emotions, but I'm not always sure she is quite in period.

This could partly be Andrew Davies' fault, as he is responsible for some dialogue that surely would never have come from the pen of Jane Austen.

David Morrissey is excellent as usual, as is Dan Stevens (who has the great advantage, in my book, that he is not Hugh Grant. I think he would have been good as Willoughby, who should surely be more handsome than Edward). Dominic Cooper is not good as Willoughby. His looks are wrong, his speech tends towards Estuary English in places and in others he does not speak clearly. I could go on.

Lucy Steele's sister does something close to an impression of Alice in The Vicar of Dibley. Why does she have a non-standard accent, whereas her genteel sister does not?

I should also mention that the settings and overall look of the production were first rate.

I procrastinated watching this series as Ang Lee's 1995 film was still fresh with me and I knew i would keep comparing instead of enjoying. I finally watched it and I have to say, I simply loved it. Every bit. It was totally satisfying. I will share that with respect to the 1995 film, that I have watched multiple times, that as much as I appreciate Emma Thompson, it is always at the back of my mind that she was too old for Elinor and made her look like a spinster as opposed to a unmarried and eligible older sister. This Elinor made me cry and I was very much into her story. Both versions are lovely but this version made me go immediately to IMDB and write this comment. Thank you Andrew Davies.

The book "Sense and Sensibility" is a great one. It is beautiful, poised and poignant and just a joy to read. Out of the adaptations of the book I have two favourites. One is the 1995 film with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, which was visually stunning and impeccably acted by the whole cast. The other adaptation is this one. I do marginally prefer the film, but this mini-series is mighty fine.

This adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility" isn't without its problems though. There are some scenes that felt rushed, particularly the ending and Colonel Brandon's departure from Delaford. Also, Dominic Cooper's performance as Willoughby was uneven. Cooper is a good actor, and has charming presence, but compared to the Willoughby in the book and the Willoughby in the 1995 film, this Willoughby seemed somewhat unlikeable and arrogant and the complexity of his feelings for Marianne I felt could have been explored more.

However, this is much to love about this mini-series. For one thing, it looks beautiful. The costumes are lavish, the scenery is sumptuous and the photography is crisp. I especially liked the shots of the cottage and the sea. The music is truly pleasant to the ear, romantic, lyrical and whimsical, the sort of effect Patrick Doyle's score in the 1995 film had on me. The script wasn't too bad really, it had a sense of intelligence about it even if it had some questionable modernisations on occasion.

The acting, with the general exception of Cooper's Willoughby, is excellent and ideal for the characters they play. Hattie Morahan is a mature and subtle Elinor, and Charity Wakefield is beautiful, innocent and tragic as Marianne. They are solidly supported by a superb Janet McTeer as the mother, a dashing Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars and a suitably sincere David Morissey as Colonel Brandon(an improvement over Alan Rickman, Rickman was good but Morissey fitted the character better). Overall, this is a fine mini-series, perfect to go with the 1995 film and it manages to be solid as an adaptation. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I have read the book, seen the 1995 movie adaptation, but this series was so beautifully played, the emotion conveyed was so impressive. Don't get me wrong the book is Fantastic, the movie adaptation was lovely! But this series moved me much more in the feelings conveyed by mere expression that made it phenomenal, I loved it!

Praising the BBC for the quality of their costume dramas may be the equivalent of taking coals to Newcastle but in some respects it's what they do best and "Sense and Sensibility" is no exception. Of course, comparisons with Ang Lee's splendid film version are inevitable yet somehow the intimacy of television and the somewhat greater length that a serialized adaptation can afford gives this a deeper dimension that the albeit very entertaining film version.

The writer is Andrew Davies who is a dab hand at this sort of thing and the casting is, as ever, impeccable. Perhaps the best actors working anywhere in the world today are on British television, (note the recent adaptation of "Cranford"). The performances here are superb. Both Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield succeed in banishing all thoughts of Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, (no mean feat), while David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon and Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars are outstanding, acting rings round Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant who played the same roles in the movie. Morrissey, in particular, is one of the best actors on television, perhaps anywhere, and it is always a pleasure to see him. But then the whole cast are terrific as is the assured direction of John Alexander. Just perfect for a Sunday night in front of the fire.