Friday Afternoon Movie: "Sense and Sensibility"

Join us to watch “Sense and Sensibility” (1995), the British-American period drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Jane Austen’s 1811 novel, at Bernardsville Public Library on Friday, February 23 at 2:00 pm. Actress Emma Thompson wrote the script and stars as Elinor Dashwood, while Kate Winslet plays Elinor’s younger sister Marianne. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they must deal with circumstances of sudden destitution and are forced to seek financial security through marriage.

In 2016, Devoney Looser wrote in The Atlantic, "Ang Lee’s 'Sense and Sensibility,' which premiered in the U.K. 20 years ago, is best known for its dazzling direction and for Emma Thompson’s Oscar-winning screenplay. Less remembered is the radical way the film elevated its two male characters—Colonel Brandon (played by the late Alan Rickman) and Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant)—beyond their source material. 'Sense and Sensibility' deliberately imbued Austen’s first published heroes with qualities they either didn’t have in the novel or didn’t have to the same degree: egalitarian attitudes toward women, an affection for children, and emotional sensitivity." We'll have a conversation about this after the film.

This movie series is funded by gifts to the Friends of the Bernardsville Library. Future films in the Friday afternoon series range from documentaries to comedies to classics and drama and are be shown on the fourth Friday of the month at 2:00 pm. They are selected for cultural enrichment and for appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests in the community. Ed English, a long-time filmmaker, heads the Friends' movie committee. Viewers are encouraged to linger after the films to discuss them. Books and other supporting materials are recommended during the discussions. Next month's movie will be "The Wizard of Oz" on Friday, March 23 at 2:00 pm.

There is no charge to attend the movies; advance sign-up is requested, but not required. To register online go to www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.