Sense and Sensibility 

Mrs. Dashwood and her two daughters, Elinor and Marianne, are faced with the prospect of Mrs. Dashwood's stepson and his wife moving into their home at Norland.

Stars:

Michael Aldridge, Sheila Ballantine, Esme Church

Cast

Series cast summary:
Michael Aldridge	...	Sir John Middleton 4 episodes, 1971
Sheila Ballantine	...	Lady Middleton 4 episodes, 1971
Esme Church	...	Mary 4 episodes, 1971
Joanna David	...	Elinor Dashwood 4 episodes, 1971
Isabel Dean	...	Mrs. Dashwood 4 episodes, 1971
Robin Ellis	...	Edward Ferrars 4 episodes, 1971
Clive Francis	...	John Willoughby 4 episodes, 1971
Ciaran Madden	...	Marianne Dashwood 4 episodes, 1971
Richard Owens	...	Colonel Brandon 4 episodes, 1971
Patricia Routledge	...	Mrs. Jennings 4 episodes, 1971
Jo Kendall	...	Charlotte Palmer 3 episodes, 1971
Peter Laird	...	Rodgers 3 episodes, 1971
David Strong	...	Palmer 3 episodes, 1971
David Belcher	...	Robert Ferrars 2 episodes, 1971
Frances Cuka	...	Lucy Steele 2 episodes, 1971
Mischa De La Motte	...	Master of Ceremonies / ... 2 episodes, 1971
Kay Gallie	...	Fanny Dashwood 2 episodes, 1971
Milton Johns	...	John Dashwood 2 episodes, 1971
Maggie Jones	...	Nancy Steele 2 episodes, 1971
Clifford Parrish	...	Doctor Harris 2 episodes, 1971

Storyline

Mrs. Dashwood and her two daughters, Elinor and Marianne, are faced with the prospect of Mrs. Dashwood's stepson and his wife moving into their home at Norland.

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Plot Keywords:

english country dance | empire fashion | older man younger woman relationship | london england | jane austen | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Release Date:

9 January 1971 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hoofd en hart

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min (4 episodes)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The floral gown with flounced neckline Ciaran Madden (Marianne Dashwood) wears at Barton Cottage is similar to the gown Ania Marson (Jane Fairfax) wears in Emma (1972).

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Connections

Version of Sense & Sensibility (2008)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No. 20 in D K. 133 - II. Andante
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Watch with an open mind

If you're not against watching older adaptations with low production values, you will probably highly enjoy this version of Sense and Sensibility. The acting was mostly good- Joanna David was excellent (and quite beautiful) as the sensible Elinor. Patricia Routledge was another standout as Mrs. Jennings. She was absolutely hilarious yet also showed the character's kind nature. Robin Ellis (who you may recognize as Ross Poldark) even had a "sexed-up" scene as Edward.

Some of the acting/casting was less than perfect, however. Ciaran Madden played Marianne as borderline insane- going into hysterics all the time. Her and Colonel Brandon's storyline wasn't given as much screen time as the Elinor/Edward story so it may feel underdeveloped in comparison. Lucy Steele looks close to 40 and is so obviously evil one wonders how she ever could have charmed Edward. Lady Middleton's actress looks older than her supposed mother, Mrs. Jennings! (Maybe they could have given Patricia Routledge a gray wig to make her look older?) Eliza Williams was oddly made into Colonel Brandon's niece...(so why can't he just tell everyone she's his niece?).

A lot of the costumes/hairstyles are quite...70s. And of course, the production values are not up to the standard you may be used to today. But I didn't let this bother me and was able to thoroughly enjoy this version.