Sense and Sensibility

Three people in period clothing sit on a couch in a vintage setting with framed pictures and a door in the background

Based on Jane Austen's classic novel, Sense and Sensibility (1995) tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor (Emma Thompson) and passionate Marianne (Kate Winslet), whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. When Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his estate must pass on by law to his son from his first marriage, John and wife Fanny. But these circumstances leave Mr. Dashwood's current wife, and daughters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, without a home and with barely enough money to live on.

As Elinor and Marianne struggle to find romantic fulfillment in a society obsessed with financial and social status, they must learn to mix sense with sensibility in their dealings with both money and men.

Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic comedy that was named the Best Picture of the Year at the 1996 Golden Globes®.

Cosponsored by the Department of Literatures in English.

Part of our "Jane Austen at 250" series. Courtesy of Colombia Pictures and Swank Motion Pictures.