Movies and Tea #26 – Sense and Sensibility

Back to regular programming on Movies and Tea as we continue on with Season 4 as we take a look at Ang Lee’s filmography. After the Father Knows Best Trilogy, Ang Lee heads over to make the Jane Austen adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Taiwanese director adapting Classic English Literature is definitely an interesting combination. Head on over to Movies and Tea to listen to our latest episode as we discuss Sense and Sensibility. While you are there, tell us your thoughts on the adaptation.

Movies and Tea

Having captured the attention of the mainstream studios with his Father Knows Best Trilogy Ang lee would now set himself the challange of adapting the classic Jane Austin novel “Sense and Sensibility” while working from a script from first time scriptwriter / actress Emma Thompson.

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What’s Up: Week 45

Another week has gone by and we are into second last month. As things calm down a little, its slowly getting the projects back on track.

READING

Currently reading: Proximity, Legends of the Exiles

Moving along with Proximity nowadays. Legends of the Exiles was put on the backdrop for now just because of re-evaluating upcoming blog tours and prioritizing what needs to be done. Both of them are still on my reading list right now and hopefully will be done. Proximity is a lot of fun to read so I’m definitely hoping to find a lot more time to just sit down and focus on finishing it up and see where the story goes.

PLAYING

• Cube Escape: Theatre
• Cube Escape: The Cave

Currently playing: Cube Escape: Paradox

I’m working through the last few games in the Cube Escape series to wrap up the Game Warp second half of reviews. Its really coming along in this second playthrough of the Cube Escape games as the story is piecing together really nicely and I’m seeing it all in a better picture. Cube Escape: Paradox is currently a first playthrough and its proving to be much longer with two chapters and I’m only on Chapter 1 right now and also much harder than its predecessors.

WATCHING

• The Wedding Banquet (1993)
• Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
• My Teacher, My Obsession (2018)
• Sense and Sensibility (1995, Rewatch) Review

The main focus of this past week has been primarily the new season of Movies and Tea as we dive into non other than Ang Lee. We have had quite a few recording sessions for it so with wrapping up Father Knows Best Trilogy and then Sense and Sensibility prep, its taken up most of my viewing schedule.

No worries though, Blood in the Snow Festival is just around the corner and I’m doing some remote coverage so that’s coming up very soon as I need to work out the review schedule.

BINGING

• Bromance (2015)
• Soft Memory (2019)

Currently binging: Lipstick Prince (Season 2), When I Grow Up, Viva La Romance (Season 3), Wait, My Youth (2019)

A productive week in TV binging for sure as I properly finished binge watching Bromance which was a ton of fun and really  got me incredibly involved by the end of it although I kind of guessed the ending (which really isn’t too hard as it was fairly obvious at a certain point). At the same time, Tencent’s Soft Memory also wrapped up. Bromance definitely has my heart as the series that really built up to something a lot of fun, plus there was a lot of romance and comedy and Megan Lai and Baron Chen really sold their roles really well. Either way, the TV Binge post will come up eventually. I’m stopping to make promises when as I have so many of those piling up. I did start up Wait, My Youth (called My Youth when it first aired on  whichever channel on Youtube that I can’t remember right now) and that’s been a lot of fun.

That’s it for this What’s Up!
What have you been reading/watching/playing/binging?

Valentine Marathon: Sense and Sensibility (1995)

We’ve come to the final movie of the Valentine’s Marathon. My schedule has been sporadic and I even skipped a fun post yesterday but I’m taking this as a Valentine’s weekend of sorts so I might have a morphed up mash-up post later on today.  The problem is that I have a million ideas and I can’t do it without bombarding you with posts and I don’t like to do that. Regardless, lets get this last one done!

I had to make some serious decisions about this one.  On one hand, I wanted to see a few Netflix choices but I also received my package of Amazon a few days ago.  I finished Sense and Sensibility (the book) a few days ago and I just had to get the movie and it came in a timely fashion.  I also ordered another movie recommended to me for this marathon which I promise to watch soon but I just couldn’t resist the urge to wrap up this marathon with Sense and Sensibility.

Let’s check it out! 🙂

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)

Director: Ang Lee

Cast: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Alan Rickman, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie

When their rich father Mr. Dashwood dies, he leaves his fortune to his son while making him promise to treat his three half-sister in his second marriage well and help in whatever way they could.  However, under his wife’s influence, he ends up leaving them with close to nothing.  The two eldest daughters, Elinor and Marianne, are at the age of marriage and its then despite the opposite personality, one emotionally reserved ruled by sense while the other full of romantic sensibility respectively, they find their love and fall into similar fates.

Sense and Sensibility is a wonderful adaptation of the novel.  If anything, because I didn’t enjoy Sense and Sensibility as much as Jane Austen’s later novels (that I’ve read), I may actually have enjoyed the movie more.  There is no shame in admitting that especially when its full of a talented cast.  Last year, on Valentine’s Day, in a mish-mash post, I confessed that I have a massive girl crush on Kate Winslet and she is extremely darling in this one.  I watch a little less of Emma Thompson normally but I love everything that she does.  She fully immerses herself in a role and just owns it every single time.  Both of them as Marianne and Elinor respectively are fantastic.  What I really do love most about these movies is the music: so elegant, beautiful, sweet.  And I don’t even think it has to do with the fact that I love piano music because thats the instrument I play 🙂

You know how sometimes adaptation have this really ridiculous casting choices and you can’t even picture that person you read on those beautiful pages as this person on the big screen? Its not the case here. I agreed with the choice of Marianne and Elinor, as I mentioned above.  The moment Greg Wise (who I know nothing about) popped on the screen as Willoughby, I was completely convinced. This guy who bashes in Marianne’s affection and attention but shows no restraint to his emotions even if he can’t really be the one.  He is charming and handsome and his character is kind of sad in the end.  Although they cut out the scene I thought was pretty important between Willoughby and Elinor, they did a fabulous job of putting to life is character.

Willoughby would not be as charming if we didn’t have the contrast of Colonel Brandon, same as Marianne to Elinor.  Alan Rickman is the perfect perfect person to play this role.  He can pull off that really unromantic person with hidden emotions but still kind of show his intentions in this quiet subtle way.  Thats the power of Alan Rickman because he is just so talented.  Honestly, Colonel Brandon is one of those characters who I love a lot in Sense and Sensibility.  He just deserves everything he desires because he’s such an honorable man, probably the most honorable in the story.

I kind of feel bad that I only took one paragraph to talk about the ladies while taking three to talk about the men.  Hugh Grant takes on Edward Ferrars, which is a role with rather little on screen time but has such an important role.  He literally has 3 actual phases in the story and its the same as the book in that sense.  Sure he’s sprinkled and we hear about whats going on.  There is no doubt that Hugh Grant was a great choice for Edward Ferrars and he really does a good job.  I mean, that ending scene with Marianne really defines his character a lot.  I read the book so I know what he does.

I love this adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.  I actually think reading Austen before I watch it, made me appreciate this more even if I believe I ended up enjoying my movie experience a little more.  Still, because it was so fresh in my mind, the dialogue is really true to the book and thats also something I appreciate.  With an incredible cast, Sense and Sensibility is a brilliant watch bringing Jane Austen’s characters to life one by one.  That is no small feat but Ang Lee does it and the cast themselves as well 🙂 I highly recommend this one!

Have you seen or read Sense and Sensibility? What are your thoughts?

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!

Remember, I have a finale post coming up later today (or tonight since I’m out of town for a day trip)!

The Classics Adventure: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

As you’ve noticed, its taken me a while to get The Classics Adventure started.  For one, I need to acquire the books and for me, I’ve realized that especially when it comes to reading classics, I need to hold a physical book in my hand.  Plus, I’m a little picky on which version I choose to regardless, long story short, I managed to get a copy of it while taking some time off of the indie novels to start this project.  I’m attempting to read Jane Austen novels as my first feature classics novel this year.  I’m hoping it won’t take an entire year to get 6 novels done but we never know.  In general, it takes me double the time to get through classics.

Lets stop this ramble and take a look at Sense and Sensibility!

If there are any other authors, you’d like me to check out, please feel free to suggest here or on the The Classics Adventure page up in the menu 🙂

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

By Jane Austen

After the death of their father, his estate was left to his nephew, John because he only had daughters and his wife left and they were unsuitable to take control of the estate.  However, he did ask John to make sure that his daughters would be cared for suitably.  Taking these terms loosely and influenced by his wife, the ladies leave for Barton Park where Marianne and Elinor, both of age of marriage but different in personality both find their romances.  Marianne meets Willoughby, a man that charms her with his handsomeness and she demonstrates her romantic/emotional sensibility where Elinor finds her interest in Edward Ferrars, and regards those feelings in a more emotionally reserved way.  However, they both end up succumbing to similar situations when they realize that both Willoughby and Ferrars are engaged to marry another girl.

I’ll just leave the synopsis there.  Writing synopsis for any book is hard but writing one for Classics and reviewing them for that matter is even harder.  I’ll try my best to do a good job of this though.  Just like reading Classics before of a different and more elegant writing style, writing a review is like picking apart a book with more meaning. The writing style itself makes it such a beautiful piece of work. The sophisticated words and the way she weaves her strong-willed ladies such a joy to read.

Right away, the book itself brings in a lot of sense and sensibility talk, however, the focus is ultimately and successfully portrayed in the two Dashwood sisters.  Elinor definitely is the strong-willed girl who holds her mind very still regardless of what happens.  She stays strong for her sister and holds true commitment to making sure her promises are held even if it means her own suffering.  For example, when the girl thats engaged to Edward, the man she loves, talks to her in secret about the secret engagement and asks her to not tell anyone until its made public.  That commitment makes Elinor so great to read because she is so honorable.

On the other hand, Elinor’s strength reflects and emphasizes on Marianne’s sensibility because she is emotionally volatile.  Knowing that Willoughby has turned her down to her face at a party, she falls ill and closes herself off.  She kind of a drama queen in a more direct way of saying things.  However, she also expresses a lot more of how being madly in love with.  She forgives and hopes easily.  Even though Willoughby has wronged her, she forgives him even without knowing the reason and expecting that he definitely has some reason for doing it.

While sculpting this relationship and drama being somewhat of a mirror in the sense of Marianne and Elinor, the other characters are written very well.  Willoughby offers some surprises for one while Edward Ferrars, a much different man also does that.   At the same time, they reflect different sorts of desire and influences they have to go through during that period.  At the same time, the first character to drive me crazy was when John Dashwood was so ridiculous as his bitchy and extremely selfish wife keeps making him reduce how much he was going to give the girls.  As the book went along, his reappearance made me a little angry because he is such a wishy-washy person that has such shallow thoughts.

Sense and Sensibility is paced a little slow for me.  There was a few parts that I felt myself drifting away in my concentration.  However, it does pick up and I ended up enjoying it around the middle straight to the end.  Its definitely a good read.  From my memory, I still remember Pride and Prejudice being just a tad better.

Also, expect the movie review soon 🙂

Thoughts on Sense and Sensibility? What did you like about it? If you didn’t like it, why didn’t you?