Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility (1995) is a period drama based on Jane Austen's novel that you can watch online on iFILM. Ang Lee directed it from a screenplay by Emma Thompson, who also stars as the eldest Dashwood sister.

When Henry Dashwood dies, English inheritance law hands the family estate to his son from a first marriage. His widow and three daughters are left with almost nothing. Elinor keeps her feelings under tight control; her younger sister Marianne, played by Kate Winslet, throws herself at love without a second thought. Elinor quietly cares for the awkward Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant), while Marianne is pulled between the dashing Willoughby and the reserved Colonel Brandon, a role given real weight by Alan Rickman. Money and rank shadow every courtship.

Thompson won an Academy Award for the adapted screenplay, the only person ever honored by the Academy for both acting and writing. The film took the Golden Bear at Berlin and earned seven Oscar nominations. What lingers is how much grief Elinor packs into a single cracked sentence. Stream Sense and Sensibility (1995) online on iFILM.