Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations discussion

This topic is about
Sense and Sensibility
Adaptations - under construction
>
Sense and Sensibility Adaptations
date
newest »

Movies/ TV shows
Sense and Sensibility (1971 BBC TV series)
Sense and Sensibility (1981 Mini-series - Irene Richard, Tracey Childs, Annie Leon, Robert Swann)
Sense and Sensibility (1995 Movie - Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson)
Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000 Movie - Tabu, Ajith Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mammootty)
Material Girls (2006 Movie - Hilary and Haylie Duff)
Sense and Sensibility (2008 Mini-Series - Hattie Morahan, Charity Wakefield, David Morrissey, Janet McTeer)
Nesmrtelní: Ľúbi neľúbi (2010 TV Movie - Stanislava Pazmányová, Pavel Batěk, Pavol Višňovský, Katarína Šafaříková)
Scents and Sensibility (2011 Movie - Ashley Williams, Marla Sokoloff, Nick Zano, Brad Johnson)
From Prada to Nada (2011 Movie - Camilla Belle, Alexa PenaVega, Kuno Becker, Tina French)
Kumkum Bhagya ("Twist of Fate") (2014-... Indian soap opera)







Sense and Sensibility (1971 BBC TV series)
Sense and Sensibility (1981 Mini-series - Irene Richard, Tracey Childs, Annie Leon, Robert Swann)
Sense and Sensibility (1995 Movie - Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson)
Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000 Movie - Tabu, Ajith Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mammootty)
Material Girls (2006 Movie - Hilary and Haylie Duff)
Sense and Sensibility (2008 Mini-Series - Hattie Morahan, Charity Wakefield, David Morrissey, Janet McTeer)
Nesmrtelní: Ľúbi neľúbi (2010 TV Movie - Stanislava Pazmányová, Pavel Batěk, Pavol Višňovský, Katarína Šafaříková)
Scents and Sensibility (2011 Movie - Ashley Williams, Marla Sokoloff, Nick Zano, Brad Johnson)
From Prada to Nada (2011 Movie - Camilla Belle, Alexa PenaVega, Kuno Becker, Tina French)
Kumkum Bhagya ("Twist of Fate") (2014-... Indian soap opera)








Nesmrtelní: Miluje Nemiluje (Original title: Lúbí Nelúbí, in English: Loves, Loves Not). 2010 TV Movie.
It's a modern Slovak adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Made for TV but the cast is excellent.
Three sisters, Elena, Mariana, and Meggi, are forced to move out of their father's house after his death. Their step-brother Honzo and his terrible Czech (lol) wife, Fany, inherited the house. Fany invites her brother, Edo, an architect, to oversee the house's remodeling. Elena is an elementary school teacher; she finds a job in a faraway Eastern Slovakian village. Mariana just graduated from an art school; she wants to be a musician. She's about 23-24 years old, without a job and not looking for one, stroppy because of the unwanted move to the country, and a selfish, self-centered brat determined to be a burden to her elder sister.
The country setting works. By eliminating Mrs Dashwood, the plot fits the modern setting really well.
The runtime (75 minutes) is too short, and the screenwriters had to make extensive cuts. The story while streamlined was mostly left intact. Unfortunately, they cut most, if not all, of the humor and Austen's wit. What is left is a solid melodrama but a poor Austen adaptation.
Original summary: "Elena, Mariana a malá Margaréta sú sestry. Po smrti otca sa v dôsledku dedičského konania musia vysťahovať z domu v meste a prenechať ho svojmu nevlastnému bratovi a jeho nepríjemnej manželke. Presťahovanie sa na vidiek, zvykanie si na novú realitu, ale i riešenie prebúdzajúcich sa vzťahov zvláda každá zo sestier po svojom: kým Elena sa snaží pristupovať k životu pragmaticky a pokiaľ sa dá s rozumom, Mariana sa riadi viac emóciami a citom. Každá z nich však miluje a túži byť milovaná... (STV)"

[Mariana and Elena]


[Edo] ---------------[Mariana]

[Elena]
Cast:
Elena (Elinor): Stanislava Pazmányová
Mariana (Marianne): Katarína Šafaříková
Edo (Edward): Pavel Baťek
Boris (Brandon): Pavol Višňovský
Vilo (Willoughby): Roman Poláčik
IMDb link:
You can watch a short trailer here:
It's a modern Slovak adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Made for TV but the cast is excellent.
Three sisters, Elena, Mariana, and Meggi, are forced to move out of their father's house after his death. Their step-brother Honzo and his terrible Czech (lol) wife, Fany, inherited the house. Fany invites her brother, Edo, an architect, to oversee the house's remodeling. Elena is an elementary school teacher; she finds a job in a faraway Eastern Slovakian village. Mariana just graduated from an art school; she wants to be a musician. She's about 23-24 years old, without a job and not looking for one, stroppy because of the unwanted move to the country, and a selfish, self-centered brat determined to be a burden to her elder sister.
The country setting works. By eliminating Mrs Dashwood, the plot fits the modern setting really well.
The runtime (75 minutes) is too short, and the screenwriters had to make extensive cuts. The story while streamlined was mostly left intact. Unfortunately, they cut most, if not all, of the humor and Austen's wit. What is left is a solid melodrama but a poor Austen adaptation.
Original summary: "Elena, Mariana a malá Margaréta sú sestry. Po smrti otca sa v dôsledku dedičského konania musia vysťahovať z domu v meste a prenechať ho svojmu nevlastnému bratovi a jeho nepríjemnej manželke. Presťahovanie sa na vidiek, zvykanie si na novú realitu, ale i riešenie prebúdzajúcich sa vzťahov zvláda každá zo sestier po svojom: kým Elena sa snaží pristupovať k životu pragmaticky a pokiaľ sa dá s rozumom, Mariana sa riadi viac emóciami a citom. Každá z nich však miluje a túži byť milovaná... (STV)"

[Mariana and Elena]


[Edo] ---------------[Mariana]

[Elena]
Cast:
Elena (Elinor): Stanislava Pazmányová
Mariana (Marianne): Katarína Šafaříková
Edo (Edward): Pavel Baťek
Boris (Brandon): Pavol Višňovský
Vilo (Willoughby): Roman Poláčik
IMDb link:
You can watch a short trailer here:
Paul Gordon's Sense and Sensibility

[Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood and Sharon Rietkerk as Elinor]
Paul Gordon composed another musical based on JA's novel: Sense and Sensibility.
Filmed in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theatre at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
April 8-June 7, 2015
Book, Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon
Directed by Barbara Gaines
Cast:
Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood
Sharon Rietkerk as Elinor Dashwood
Peter Saide as Willoughby
Sean Alan Krill as Colonel Brandon
Emily Berman as Lucy Steele
Michael Aaron Lindner as John Middleton
Colin Morgan as Mr. Harris
David Schlumpf as John Dashwood
Paula Scrofano as Mrs. Jennings
Tiffany Scott as Fanny
Wayne Wilcox as Edward Ferrars
Matthew Keffer as Ensemble
Elizabeth Telford as Ensemble

[Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood and Peter Saide as Mr. Willoughby.]
Available for rent here:
an official trailer here:
this montage is a better trailer IMO:
Colonel Brandon (Sean Allan Krill) laments being on the “Wrong Side of Five & Thirty�:
More pictures and info on the production and cast here:
You can listen to some more melodies from another production of the musical here:
EDIT: Finally watched the musical. Here are my thoughts.
This is the last of Paul Gordon's three musicals adapted from Jane Austen's novels that I watched.
This one is easily the best-produced of the three. Great costumes and much better wigs than for Pride and Prejudice. The casting is fine. Lovely singing. Adequate acting.
It's filmed stage production. The audience vibed with the piece and it helped. Gordon leaned into the humorous aspects of the story and the audience ate it up.
There are many cuts as could be expected. There is no Mrs Dashwood or Margaret, no Anne Steele, no Palmers & no Lady Middleton. Elinor and Marianne are all alone, makes John Dashwood's treatment of them all the more deplorable. There is no visit to Cleveland, Marianne gets sick at Barton Cottage. Colonel Brandon fetches Mrs Jennings from London to tend to her.
The music is typical Paul Gordon - pleasant but not sweeping. Musically, Emma was better IMO. There are no memorable songs except for perhaps Colonel Brandon's On the Wrong Side of Five-and-thirty The lyrics are a mouthful; Gordon likes to keep Jane Austen's words and that might be quite a challenge for both the singer-actors and the audience. I didn't mind.
I enjoyed it for what it was - a Broadway treatment of Jane Austen.
If you love Gordon's Emma and/or Pride and Prejudice you'll enjoy Sense and Sensibility, too. If you didn't like them, you should skip this one.

[Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood and Sharon Rietkerk as Elinor]
Paul Gordon composed another musical based on JA's novel: Sense and Sensibility.
Filmed in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theatre at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
April 8-June 7, 2015
Book, Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon
Directed by Barbara Gaines
Cast:
Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood
Sharon Rietkerk as Elinor Dashwood
Peter Saide as Willoughby
Sean Alan Krill as Colonel Brandon
Emily Berman as Lucy Steele
Michael Aaron Lindner as John Middleton
Colin Morgan as Mr. Harris
David Schlumpf as John Dashwood
Paula Scrofano as Mrs. Jennings
Tiffany Scott as Fanny
Wayne Wilcox as Edward Ferrars
Matthew Keffer as Ensemble
Elizabeth Telford as Ensemble

[Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood and Peter Saide as Mr. Willoughby.]
Available for rent here:
an official trailer here:
this montage is a better trailer IMO:
Colonel Brandon (Sean Allan Krill) laments being on the “Wrong Side of Five & Thirty�:
More pictures and info on the production and cast here:
You can listen to some more melodies from another production of the musical here:
EDIT: Finally watched the musical. Here are my thoughts.
This is the last of Paul Gordon's three musicals adapted from Jane Austen's novels that I watched.
This one is easily the best-produced of the three. Great costumes and much better wigs than for Pride and Prejudice. The casting is fine. Lovely singing. Adequate acting.
It's filmed stage production. The audience vibed with the piece and it helped. Gordon leaned into the humorous aspects of the story and the audience ate it up.
There are many cuts as could be expected. There is no Mrs Dashwood or Margaret, no Anne Steele, no Palmers & no Lady Middleton. Elinor and Marianne are all alone, makes John Dashwood's treatment of them all the more deplorable. There is no visit to Cleveland, Marianne gets sick at Barton Cottage. Colonel Brandon fetches Mrs Jennings from London to tend to her.
The music is typical Paul Gordon - pleasant but not sweeping. Musically, Emma was better IMO. There are no memorable songs except for perhaps Colonel Brandon's On the Wrong Side of Five-and-thirty The lyrics are a mouthful; Gordon likes to keep Jane Austen's words and that might be quite a challenge for both the singer-actors and the audience. I didn't mind.
I enjoyed it for what it was - a Broadway treatment of Jane Austen.
If you love Gordon's Emma and/or Pride and Prejudice you'll enjoy Sense and Sensibility, too. If you didn't like them, you should skip this one.
Hallmark's ‘Sense and Sensibility�
Premiere Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET.
Stars: Deborah Ayorinde, Bethany Antonia and Dan Jeannotte
Logline: “A period adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. After a change in circumstances, Marianne is torn between two men, while Elinor longs for a man beyond reach.�

trailer:
Cast:
Deborah Ayorinde as Elinor Dashwood (36)
Bethany Antonia as Marianne Dashwood (26)
Dan Jeannotte as Edward Ferrars (42)
Akil Largie as Colonel Brandon (38)
Victor Hugo as John Willoughby (29)
Dimitri Gripari as Robert Ferrars
Victoria Ekanoye as Lucy Steele
Daniel Boyd as John Dashwood
Note about the actors' ages are in brackets above: Why are they doing this again?! Elinor and Edward are waaaaaay too old!
Premiere Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET.
Stars: Deborah Ayorinde, Bethany Antonia and Dan Jeannotte
Logline: “A period adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. After a change in circumstances, Marianne is torn between two men, while Elinor longs for a man beyond reach.�

trailer:
Cast:
Deborah Ayorinde as Elinor Dashwood (36)
Bethany Antonia as Marianne Dashwood (26)
Dan Jeannotte as Edward Ferrars (42)
Akil Largie as Colonel Brandon (38)
Victor Hugo as John Willoughby (29)
Dimitri Gripari as Robert Ferrars
Victoria Ekanoye as Lucy Steele
Daniel Boyd as John Dashwood
Note about the actors' ages are in brackets above: Why are they doing this again?! Elinor and Edward are waaaaaay too old!
Marianne (2014)
trailer:

"Sisters, Elinor and Marianne, and their chances for love and happiness threatened by Elinor's stoic sense and Marianne's passionate sensibility.
Sensitive, romantic Marianne faces the life-changing event of losing her father and the home she shares with her sisters Elinor and Margaret and her melancholy mother. After downsizing to an apartment provided by a kind cousin, Marianne meets the kind, dashing, and altruistic young Colonel Brandon, who falls immediately for Marianne. But before Brandon can make any gentlemanly advances, Marianne meets the very suave, handsome young doctor John Willoughby and falls blindly in love with him without caution, as Elinor would hope. A passionate love affair ensues between John and Marianne; however, events and choices John has made may destroy Marianne's hopes of marriage. Brandon, who knows of John's secrets, contemplates how he can tell Marianne without overstepping his boundaries. Marianne is on everyone's mind, all worried for her heart, all except Marianne who believes in full speed ahead when it comes to love and passion."
Director: Desiree Naomi Stone
Writers: Jane Austen & Desiree Naomi Stone
Starring:
Rachel Brow as Marianne
Sarah Karnes as Elinor
Christian Telesmar as John Willoughby
James Stone as Colonel Andrew Brandon
Monika Holm as Elizabeth Brandon
It's a low-budget, indie adaptation of Sense and Sensibility set in 2010s focused mostly on Marianne. Uneven acting. The script was undercooked, it's like the book wasn't adapted enough. There were snippets of the Regency dialogue left and plotpoints that don't fit into present times. It's almost 2 hours long, yet adapted only half the story. Elinor is a sad stick in the mud, neglected, parentified eldest daughter. There's no romance, no other emotional release for her in the movie. Elinor's love interest Edward doesn't even appear. Which leaves the plot strangely lop-sided.
Elinor is in grad school, she studies English and aspires to be an author. Marianne studies music and throughout the movie she is preparing herself for her big "concerto". There's Margaret just being there. Hopelessly infuriating Mrs Dashwood who despite being shown doing absolutely nothing useful whips out a novel of her own titled "Marianne and Elinor" right before the end of the movie.
Brandon is a rich socialite whose hobby is his work as a police officer (I´m not kidding you). Willoughby is a ward of a wealthy Mrs Gray, he's a doctor but because he's low on cash he steals drugs from his hospital and sells/gives them to his dealer/druggie friends. There's a druggie girlfriend he hooked up to an unspecified drug and got her pregnant. While she ODs he just leaves. The girl is Colonel Brandon's stepsister Elizabeth. Brandon rescues Elizabeth and arrests Willoughby. Willoughby's wealthy patroness Mrs Gray bails him out (and smoothes out things with the judge) under the condition that Willoughby marries her daughter Evan.
Difference from the book: This Willoughby asks Marianne to marry him and gives her an engagement ring. After he's bailed out by his benefactress he breaks off the engangement. Marianne seemingly doesn't care about his drug dealing she only wants to be his girlfriend. /s She's so sad that she jumps into the lake while attending a wedding (of the Palmers proxies) to drown herself. Brandon fishes her out. Cue: happy ending.
This clearly was a passion project, but well, it's not a good movie. Should have been better adapted - more things adjusted and much more should have been cut.
Not recommended.
trailer:

"Sisters, Elinor and Marianne, and their chances for love and happiness threatened by Elinor's stoic sense and Marianne's passionate sensibility.
Sensitive, romantic Marianne faces the life-changing event of losing her father and the home she shares with her sisters Elinor and Margaret and her melancholy mother. After downsizing to an apartment provided by a kind cousin, Marianne meets the kind, dashing, and altruistic young Colonel Brandon, who falls immediately for Marianne. But before Brandon can make any gentlemanly advances, Marianne meets the very suave, handsome young doctor John Willoughby and falls blindly in love with him without caution, as Elinor would hope. A passionate love affair ensues between John and Marianne; however, events and choices John has made may destroy Marianne's hopes of marriage. Brandon, who knows of John's secrets, contemplates how he can tell Marianne without overstepping his boundaries. Marianne is on everyone's mind, all worried for her heart, all except Marianne who believes in full speed ahead when it comes to love and passion."
Director: Desiree Naomi Stone
Writers: Jane Austen & Desiree Naomi Stone
Starring:
Rachel Brow as Marianne
Sarah Karnes as Elinor
Christian Telesmar as John Willoughby
James Stone as Colonel Andrew Brandon
Monika Holm as Elizabeth Brandon
It's a low-budget, indie adaptation of Sense and Sensibility set in 2010s focused mostly on Marianne. Uneven acting. The script was undercooked, it's like the book wasn't adapted enough. There were snippets of the Regency dialogue left and plotpoints that don't fit into present times. It's almost 2 hours long, yet adapted only half the story. Elinor is a sad stick in the mud, neglected, parentified eldest daughter. There's no romance, no other emotional release for her in the movie. Elinor's love interest Edward doesn't even appear. Which leaves the plot strangely lop-sided.
Elinor is in grad school, she studies English and aspires to be an author. Marianne studies music and throughout the movie she is preparing herself for her big "concerto". There's Margaret just being there. Hopelessly infuriating Mrs Dashwood who despite being shown doing absolutely nothing useful whips out a novel of her own titled "Marianne and Elinor" right before the end of the movie.
Brandon is a rich socialite whose hobby is his work as a police officer (I´m not kidding you). Willoughby is a ward of a wealthy Mrs Gray, he's a doctor but because he's low on cash he steals drugs from his hospital and sells/gives them to his dealer/druggie friends. There's a druggie girlfriend he hooked up to an unspecified drug and got her pregnant. While she ODs he just leaves. The girl is Colonel Brandon's stepsister Elizabeth. Brandon rescues Elizabeth and arrests Willoughby. Willoughby's wealthy patroness Mrs Gray bails him out (and smoothes out things with the judge) under the condition that Willoughby marries her daughter Evan.
Difference from the book: This Willoughby asks Marianne to marry him and gives her an engagement ring. After he's bailed out by his benefactress he breaks off the engangement. Marianne seemingly doesn't care about his drug dealing she only wants to be his girlfriend. /s She's so sad that she jumps into the lake while attending a wedding (of the Palmers proxies) to drown herself. Brandon fishes her out. Cue: happy ending.
This clearly was a passion project, but well, it's not a good movie. Should have been better adapted - more things adjusted and much more should have been cut.
Not recommended.
Scents and Sensibility (2011 Movie)

Finally, I got to watch this modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. This is unfortunately a Hallmark-style movie. The acting is uneven and the plot is messy.

[Elinor and Marianne]

[John and Marianne]
Mr Dashwood is a criminal, his wealth is the result of some type of financial scheme/fraud. In the beggining, he's arrested and put behind bars for 75 years. All his property is confiscated. The Dashwood women are destitude. The mother and Margaret are mostly absent - Margaret has a rare serious illness and they are away for treatment. The medicine is expensive. That's another incentive for Elinor and Marianne to find jobs. Nobody wants to employ a Dashwood because of the connection to the scandal. Marianne, under a false name, gets a job as a copy girl in a marketing firm. Elinor ends up working as a janitor in a spa belonging to Fanny Ferris. Marianne's boyfriend John presumably leaves for Switzerland to start a job or so the Dashwoods believe. He's in fact at home, playing PlayStation and going out with another girl. At work, Marianne meets Brandon, a serious executive. At first, they clash, but Brandon seems interested in Marianne. Elinor meets Fanny's lawyer brother Edward. They click. Yeah, and Marianne's hobby, making scented herbal lotions, comes into play as well.
It's funny that the Dashwoods act like their father doesn't exist. He's only a plot device that bars them from finding adequate jobs.

[Marianne and Brandon]
Not a good movie. But it's better than Marianne (2014) and Material Girls (2006).

[Edward and Elinor]
Directed by Brian Brough
Written by Brittany Wiscombe, Jennifer Jan, (Jane Austen)
Cast:
· Ashley Williams. Elinore Dashwood
· Marla Sokoloff. Marianne Dashwood
· Nick Zano. Brandon Hurst
· Brad Johnson. Edward Farris

Finally, I got to watch this modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. This is unfortunately a Hallmark-style movie. The acting is uneven and the plot is messy.

[Elinor and Marianne]

[John and Marianne]
Mr Dashwood is a criminal, his wealth is the result of some type of financial scheme/fraud. In the beggining, he's arrested and put behind bars for 75 years. All his property is confiscated. The Dashwood women are destitude. The mother and Margaret are mostly absent - Margaret has a rare serious illness and they are away for treatment. The medicine is expensive. That's another incentive for Elinor and Marianne to find jobs. Nobody wants to employ a Dashwood because of the connection to the scandal. Marianne, under a false name, gets a job as a copy girl in a marketing firm. Elinor ends up working as a janitor in a spa belonging to Fanny Ferris. Marianne's boyfriend John presumably leaves for Switzerland to start a job or so the Dashwoods believe. He's in fact at home, playing PlayStation and going out with another girl. At work, Marianne meets Brandon, a serious executive. At first, they clash, but Brandon seems interested in Marianne. Elinor meets Fanny's lawyer brother Edward. They click. Yeah, and Marianne's hobby, making scented herbal lotions, comes into play as well.
It's funny that the Dashwoods act like their father doesn't exist. He's only a plot device that bars them from finding adequate jobs.

[Marianne and Brandon]
Not a good movie. But it's better than Marianne (2014) and Material Girls (2006).

[Edward and Elinor]
Directed by Brian Brough
Written by Brittany Wiscombe, Jennifer Jan, (Jane Austen)
Cast:
· Ashley Williams. Elinore Dashwood
· Marla Sokoloff. Marianne Dashwood
· Nick Zano. Brandon Hurst
· Brad Johnson. Edward Farris
Post your reviews and impressions here. Discuss about old & new Sense and Sensibility adaptations.