SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

The film's emotional power is significantly enhanced by its star-studded cast. Emma Thompson, who portrays Elinor, also showcased her talent as a screenwriter, winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for her adaptation.

After Henry Dashwood passes, Norland passes to his son from his first marriage, leaving Mrs Dashwood and her three daughters – young Margaret, Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne (Kate Winslet) – in greatly reduced circumstances. The Dashwood sisters must come to terms with their new—modest—reality, in which marriage is the only way for a woman to achieve stability.

However, neither sister is ready to merely accept a social structure that prioritises wealth and status over true emotion. The composed Elinor maintains her affection for the retiring Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) in check; the impulsive Marianne, who yearns for a Shakespearean romance, is captivated by Willoughby (Greg Wise) and disregards the advances of the devoted Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman).

Following Alan Rickman’s death in 2016, DIE HARD (1988) director John McTiernan recalled how different Rickman himself was from the villains with whom he became so closely associated on screen. In that light, his Colonel Brandon reveals another side of the actor’s range: restraint, tenderness and melancholy rather than menace.

Although Austen never gives Brandon a first name, the 1995 film calls him Christopher; the name has since become synonymous with the character. Brandon is the respected owner of Delaford, yet remains marked by a tragic past. Rickman conveys that burden with remarkable subtlety: bitterness flickers across his face without ever compromising his character's dignity or self-possession – qualities the vain Willoughby could only aspire to.

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Text: Paula Apanowicz