> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Big Screen Views - URL: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/big-screen-views/ - Published: 2026-10-20T23:16:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-20T23:16:34.000Z - Description: ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is full of soul - Author: Diane Urbani de la Paz - Tags: Arts & Culture Young women, here’s the deal. If you want the basics of life — decent food and shelter, respect from your neighbors — you had better find a man with money. If you’re unable to catch such a husband, poverty is your future. You will be scraping by, and the affluent snobs around you will barely acknowledge your worth as a human. All of this becomes painfully clear to Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters in “Sense and Sensibility,” Jane Austen’s classic 1811 novel newly adapted for the screen — but wait. This movie is no bummer. Yes, the outlook is bleak when the Dashwood family learns that, since they are four females, they will inherit zero from their father’s estate. But in this picture directed by Georgia Oakley with a screenplay by Diana Reid, we are swept up in a romantic drama that proves fabulously rewarding. The “Sense” in the title belongs to Elinor Dashwood, portrayed with exquisite soul by Daisy Edgar-Jones, while the “Sensibility” is her younger sister Marianne, played by the ocean-blue-eyed Esmé Creed-Miles. Marianne is all fierce emotion and lust for life — which naturally gets her involved with the wrong guy. His name is Willoughby, and he’s played by Frank Dillane as a charming dude who, underneath it all, is a user. He and Marianne have a whirlwind romance she believes will lead to nuptials, because that was how it worked back then. Willoughby, however, is neither honest nor worthy of her. Fortunately, Marianne has, in Elinor, a protector. The older sister is fully focused on honor — in behavior and in planning for the future. So when she finds the right man, and he finds her to be the right woman for him, they tiptoe around each other politely until Elinor learns the tragic truth. Her gallant guy, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), is taken already. She can’t have him. The injustice! The frustration! The repression of the 19th century! The only outlet people seem to have, the only place they can cut loose together, is at a dance. First there’s the “hop” held out in the country; then there’s the fancy ball — and both scenes are gorgeous tableaux. Watching people surrender themselves to music and human connection: You can’t beat it. This is a movie to which you must surrender yourself as well. The story moves slowly by today’s editing standards, and everyone is wearing dark colors, so it’s quite moody. The stirring music by Roger Goula, a character in itself, takes hold of you and carries you deep into the tale of two young women’s struggles and dreams. Like Ang Lee and Emma Thompson’s 1995 version of “Sense and Sensibility,” this picture is best experienced on the big screen, so the sweeping countryside and heartfelt conversations may envelop you. And oh, Elinor’s dark brown eyes. Mesmerizing. Then there are the men in the movie. They can be rather clueless. Is there any ardor beneath Colonel Brandon’s sad demeanor? Portrayed by Herbert Nordrum, he does ride a magnificent black horse in and out of the Dashwoods’ lives. Methinks the tall, muscular steed represents his rider’s reined-in — for a while — intensity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c6/a2/c6a241c6-69f5-450c-9fd7-6b170730e448/content/images/2026/10/Sense-and-Herbert-Nordrum-as-Colonel-Brandon.jpg) Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum) is not appreciated at first in “Sense and Sensibility.” Photo by Focus Features Although it’s a 215-year-old story, “Sense and Sensibility” is still a relatable one. I’m a member of the generation who remembers young women who went to college and got their “MRS.” degrees, believing a man with high earning potential was the ticket to a happy life. Thanks to Gloria Steinem and her many sisters, a lot has changed for the better. Yet the movie also portrays a love story that transcends time: that of the bond between Elinor and Marianne, siblings who are not alike yet ultimately balance each other. They show us what devotion looks like regardless of differences. And this, dear moviegoer, is reason aplenty to see this picture, and applaud as we did as the credits rolled on opening night.