I have affection for most Jane Austen adaptations, some more than others. Ang Lee’s Sense & Sensibility is at the top of the list. Gorgeous performances by Emma Thompson (who won an Oscar for the adapted screenplay), Kate Winslet, Greg Wise, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. Ang Lee’s direction is perfection. They captured Austen’s story and the nuances of the era perfectly. All of which to say, I’m not opposed to a new generation trying to adapt Austen’s story, but I don’t think this new version is going to get it done.

The new Sense & Sensibility will be released next week, and this week, there was a big London premiere. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Elinor Dashwood, George MacKay plays Edward, Herbert Nordrum plays Col. Brandon, Esmé Creed-Miles plays Marianne, Frank Dillane plays Willoughby. I’m including some of the premiere pics in this post. Daisy wore a nude/beige Vivienne Westwood which does nothing for her coloring. And it was wrinkled. Esme wore Thom Browne, and at least it was a big statement look.

As I downloaded pics of the male actors, I could already tell that the youths are going to be very displeased with this version. You know why? The age-gap relationship. Esme looks like a teenager, which is correct because Marianne Dashwood was a teenager in the story. But Herbert Nordrum looks middle-aged, which is also correct for the story. Gen Z is going to haaaate that.

What else? Daisy recently talked about how she got break-up bangs years ago and casting directors loved them so much, her bangs stayed. Which… I kind of get, even as a bangs-hater. Her bangs have become part of her signature look. George MacKay also said, at this premiere, that he’s never seen the Ang Lee version of Sense & Sensibility and he’s never read the book. This generation is not beating the illiterate/uncultured allegations.