Pop Vultures

I am starting to think that the BBC really needs to get laid. The poor channel doesn’t seem able to think of anything but sex these days. From the gratuitous sex of Torchwood (gay sex! sex in the bathroom! sex with aliens!) to the recent choreographed orgies of Fanny Hill, the Beeb seems overcome by prurient desires. Unfortunately, more often than not, these scenes seem more calculated than passionate, a deliberate attempt to modernize and claim younger, hornier viewers.

I nearly didn’t watch the recent adaptation of Sense & Sensibility for just that reason. I was already nervous about this new version, since it was directed by Andrew Davies, who recently wrote the screenplay for the dull Fanny Hill and the disastrous Bridget Jones sequel. However, my love of all things Austen overcame that prejudice, only to encounter the most ridiculous opening scene in recent television history: a slow pan of two lovers in candlelight, clothes being gently removed amidst declarations of love. Come on, BBC. Everyone knows there is no sex in Austen!

I settled in for a rather creative reinterpretation, one that perhaps featured Elinor campaigning for women’s rights while her sister pursued a singing career that required her to wear terribly short skirts. Fortunately, the opening sequence was clearly a ploy to bring in viewers (it’s good to know the Beeb has such faith in its audience), and the remainder of the series proved a rather faithful version, in many ways more true to the novel than Emma Thompson’s 1995 version.

Austen’s rich world of social restrictions and the characters who must abide by them deserves more room than a feature film can provide, and the three-part mini-series allows the program to expand on plot points the film was forced to skim. We are treated to every last letter written or lock of hair exchanged, every ridiculous tic by socially inept characters and, of course, every longing look cast by the besotted men.

And now we’re to the heart of the matter. There’s a reason Austen is so popular with modern women, and it’s not just the extremely likable protagonists. No, we read for the men. Darcy, Wentworth, Brandon…no one did swoon-worthy quite like Austen. Any man that tackles one of these roles faces the daunting challenge of capturing one of the most desirable figures ever put to paper.

Dan Stevens does a credible job as Edward Ferrars, though he’s basically Hugh Grant v.2. Same floppy hair, same fidgety mannerisms, same ability to blink at astonishing speeds. As Willoughby, Dominic Cooper captures the youth and impetuousness of that character. Suddenly, he seems less like a villain and more like a confused 20-year-old boy, a description that can easily match the character’s actions. Of course, any Austen fan knows that those two are peripheral to the real star: Colonel Brandon. Already played to perfection by Alan Rickman in the film version, how can anyone compete with that? Well, they can’t, but David Morrissey does a very good job in his own right, showing a bit more overt emotion while maintaining the stoic, loyal exterior of the Colonel. Still, could we just once have a Brandon who is actually the 35 years stated in the book? Morrissey may have held up well, but it’s been several decades since anyone asked to see his ID in a bar.

The rest of the cast is strong, with Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood) offering engaging interpretations of their well-known roles — and the actresses even appear age appropriate!

If you’re a loyal Austen fan, it’s certainly worth a view. The UK has already seen the first two episodes, and the second is currently available on the BBC iPlayer (UK only, alas), with the third and final episode airing on Sunday night. And, if you are the sort of Austen fan who must collect everything, up to and including the Jane Austen action figure, the series is available on DVD. After all, you can never have too many different Colonel Brandons around the house, can you?