Comparison of Ang Lee's 1995 movie adaptation and Rodney Bennett's made for TV 1981 version of Sense and Sensibility.
Heather Romine
English R1A
March 8, 2006
Extra Credit: Comparison of Ang Lee's 1995 movie adaptation and Rodney Bennett's made for TV 1981 version
Ang Lee's version of Sense and Sensibility and Rodney Bennett's TV series adaptation of Sense and Sensibility both capture the spirit of Jane Austen's novel; however, there are discrepancies which enhance and detract from each adaptation. Differences arise due to variations in the directors' nationalities and intended audience, events and characters.
The American version is much more dramatic than the British version. Bennett takes the viewer back in historical time in an entertaining, smooth, and touching fashion. It is more true to Austen's time period; whereas Lee's movie is much more dramatic. Whenever there is tension in the novel, it is pouring outside even when it is not raining in the novel. It is raining when Willoughby finds Marianne with a twisted ankle, whereas the British version and novel have sunny weather. Margaret's tree house in the Emma-Thompson movie depicts Margaret as free-spirited tomboy creating more melodramatic tension which is not present in the novel or British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) version. The American version also portrays men always riding horses, possibly due to the cowboy history of the United States and film industry's considerable use of men on horses to depict heroic figures.
English R1A
March 8, 2006
Extra Credit: Comparison of Ang Lee's 1995 movie adaptation and Rodney Bennett's made for TV 1981 version
Ang Lee's version of Sense and Sensibility and Rodney Bennett's TV series adaptation of Sense and Sensibility both capture the spirit of Jane Austen's novel; however, there are discrepancies which enhance and detract from each adaptation. Differences arise due to variations in the directors' nationalities and intended audience, events and characters.
The American version is much more dramatic than the British version. Bennett takes the viewer back in historical time in an entertaining, smooth, and touching fashion. It is more true to Austen's time period; whereas Lee's movie is much more dramatic. Whenever there is tension in the novel, it is pouring outside even when it is not raining in the novel. It is raining when Willoughby finds Marianne with a twisted ankle, whereas the British version and novel have sunny weather. Margaret's tree house in the Emma-Thompson movie depicts Margaret as free-spirited tomboy creating more melodramatic tension which is not present in the novel or British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) version. The American version also portrays men always riding horses, possibly due to the cowboy history of the United States and film industry's considerable use of men on horses to depict heroic figures.