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It`s a great film. I love such films which take place in the old England in the 19th century. I find these films very fascinating and interesting. Besides it`s a splendid star-cast. This film shows the life how the people lived in the 19th century and how the law treated the women.
The head of the Dashwood family, Mr. Henry Dashwood, has died suddenly. Naturally because of the law Mr. Dashwood`s son from a previous marriage gets the whole inheritance. His stepmother Mrs. Dashwood (Jones) and her three daughters Elinor (Thompson), Marianne (Winslet) and Magaret (Francois) gets nothing. But nevertheless John Dashwood (Fleet) has promised his father that he yearly pays for his stepmother`s keep. But John`s wife Fanny (Walter) is very snobbish and avaricious, so she doesn`t want that John pays anything, and so the Dashwood women get too little money to survive.
Fortunately the cousin of Mrs. Dashwood, Sir John Middleton (Hardy) offers them a "cottage" on his estate. Before they leave for Middleton`s estate, Fanny`s brother Edward Ferrars (Grant) arrives for a visit. Elinor falls in love with Edward, but unsure with her feelings, she lets him go to London without a word about her love to him. But at the cottage Marianne meets two men. First the dashing and rarkish John Willoughby (Wise) and the outwardly staid but deeply-principled Colonel Christopher Brandon (Rickman), who loves Marianne in a deep and most unrequited way - as unrequited as Elinor loves Edward. Over the next two hours you see a lot of twists between the families and friends.
It`s a great film and it`s based on a great novel by Jane Austin. The title Sense and Sensibility is typical for the sisters Elinor and Marianne. Sense stands for Elinor and sensibility stands for Marianne. (The German title is stupid: "Sinn und Sinnlichkeit"!)
My favourite character is Colonel Brandon. Alan Rickman plays him excellent. I think he can play characteristic film-parts very good. He is also one of my favourite actors. Of course Hugh Grant plays a convincing and a little bit absent-minded Edward Ferrars. I think it`s also a typical film-part for Hugh Grant. Kate Winslet is a passionate, intusiastic and casual Marianne. She and the also casual Greg Wise as Willoughby break the rules, because they show their feelings. But the strong and sensible Elinor who plays Emma Thompson is afraid to show her feelings. She means she is the oldest sister and she has to do all things for the family. So she nearly gambles away her good luck!
Of course some scenes are nearly too kitschy, but nevertheless I give this film five stars out of five.
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