MovieChat Forums > Sense and Sensibility (1996) Discussion > Dont understand

Dont understand

posted 8 years ago by nikkie1616
5 replies | jump to latest

I dont understand a certian plot point of this movie. Spoilers ahead if you havent seen the movie. At the beginning Mr. Dashwood dies and his money goes to his son instead of his wife because of the law. Later we meet edward Ferrars who is set to inherit money from his mother. How come when his father died the money didn't go to him and how come his mother was the one who was able to transfer the inheritance to his younger brother robert just because edward wanted to marry someone his mother disapproved of. When Robert ends up marring the same woman instead of edward, robert gets to keep the inheritance instead of his mother tranfering it back to edward.Very very confused.

[–] locusnola 8 years ago

The movie lets us know, per Mr. Dashwood on his deathbed, that "Norland was left to me in such a way" that he could not divide the estate - that is to say, Elinor's comment that "houses go to sons, not daughters" is an oversimplification.

The movie does NOT tell us, but the novel does, that Mr. Ferrars left his estate to his wife absolutely. The relative who left Mr. Dashwood Norland left it only to in usufruct - that is, the use of the estate for his lifetime, and it must pass to the next heir thereafter (on behalf, in the novel, of little Henry Dashwood, child of John and Fanny, which character is omitted from the film).

Oh, right. So, she secretly trained a flock of sandflies.

[–] MurphyGobeau 8 years ago

I hate to confess, but I have not yet read the book. The movie is one of my favorites, though, and I am now watching it on video.

This is the first I've heard of little Henry, John's and Fanny's son. Rats! Tonight for the first time, I thought that if John & Fanny have no sons, surely Eleanor and/or MaryAnn would have at least one son and he would inherit Norland upon John's death. Just imagine the look on greedy Fanny's face! Lovely thought!

[–] syntinen 8 years ago

In the book, John and Fanny justify their meanness to themselves by saying to each other how they're doing it all for little Henry, to make sure he inherits the whole estate with a good income and no debts or mortgages. But even in the book we never actually see him, so it made sense to drop all references to him from the screenplay.

[–] Julie-30 8 years ago

This film is not very faithful to the book. It leaves out several characters who have an effect on the plot. Little Henry Dashwood is but one example.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

[–] 8 years ago

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