Amazon.co.uk Review
On one level, the BBC's 1981 adaptation of
Sense and Sensibility is a classic example of old-fashioned Sunday teatime drama. In Elinor Dashwood, thanks to Irene Richard's subtle performance, it has one of Jane Austen's most appealing heroines: a troubled young woman who outwardly "manages" her thoughts but must come to terms with a world that is not as black and white as she would have it. There are fine costumes, plenty of romance and some splendid locations. This
Sense and Sensibility does have heaving bosoms and manly breeches, (on a modest level), but it was made before Hollywood discovered Jane Austen and turned her novel of manners into a multi-Oscar winning film, and long before the BBC's watershed 1995 production of
Pride and Prejudice unleashed a new, sexed-up interpretation of Austen's work on a hungry audience. Its real charm lies in the dialogue, and the delicacy of the understated performances that suggest real turmoil beneath the surface of gentility. The exchanges are witty and sharp. The reciprocal misery of the Dashwood sisters as their romantic aspirations appear to crumble is touching and credible. And there is, of course, a happy ending. Vintage stuff. --
Piers Ford
Synopsis
Set in rural Georgian England, this sensitive dramatisation by Alexander Baron tells the moving story of two beautiful young girls and their search for true love and happiness. Based on a novel by Jane Austen.
