Sense and Sensibility

blissfully unaware of what they were missing. That changed in 1995, when Jane Austen made a resounding return to cultural prominence. Two landmark adaptations premiered that year: the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, cementing Austen as the unrivaled patron saint of witty marriages, sophisticated romantic comedy, and, above all, the sharp female perspective on male vanity.

The story of the impoverished Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, captivated audiences worldwide, with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet embodying their respective roles with timeless charm. But Sense and Sensibility held further surprises: the screenplay was penned by Thompson herself, and the film was directed by Ang Lee. Coming from a background of strict Chinese traditions, Lee brought a keen sensitivity to Austen’s world of rigid social codes, evocatively portraying the oppression of Austen’s corset on screen. For Thompson, on the other hand, the five-year process of abridging and supplementing (as well as discreetly modernizing) Austen’s prose not only proved to be a brilliant screenwriting school, but on top of that brought her an Oscar for adapted screenplay. Add to that a Golden Bear from Berlin, $135 million at the global box office, and an impeccable cast, and Sense and Sensibility has firmly secured its place as a screen classic—one that will celebrate its 30th anniversary this December.

Michał Oleszczyk

Ang Lee (born 1954) is one of the most versatile contemporary directors, a master of nuanced storytelling and visual sensitivity. He gained international acclaim with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which won an Academy Award, and the groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain (2005), which redefined cinematic portrayals of love and identity. A two-time Oscar winner for Best Director, he also mesmerized audiences with Life of Pi (2012), blending realism with poetic symbolism. Regardless of genre, his films combine emotional depth with visual grandeur.

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