Fortified by a hot cup of tea and cheered by sticky toffee pudding (in honor of the event), the Janeites all scrunched together to watch the conclusion of Sense and Sensibility on PBS last night. For myself, these are a precious few hours of relaxation while on book deadline, and any foolishness with Miss Austen's novels is judged most severely.
That said, the Janeites gave Sense and Sensibility a passing nod of approval. There were some odd moments (the dueling dream sequence--??), some bizarre photography (Marianne's fever sequence was rather disturbing), and poor editing (Elinor is called into the drawing room to see Col. Brandon and is instead is seen giving a disconnected bit of news to Edward Ferrars). We also failed to feel much sympathy for Col. Brandon, despite his outstanding chivalry and character. His restrained passion was reined back so far as to be faintly noticed. And Miss Steele just seems disconnected and silly, rather
than deliciously conniving as she was portrayed in the 1995 version. Nevertheless, there was no teacup-rattling mad dash for the remote in this installment, which the Janeites roundly applauded.
If you haven't had your fill, you can check out the Sense and Sensibility: Behind the Scenes video on the PBS website to watch more about this film.
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