Austen's 'sense & sensibility' gets a modern edge – first look at oakley's haunting adaptation
Georgia Oakley’s reimagining of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, ‘Sense & Sensibility,’ arrives this October, promising a visceral and strikingly contemporary interpretation of the classic story. The film, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, offers a tantalizing first glimpse at the costumes and settings, hinting at a production steeped in meticulous detail.
A family on the brink
Oakley, known for her fiercely independent filmmaking, isn’t interested in a sanitized, period-piece rendition. Instead, she’s drawn to the precarious position of the Dashwood family – forced to relocate from their opulent Sussex estate, Norland Park, to a modest Devonshire cottage following their father’s death. “It’s about a family pushed close to the edge, caught between society and ruin,” Oakley explains. “That’s a constant fascination for me as a filmmaker.”
The screenplay, penned by Diana Reid, deftly navigates Austen’s sharp social commentary, exposing the rigid power structures of the era and challenging traditional notions of inheritance. Oakley emphasizes the novel’s bravery, noting Austen’s willingness to “poke holes” in established norms like male primogeniture.
A texture of place
Beyond the narrative, Oakley’s team – including production designer Francesca Di Mottola and costume designer Grace Snell – has painstakingly recreated the world of ‘Sense & Sensibility.’ “I wanted to capture the lived experience of those times,” she says. “Not the idealized image of endless hair and perfectly arranged interiors. I’m deliberately avoiding that fetishization.”
The film’s visual references include John Schlesinger’s ‘Far From the Madding Crowd,’ Céline Sciamma’s ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire,’ and Hlynur Pálmason’s ‘Godland,’ reflecting a desire for authenticity and a grounding in tangible detail. The production team spent considerable time researching the architectural and environmental textures of the period, aiming to immerse the audience in the realities of 19th-century life. Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles, who have a pre-existing working relationship from the 2018 film ‘Pond Life,’ bring a palpable chemistry to the screen, further enriching the film’s emotional core.
Ultimately, Oakley hopes to deliver a ‘Sense & Sensibility’ that resonates with both Austen’s original readership and a new generation, offering a fresh and compelling portrait of sisterhood and resilience. “I want it to feel like something that could be discovered in an attic, untouched by the expectations of a specific release date,” she concludes. “A film that speaks to the human condition, regardless of when it was made.”