Today is Jane Austen’s 250th birthday! She was born on December 16, 1775, and even after 250 years, her words resonate just as clearly as they did back in the Regency era.
As a member of Jane Austen Society (JASNA) Minnesota Chapter, my fellow Janeites and I celebrated Miss Austen’s birthday with a festive brunch at the St. Paul Hotel last Saturday. It was one of the coldest mornings of the season with temps reaching -10 below zero Fahrenheit (don’t ask me about the wind chill!) But hey, that didn’t stop me from getting dressed up in a burgundy Regency dress and enjoying the company of fellow Austen fans. As Jane herself would say…
One cannot have too large a party.
The Austen birthday celebration didn’t stop there. My friend and I went to a SONY Pictures re-release of Sense and Sensibility in honor of its 30th Anniversary on Sunday afternoon. It’s the perfect film to cap off this c-cc-cold weekend, as watching this film always warms my heart.
The Ang Lee movie that came out in 1995 is still my all-time favorite, and watching it on the big screen for the first time just deepens my love and appreciation for it. It’s one of those films where everything comes together beautifully—the script, direction, acting, production design, costumes, music—all of it creates a flawless feature. The film became a massive success, garnering seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Earlier this Summer, I gave a brief presentation to a small Jane Austen film festival where they showed this film to a seniors gathering. I talked about some fun tidbits and trivia about the making of Sense and Sensibility, as Lee himself mentioned a few of them during his talk at MSPIFF this past Spring. So I’ll share some of them here:
How Sense and Sensibility Came To Be
The genesis of Sense and Sensibility came from producer Lindsay Doran. She produced a number of successful movies, including This is Spinal Tap and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Her lifelong dream was to produce a film version of her favorite novel, Sense and Sensibility. She approached Emma Thompson to write the screenplay because of Thompson’s background as a sketch comedian. Thompson spent five years writing the screenplay, then the women shopped it around at different studios and picked up by Columbia Pictures.
Doran and Thompson interviewed many directors, eventually hiring Ang Lee, fresh from his success with The Wedding Banquet in 1993 (a great film you should watch instead of the remake), as well as Eat Drink Man Woman in 1994. Both films were gentle but meaningful social comedies, focusing on free will against familial expectations. Lee was also the rare filmmaker who understood the social comedy in the story, an aspect that Thompson’s adaptation fleshed out.
Doran liked the idea of bringing an international filmmaker to tell this very English story, and Lee connected the societal oppression and emotional repression in Austen’s England with his own Taiwanese upbringing. Thompson went on to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and also earned an acting nomination for her role as Elinor Dashwood, both are well-deserved!
Kate Winslet, who portrayed Marianne Dashwood, kept a diary about her time on the set. It was packed with director Ang Lee’s funny and sometimes sharp critiques of his cast. Alan Rickman, who took on the role of the kind-hearted Colonel Brandon, shared with the New York Times, “Kate wrote a book about the film, and there are some quotes in there about Ang’s occasionally shaky command of English. We would receive notes that left us a bit dumbfounded. I remember he told Emma once, ‘Emma, try not to look so old.’ That was a bit of a blow for her, but she understood it as ‘don’t seem so wise.’ As for me, it was, ‘Alan, be more subtle, do more,’ which we figured out meant he wanted me to focus more on the subtle aspects of my performance.
But Winslet faced more challenges than most on set. Her co-star remembers, ‘Kate was just 19 at the time, and he said, ‘Kate, never mind, you’ll get better.'” Ha!
Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Top 5 Jane Austen’s Cinematic Adaptations
So three years ago, I made a top 5 list (with 1 Honorable Mention) of Jane Austen adaptations you must not miss…
Happy Birthday, Jane Austen! My picks of 5 essential Austen film adaptations
I’ve also written about Sense and Sensibility many times on FlixChatter, all the way back to over a decade ago in this post, where I talked about how influential Sense and Sensibility is to me.
The Music of Sense and Sensibility
This year, I thought I’d highlight the piercingly beautiful score by Scottish composer Patrick Doyle. His work here is one of my top 5 favorites from his stellar work, including THOR and BRAVE. Right from the moment the film opened, I was immediately transported to the English countryside and into the lives of the Dashwood ladies.
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I do love this film. This day should be a bigger deal since Jane Austen is an icon. One of the greatest writers ever. Probably the best thing to come out of Britain since Shakespeare although I think she’s better than him. It’s tough to say what is my favorite Austen adaptation as I do love this and Joe Wright’s version of Pride & Prejudice but I also liked the most recent version of Emma with Anya Taylor-Joy and Love & Persuasion with Kate Beckinsale that I don’t think a lot of people saw but I loved it. I would count Clueless in that list as it is a unique take on Austen.
I do remember in an episode on Gilmore Girls in the 2nd season where Paris Gellar came to Rory Gilmore’s house and crashed as did Jess who brought food where Paris and Jess had a debate over great literary writers. Jess mentioned Charles Bukowski and is convinced that Jane Austen and Bukowski would have a great conversation on writing. It’s funny that I remember that even though I haven’t read anything by Bukowski although that would be an interesting conversation between 2 very different writers from different worlds though I’m sure they have things that are similar. I could see them take a giant shit on Colleen Hoover and her shitty books.
I haven’t actually read Shakespeare’s books, only his film adaptations, so I can’t really compare. I think I relate more to Austen’s works as they’re focused on women and women’s issues, but also because she offers such a witty commentary on Regency society.
I don’t think I’ve seen Kate Beckinsale’s EMMA in its entirety but it’s got Mark Strong as Knightley, I should check that out. Don’t watch the Netflix version of Persuasion, that is dreadful!! Oh and yes, Clueless does count as one of the best Austen adaptation.
I’m not familiar with Charles Bukowski but that sounds like a fascinating episode. Ahah, I have no desire to read Hoover’s books nor watch the movies based on them.
Actually, it’s Anya Taylor-Joy who is in Emma. Kate Beckinsale is in Love & Persuasion which an obscure short story by Austen. I will never watch the new version of Persuasion as I do not have a high opinion on Dakota Johnson.
Oh I see, yes I like the latest EMMA adaptation with Anya, it’s quite unique and the set design is gorgeous!
You meant Love & Friendship by Whit Stillman right? I LOVE that one and Kate Beckinsale should do more of this stuff than the B-movie action flicks. I don’t mind Dakota generally but she is so ill-suited in a period drama as she looks and acts too modern.
Yeah, that one. I love that film.
I have never seen any of Jane Austin’s adapted films but I still remember Sense and Sensibility’s popularity back in 1995. I worked at a video store and we only had about 5 copies of VHS for rental and all of the copies were rented out for months! People would get angry at me for not having enough copies for rental. I was like, hey don’t yell at me, I’m not the store owner. Lol!
I still can’t believe it’s been 30 years! 1995 was a good year for films though. I still remember seeing Braveheart, Heat, Apollo 13, Die Hard 3, GoldenEye (first Bond film I saw in theater), Se7en, Casino, Crimson Tide, Jumanji, Outbreak, Bad Boys, Rob Roy, Johnny Mnemonic, Congo, Waterworld, Mortal Kombat, Dead Presidents, Assassins, Strange Days and Sudden Death in theater. I used to see a lot of movies at theater. Ha ha!
Oh that is so cool to hear S&S was popular back in the day, Ted!! Weren’t you at least a bit curious why it’s so popular? 😉 It’s such an amazing film, even Ivan likes it and he’s not really into period dramas.
Yeah, lots of amazing films came out in 1995!! There’s another Austen adaptation, Persuasion, that was released the same year. I might have seen GoldenEye in the theater as well back in college.
Oh I know why Sense and Sensibility was popular, it got a lot of Oscar nominations and people wanted to see it. It’s always been a trend for films that weren’t huge box office hit but then it got tons of Oscar noms and when it came out on home video, a lot of people wanted to see check it. Same thing happened the next year when The English Patient came out on home video. Lots of people wanted to rent the video but we only had a few copies for rent and people at mad at me. Lol! It happens to all smaller films that received tons of Oscar nominations. Of course, we didn’t have streaming services back then, so video stores were the only place to rent the films.
I actually tried to watch S & S but I got bored and didn’t finish it. To be honest, I feel the same way about many of Ang Lee’s films. But that’s when I was younger, maybe if I give it another shot, I might appreciate it now that I’m older.
Ah I see! Yeah, Oscar-nominated movies usually boost ticket sales and overall viewing demands. Crazy that now people can just watch stuff online without worrying about ever ‘running out’ of a copy like we did before, ahah.
I suppose S&S is a slower film but to me, it’s not at all boring. Lee’s direction is amazing and of course the story, acting, etc. is flawless!
Well, If this isn’t the best way to celebrate the dual anniversary!.. Of your favorite movie! I am due for a rewatch of this classic. Might make the perfect holiday family movie night next week. Shall see if opportunity presents itself. A splendid post, Ruth. Splendid indeed!🫖🕯️😊
Awww thank you, EF!! I so appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on this special post. I have seen Sense and Sensibility countless times, and it still amazes me every time! The cast is simply superb, I did tear up a bit when I saw Alan Rickman came on screen (I should’ve shared that on the post, LOL). I know most people only know him as the villains in Die Hard or Robin Hood but he is so wonderful as a hero like in this one. Thanks again for your splendid comment!!
That 90s-2000s British ensemble is hard to beat!.. Just this evening my sister shared with me a clip of Rickman from Love Actually (counseling Laura Linney about Carl.) It’s a scene we share with each other at least once a year… Beloved actor for sure.
I know that Love Actually has a lot of haters but I love the segments with Emma Thompson and Rickman (love their reunion here from S&S). Linney’s storyline with Rodrigo Santoro is so heartbreaking. Did you hear Linney’s story that she and Santoro had just been broken up with when they made the movie? So they had a shared bond because of that. How sweet, though I can’t imagine anyone breaking up with Santoro, LOL!
I didn’t know that backstory!
LOVE Laura Linney, we need to see more movies with her in it!
Sense & Sensibility is an all-time classic. For the film to win only one Oscar out of its 7 nominations was a travesty. The film flows with such an effortless flair – but the director wasn’t nominated! And to give Best Picture to Braveheart, that was a case of pride and prejudice on the ballot form.
I love this comment so much, thanks Patrick!! Yes, it definitely deserves more than just 1 Oscar and Ang Lee ought to have been nominated. I barely remember much about Braveheart but it’s a flashier movie with a white male director, so there ya go. I love that you used an Austen reference in your comment, a spot on one at that, too!!
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A wonderful post. I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen and have always adored her timeless literature. She was a legendary author that penned so many iconic stories. I love all the film adaptations. My personal favourite is Joe Wright’s “Pride and Prejudice”. I felt Wright did an extraordinary job of adapting Jane Austen’s literature on the big-screen. Keira Knightley was extraordinary in the lead role. It’s one of my favourite period piece films of all-time.
Here’s a list of my favourite Jane Austen film adaptations:
Hello Huilahi!! High five that you’re a fan of Jane Austen too! Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice is truly one of the best adaptations, one of my top five for sure. I love that you also ranked Austen adaptations. I’m glad you love Mansfield Park as well, though I don’t care for Netflix’s Persuasion at all; that is NOT the Anne Elliot I recognized from the book. You should see the 1995 version with Ciaran Hinds; now THAT is a faithful Persuasion adaptation.
As for Bright Star, it’s not an Austen adaptation; it’s a biographical film about the poet John Keats and his romance with Fanny Brawne. That said, its period setting, witty dialogue, and focus on a strong-willed heroine gives it an Austen-esque feel, so I guess it makes sense why you’d include that. I love that movie too!
It’s such a brilliant film. I was so shocked at the time because of John Woo and also I’d only seen Alan Rickman as a baddie. I like the 1930’s Pride and Prejudice film a lot, as well as Clueless. I also like it when the heart and soul of a film has a modern retelling with genuine affection for the source material.
Are you referring to the 1940 Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier? Or is there an earlier version? I haven’t seen that one. Yes, the best modern retelling is one that still honors the source material, that is why I hated the Netflix version of Persuasion which butchers the main character!
I am. It’s so charming. I do like the version with Keira Knightley but I wasn’t thrilled with the actor for Darcey. He’s quality in Succession, but didnt fele he was best cast for the movie.
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