Student Essay on Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Essay

Sense and Sensibility' is one of Jane Austen's famous novels, and like some of her other novels it was adapted to a film in 1995 by Emma Thompson. In the move from page to television screen the well known story lost much of its meaning and the characters lost their in-depth feel. Naturally when a novel is adapted to film, not all of the characters words and feelings can be shown on the screen but the film left out many things that gave us insight into the real feelings and personalities of the characters.

We are introduced to Willoughby first as a fun loving, caring man who shows great affection toward Miss Marianne, then as a villain whom we are quick to dislike and judge for his leaving Marianne for Miss Grey and her money. However in Jane Austen's novel his actions are explained to us when he returns to visit Marianne when she is sick. "To have resisted such attractions, I have withstood such tenderness. Is there a man on earth who could have done it!" We are not shown how he really feels for Marianne in the film, after he leaves her at the dance we do not see him again, except for a brief moment at Colonel Brandon and Marianne's wedding.

In both the novel and the film we know that Colonel Brandon holds very strong feels for Marianne, and we see that Marianne thinks he is not right for her and "beyond marriageable age", however it is only in the novel that we see that Marianne has actually grown quiet fond of him, " her whole heart, in time, became as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby", in the film we hear nothing of this and are left to assume, if we wish, that Marianne married him out of necessity.

`Sense and Sensibility' is as closely adapted to film as is possible without making a five hour movie, and while it is not as exciting and moving as the novel is still quiet a good movie.

346 words