Definitive Austen

I am, admittedly, a bit of an Austen nut! I have read Sense and Sensibility more times than any sane person should - I know great tracts off by heart - but to this day I marvel at the fact that the first time I saw this movie, so artfully was it crafted, that I completely missed the fact that the first few scenes in the film don't even appear in the book! She also dispenses with Sir John Middletons wife completely without leaving any gaps in the plot - such is the mastery of Thompson's writing. Andrew Davies could only dream of having her knack of producing authentic sounding dialogue that is both true to the original text but also thoroughly accessible to those new to Austens, sometimes archaic, language.

The cast too is nothing less than stellar - Thompson is a little old for Elinor but plays it with such sympathy for the character that you couldn't hold it against her! Just as in the original, Marianne leaves you wanting to administer a hearty slap, and you could almost beleive that Austen wrote Edward Ferrers for the jittery,blinking Hugh Grant!