You’ll want to watch Daisy Edgar-Jones in Sense and Sensibility again and again

There was no need for any scepticism because Sense and Sensibility will thrill the Jane Austen purists with its tenderness, wit and renewed focus on the sisterly bond at its heart, aided by the perfect casting of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as our heroines, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.

Fans often question the need for a new Austen adaptation, holding the view that it couldn’t possibly match the success of previous versions or offer anything new without compromise.

But this Sense and Sensibility from Blue Jean director Georgia Oakley proves, once again, that adaptation is an art in itself and there is always something fresh to present – and a different way of doing so.

In the same way people made room in their hearts for 2006’s Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen after being convinced the 1995 BBC miniseries with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle couldn’t be equalled, so too does this Sense and Sensibility more than earn its reason and right to be made after Ang Lee and Emma Thompson’s much-loved, Oscar-winning film.

Tastes have changed, influencing how period dramas are made in the intervening 30 years, which this Sense and Sensibility embraces, although it resists treading the trendy, sexed-up path of Bridgerton, instead opting for a more timeless approach.

This starts with how gorgeously faithful to the spirit and – in several places – letter of Austen’s text it is, with credit to screenwriter Diana Reid. And that also means plenty of the author’s famously sharp humour comes into play.

The Dashwood family is plunged into near poverty following the death of Mr Dashwood, losing their home of Norland Park to the sole male heir John (Tom Brooke) and his entertainingly unsympathetic wife Fanny (Stacy Martin), who convinces her husband to hack away at his initial financial generosity towards his step-mother (Outlander’s Caitríona Balfe) and half-sisters as she questions the ‘extravagant wishes’ of dying people.

But a visit from Fanny’s brother Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) brings welcome respite for the Dashwoods from hideous relatives ghoulishly allocating bedrooms and preparing to evict them from their home amid their grief. He bonds with the similarly suited and steady Elinor, but MacKay displays charm with a wink and a playful sense of humour that makes for a refreshing take on an often staid character.

Meanwhile, kindly busybody Mrs Jennings (a scene-stealing Fiona Shaw) takes it upon herself to help the Dashwood ladies find a new house, as well as husbands – which includes the reserved, older Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum) for Marianne, who has been enchanted by her spirit, while she finds him ‘sincerely dull’.

But John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) then enters stage left, literally riding to the rescue when Marianne injures her ankle, all smooth talk and cheeky charm, which easily enchants Marianne and sees them fall into a reckless flirtationship he encourages along with his attentions.

Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles’ (Samantha Morton’s daughter) chemistry as the sisters, nicely supported by Hamnet’s Bodhi Rae Breathnach as the youngest, Margaret, is truly sublime, really emphasising how close Elinor and Marianne are despite their fundamental differences in temperament and approach to love. Marianne rails against her older sibling simply admitting that she ‘greatly esteems’ Edward. Marianne – who conceals nothing, in opposition to her sister – instead declares that she ‘requires so much’ in a match, looking for twin tastes in everything just for a start.

This new Sense and Sensibility made me reconsider my impression of several characters thanks to the wonderful work of Edgar-Jones, MacKay and Dillane in particular. Elinor and Edward are trickier roles, which rub up against modern behaviour more obviously in how passive and bound by society’s rules they are, while Willoughby is imbued with a touch of sympathetic tragedy – without excusing any of his conduct.

Sensible tweaks are made by Reid, such as in the backstory connecting Willoughby and Brandon, as well as the dynamics of Edward’s entanglement keeping him from Elinor: I found myself rooting for their relationship far more than before.

One of the film’s highlights is also finally putting the duel Austen briefly mentions off page between two of its leading men onscreen, which also gives something more for Nordrum’s reserved Brandon to do as well, who is a slightly less convincing casting choice. Not only does it provide a dramatic, climactic moment with real stakes that feeds into building relationships, but it’s also enjoyably undercut by the excitement it stirs in Marianne, Elinor and the other women watching, who desperately try to maintain a sense of propriety. 

Alongside emphasising the wit and comedy of Austen, and a healthy dose of yearning in its romances, director Oakley also revels in sumptuous shots of nature, from sun-dappled scenes to opening the film with a caterpillar perched on Marianne’s finger and a herd of bounding deer. It brings to mind the way 2006’s Pride & Prejudice opted for muddy boots in its realism and rural setting – this is from the same producers – while also providing a darker and more naturally candlelit vibe in places.

This is a quieter, slower-moving narrative and adaptation than that of the much-loved Pride & Prejudice, the story beats of which are so well known and celebrated. But if you approach it with a little patience and let it unfold at its own pace, then you will be richly rewarded.

Sense and Sensibility is released in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, September 25.