Product Description
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Sense & Sensibility / Persuasion Col (DVD)
1) Sense and Sensibility From accled writer Andrew Davies
(BBCs Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth) comes this
enchanting new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel about
love and marriage. Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her
sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable
John Willoughby, ignoring her sister Elinor's warning that her
impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo.
Elinor, sensitive to social convention, struggles to conceal her
own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Will
the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they
are to find personal happiness in a society where status and
money govern the rules of love? 2) Miss Austen Regrets A biopic
unraveling the secrets of the elusive author based on Jane
Austen's actual letters and diaries. 3) Persuasion Anne Elliot
fell deeply in love with the handsome young naval officer
Frederick Wentworth at the age of nineteen. But with neither
fortune nor rank to recommend him, Anne was persuaded to break
off her engagement. Eight years later, Anne has lived to regret
her decision. She never stopped loving Wentworth, and when he
returns from sea with fortune and rank, she can only watch as
every eligible young woman in the district falls at his feet.
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Lush, dramatic, and beautifully acted, the BBC's three-part
miniseries Sense & Sensibility captures the languid urgency that
resonates throughout the Jane Austen novel on which it is based.
The miniseries begins with a seduction scene: As a young girl
cautiously gives herself to a man, she asks, "But when will you
come back?" He answers ominously, "Soon... very soon," and
gallops off into the night. We know what she does not--that he
will not return for her. But viewers do not learn until the end
who the couple are, and how their actions set off a chain of
events. It is inevitable that this period piece will be compared
to the 1995 big screen adaptation that starred Emma Thompson,
Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, and won Thompson an Academy Award
for Best Adapted Screenplay. To its credit, this later version
stands up incredibly well, with actors whose looks match Austen's
written description. And due to a longer running time than the
film version, there is more attention paid to detail and minor
characters. Sense & Sensibility focuses on the longings of the
Dashwood sisters Elinor (Hattie Morahan) and Marianne (Charity
Wakefield). After their wealthy her dies, leaving his entire
estate to their milquetoast half brother John (Mark Gatiss),
Elinor, Marianne, their younger sister Margaret (Lucy Boynton),
and their mother are left penniless. John and his shrew-like wife
Fanny move into the manor, making the Dashwoods feel like
unwanted guests. It is only after Fanny's handsome and kind
brother Edward Ferrars (Dan Stevens) arrives for a visit that
Elinor feels happy again. Marianne, too, has attracted the
attention of two suitors: serious and shy Colonel Brandon (David
Morrissey) and dashing Willoughby (Dominic Cooper). Learning that
the 35-year-old colonel is interested in her, a stunned Marianne
says, "You do realize that it will be impossible for me to speak
to him again." Her actions are that of a little girl, running
away and hiding when he comes to call on her. But her feelings
for Willoughby are real: the kind of love a girl feels for the
first time. The differences in the sisters' choices, actions, and
secrets set the tone for an era when a perceived impropriety
could ruin a woman's reputation and her family's standing in a
community. Filmed in England with good use of aerial s, the
production has a sweeping feel that adds a distinct flavor to the
drama. As with many Austen novels, the heroines in Sense &
Sensibility go through many misunderstandings before their
happily-ever-after ending. But that ending leaves viewers
satisfied that things turned out just the way that they should.
Austen fans will be delighted with the second disc in this set:
Miss Austen Regrets is a perfect companion to the miniseries,
starring Olivia Williams stars as the author, and Greta
Scacchi--who could easily pass as Williams' real-life sibling--as
Austen's sister Cassandra. The film takes a bittersweet look at
Austen's life and hints at what could have been had she married
one of her suitors. Smart and headstrong, Austen refuses to cave
into society's notions of what a proper woman should do. While
her famous heroines all paired up with dashing gentlemen, Austen
found that the loves of her life were her written creations.
--Jae-Ha Kim
On the third disc of this set is the sumptuous production design
and first-rate acting in the 2007 Masterpiece Theatre version of
Persuasion. Sally Hawkins is controlled and moving as Anne
Elliot, the quietly heartbroken but sensible heroine who was
"persuaded" (read: forced) to turn away her true love but still
carries an unseen torch for him. Hawkins's performance is genteel
yet steely, and the quiet strength of the entire production.
Hawkins looks alternately quietly lovely and sadly pinched--as
one might expect the long frustrated Anne to look. Other
highlights include a post-Buffy Anthony Head, as Anne's clueless,
blustery her, Sir Walter. Head gets to turn on his deft comic
talent here in ways most American audiences have not yet seen
him; he's clearly enjoying himself immensely, blustering about
"my shrubberies" and other trivial affairs. The cinematography is
lush (several breathtaking tracking s are used, especially
early on), as are the period costumes. The production was filmed
exclusively on location, and the reality of the sets enforces the
story. Some fans may prefer the 1995 Amanda Root version, for the
casting of Ciaran Hinds as Capt. Wentworth, but this later effort
is a worthy entry in the Austen film oeuvre--and Rupert
Penry-Jones is a dreamboat in his own right. As the wistful Anne
says, on behalf of all women, "We do not forget you, so soon as
you forget us." --A.T. Hurley