Thoughts on BBC’s Sense and Sensibility 2008
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BBC’s Sense and Sensibility 2008
BBC Mini-Series
Runtime- 3 episodes, total time- 1hr 36min
Air date- March 30th, 2008
Director- John Alexander
Writers- Andrew Davies
Filming locations- England, UK
Where to watch- stream on Britbox or rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video
Starring Hattie Morahan as Elinor Dashwood and Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood
I have to say that this is one of my all-time favorite Sense & Sensibility adaptations. This mini-series does not get the recognition that it fully deserves.
Here is my list of thoughts on this adaptation that make it one of the best.
Character Casting
The actors and actresses chosen for the roles in this BBC mini-series feel like they were plucked right out of the book. Both their looks and their performance in their roles help tie everything together to make the novel come alive on screen.
I know I keep harping on how some people are never happy with any type of film due to a lack of faithfulness in the books. Even book lovers praised the film for its faithfulness to the book, but in terms of cinematography, it was severely lacking.
In this case, the mini-series not only had faithfulness to the novel but also had amazing and creative cinematography—a rare success.
Cinematography
I was blown away by the care and quality of this production. From the very beginning, we see Mr. John Dashwood rush to his father on his deathbed. The silhouette of the horse-drawn carriage racing in the night and the intense music show the drastic and dramatic change that is about to occur.
We also get to see Willoughby, though not introduced. We see an event happen that eventually comes back to haunt him later.
Another moment that stuck with me is when Marianne gets violently ill, you see in her eyes the reflection of her sister. It is these little perspectives like that that add artistic integrity and quality to amp up an amazing story.
Costumes and Sceneries
The last thing I want to touch on is the costumes and scenery.
The clothing and costumes are some of my favorite period clothing. The dresses compliment each character with appropriate colors used not only for that time but also flatter the actors and actresses that wear them. Not to mention that the clothes do reflect the personalities of the characters as well.
The landscape and scenery are so beautiful. My favorite scenes are always with the little cottage near the sea. With the rolling hills and cliffs. Very romantic.
Other Sense and Sensibility period adaptations:
BBC’s Sense and Sensibility 1971
BBC’s Sense and Sensibility 1981
Hallmark’s Sense and Sensibility 2024
Want to read more? Check out my thoughts on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility
