Amazon.com Essentials:
Emma Thompson scores a double bull's-eye with this marvelous
adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Not only does Thompson turn in a
strong (and gently humorous) performance as one of the Dashwood
sisters--the one with "sense"--she also wrote the witty, wise
screenplay. Austen's tale of 19th-century manners and morals provides
a large cast with a feast of possibilities, notably Kate Winslet, in
her pre-Titanic
flowering, as Thompson's deeply romantic sister. Winslet attracts the
wooing of shy Alan Rickman (a nice change of pace from his bad-guy
roles) and dashing Greg Wise, while Thompson must endure an incredibly
roundabout courtship with Hugh Grant, here in fine and funny form. All
of this is doled out with the usual eye-filling English countryside
and handsome costumes, yet the film always seems to be about the
careful interior lives of its characters. The director, an inspired
choice, is Taiwan-born Ang Lee, who brings the same exquisite taste
and discreet touch he displayed in his previous Asian films (such as
Eat Drink Man
Woman). Thompson's script won an Oscar, and 1995 was a fine
year for Jane Austen all around: Persuasion was
made into an excellent picture, and Emma became the
spritzy high school comedy Clueless. --Robert
Horton
