Elinor was good, fitting for the part, but sometimes too dour. Willoughby I thought ugly from the start in every way (although I've found him very attractive in another film), and the worst was actually Marianne. She had this petulant, bratty mouth and childish face I couldn't stand after a while and I wanted to smack her instead of hug her (and yes, maybe gently shake her) as I did with Kate Winslet's Marianne. Oh well, still overall a fine film.
shareBeloved Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley, Downton Abbey) as Edward Ferrars. Dominic Cooper (History Boys) as Willoughby. David Morrissey as Brandon. Mark Gatiss as John Dashwood. Mark Williams as Middleton.
This is an excellent cast, esp. Dan Stevens.
I focus on the men. The women are more important in S%S, but less famous. Janet McTeer is the only name I recognize.
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Bad casting all around except for Edward
shareColour me superficial and corrupted by Hollywood for thinking it should matter, but I thought there was an odd reversal of Elinor and Edward in this adaptation about their appearances. In the novel, Elinor was described "pretty" and Edward "not handsome" and "awkward." The actress who played Elinor was very ordinary-looking and the actor who played Edward was very handsome and oozed sex appeal. He looked like a guy who couldn't help attracting women wherever he goes, no matter how sullen and depressed he is and acts. And yes, I agree Elinor was too dour at times.
As for Marianne looking petulant, bratty and childish, isn't she supposed to be all those things? It fits with her behaviour in the novel, and I thought she was very pretty as she was supposed to be.
I can't agree with you about Hattie Morahan, the actress who played Elinor; I think she is quite pretty, albeit in a less showy and conventional way than the actress who played Marianne. The 1995 filmmakers also cast two very attractive women -- Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet -- to play the Dashwood sisters. I know that many viewers complain about Thompson's age, and I agree that they have a valid point, but that doesn't change my opinion of her looks.
I do feel that the 2008 miniseries' making Elinor the less conventionally attractive of the two could be considered a problem, since the novel implies that Marianne is the unconventional one, physically as well as in her outlook; according to Austen, Marianne's figure is "not so correct as her sister's" and her complexion is "brown" (which, in 19th-century England, would have been generally viewed as less attractive than very pale skin, I suppose), even though, on the whole, she is "handsomer" than Elinor (Chapter 10). (Another interesting point is that Marianne has dark eyes in the book, but blue eyes in the 1995 and 2008 versions.) Outdated English beauty standards aside, it seems clear that Marianne's looks are meant to be stunning but a bit unconventional. By contrast, actresses like Charity Wakefield and Kate Winslet are beautiful in a rather conventional way.
One thing that I appreciate about Elinor in the 2008 miniseries is her artistic eye, which can be seen in the paintings she creates as well as in her fashion sense. I like the striking patterns -- stripes, Paisley, etc. -- on many of her gowns and accessories, and the color palette works well with her complexion. I notice that she frequently wears a decorative silver comb in her hair, which lends a touch of sophistication. Wakefield's Marianne, on the other hand, tends to wear outfits that have a more "girlish" feel: lots of pink, white, and yellow; delicate floral patterns; light-colored bandeaux wrapped around her wild, curly hair; etc. I think she dresses in a somewhat more "mature," subdued style later in the adaptation, after she has ostensibly grown up a little.
A far as the male characters are concerned, yes, it seems that filmmakers have a tendency to cast actors that are far too attractive!
"Courage is found in unlikely places." ~ The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
I haven't seen Morahan in anything else than Sense and Sensibility. I looked up some of her pictures and youtube clips, and she did seem a lot prettier in everything else she's done. There's something about her styling in S&S that I personally find off-putting. They did the same thing to poor Sally Hawkins in the newer adaptation of Persuasion. Normally she is a cutie, but in that film they managed to hide that completely.
shareI don't understand Dominic Cooper's appeal or his career. He is like the male version of Carey Mulligan. Both are character actors with odd looks but they are constantly cast in films where they are supposed to be ridiculously attractive. It just makes these projects laughable.
I like the rest of the cast, but when I see Cooper playing Willoughby, it just ruins the premise of it all.