Latest news with #SenseandSensibility
Spectator
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Emma Thompson is wrong about sex
I watched most of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande when it was on TV some months back. I wondered whether to write something about it. But I can't write about every representation of sex that offends me. Who am I – Mary Whitehouse? Thankfully Dame Emma Thompson, the star of that film, has now handed me an opportunity. Can I first say something about her? I can't stick her. Is she a good actress? I don't know. I can't tell – it seems to me that she leaks her personality into every role. In Sense and Sensibility it seemed she was merging the character of Elinor Dashwood with the character of Emma Thompson, the famous self-righteous know-it-all celebrity, and I did not want such a merger. Actors are meant to get their own personalities out of the way, aren't they? I can't think of any other roles except for the sad wife in Love Actually, a film I greatly despise. So, in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, an annoyingly named film, Emma merges her personality with that of a retired teacher who, though married, has never been sexually satisfied, and so engages a young male prostitute. She is oh so English, oh so awkward, oh so middle-class, and oh so brave for pursuing her desires despite the cultural weight of repression. Her dialogue is full of sub-Alan Bennett stuff about wondering whether she should be shopping at Waitrose – a distraction from the fact that the prostitute is about to have sex with her. The young man, by the way, is a paragon of modern sensitivity – a male tart with a heart, even a sort of gentle Jesus figure for our day. At one point she calls him a 'sex saint'. Maybe the film is written by Richard Curtis – I can't be bothered to find out. Whether or not is it, Emma has been, in a sense. Meaning that her screen persona is a product of his claim to portray the English soul in a modern way. It is a bogus claim – but I am making enough enemies for one day. It is excruciating to watch this woman being very polite between bouts of sex – but not excruciating in the edgy way the film intends. It is excruciating because one is being preached at by thickos. The message is this: sex is just sex, it's a human need like having a good dentist – but more profound. So we should ditch the moralistic idea that sex belongs in long-term relationships, that casual sex and paid-for sex are somehow wrong. Emma herself has now underlined this message. At a screening of the film – presumably for some 'charity' event – the dame explained that sex is very good for one's health and wellbeing: 'It should really be on the NHS. It should. It's so good for you.' She claimed that some of her older, lonelier friends had started to hire escorts, just like the brave lady in the film. She added: 'We need to learn about our own response to: 'What if when you're unwell, you can't make connections, but you need sex?'' Therefore, she said, sex-workers should not be stigmatised: they are 'just like accountants – sex workers are doing a job'. She is oh so English, oh so awkward, oh so middle-class, and oh so brave for pursuing her desires despite the cultural weight of repression OK, deep breath. And apologies if you have heard this before from me – in relation to Lily Phillips or some smutty reality show on Channel 4. Sex is quite complicated. In fact, it is two things. It is a strong human appetite – one that we notoriously share with lesser creatures, in fact. And it is also the almost-opposite of this: an act of commitment to one person, with whom one enjoys great psychological intimacy – for whom one forgoes the anarchic-appetite side of sex. We could call this sex in the full sense. The duality is difficult and confusing. People like Dame Emma – and whoever wrote the film – who very strongly assume themselves to be very intelligent, are advised to tread a bit more carefully. Am I saying that casual sex and paid-for sex are 'wrong'? Not quite – but I am saying that they are different from sex in the full sense: sex accompanied by long-term psychological intimacy. Casual sex and paid-for sex are ambiguous at best; only sex in the full sense is worthy of celebration. The fault of the film, and of Dame Emma's remarks, is that the boundary is blurred, and its message is muddled. The film implies that it is psychologically healthy and liberating to detach sex from commitment – to treat it as a mere physical need. But on the other hand, it places a lot of emphasis on the therapeutic nature of the encounter – on the young man's sensitivity, on the woman's sense of gaining a sort of enlightenment as she at last tastes carnal pleasure. So it is subtly disingenuous: it implies that an emotional and even spiritual connection is part of 'good sex', even as it preaches liberation from boring old relationships. Our culture needs to think about sex more.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sense and Sensibility-based film to star Daisy Edgar-Jones
Sense and Sensibility has been the subject of multiple films, including an eponymous 1995 feature, starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant, and 2000's Kandukondain Kandukondain, starring Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Mammootty, and Ajith Kumar. The upcoming project starring Edgar-Jones is set to offer a fresh iteration of the classic novel from the 18th century. Edgar-Jones was last seen in On Swift Horses, also starring Will Poulter and Jacob Elordi. Her upcoming projects also include filmmaker Chloe Domont's thriller A Place in Hell, co-starring Michelle Williams and Andrew Scott. On the other hand, Oakley's most popular work is her critically acclaimed directorial debut Blue Jean, starring Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes, and Lydia Page, among others.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
Daisy Edgar-Jones set to star in 'Sense and Sensibility' remake
ANI 26 Jun 2025, 19:09 GMT+10 Washington [US], June 26 (ANI): Daisy Edgar-Jones is set to star as Elinor Dashwood in a new remake of Jane Austen's classic novel 'Sense and Sensibility.' The film is in development at Focus Features, with Georgia Oakley directing and Diana Reid adapting the screenplay, Variety has confirmed. The production team includes Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, India Flint of November Pictures, and Jo Wallett. Edgar-Jones also shared the news on her Instagram handle, posting a photograph of herself with the novel in hand. Published in 1811, 'Sense and Sensibility' was Austen's first novel and follows the story of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood as they navigate love, loss, and financial uncertainty. The novel has been adapted for the screen several times, including a notable 1995 film starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Focus Features has previously backed remakes of Austen's work, including the 2005 version of 'Pride and Prejudice' and 2020's 'Emma.' Meanwhile, the 27-year-old British actor has gained recognition for her roles in Hulu's 'Normal People,' 'Where the Crawdads Sing,' and 'Twisters.' (ANI)
UPI
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Daisy Edgar-Jones to star in 'Sense and Sensibility' remake
1 of 3 | Daisy Edgar-Jones is set to star in a new adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- Twisters and Normal People actress Daisy Edgar-Jones is set to star in a new big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen's 19th-century novel, Sense and Sensibility. Blue Jean filmmaker Georgia Oakley is directing the film for Focus Features and Working Title, from a script penned by novelist Diana Reid. Edgar-Jones, who will play Elinor, according to The Hollywood Reporter, shared an Instagram photo of her holding up a well-loved-looking paperback copy of the book on Wednesday. The post has already gotten more than 400,000 "likes." Emma Thompson famously played the role in a 1995 adaptation for which she won an Oscar for writing. No other casting for the remake has been announced yet.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Daisy Edgar-Jones cast as Elinor Dashwood in new adaptation of sense and sensibility
Elinor Dashwood is Daisy Edgar-Jones! According to a release, the actress's next project will be another book-to-screen adaptation, this time playing the lead in a brand-new movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. According to a synopsis, "The timeless exploration of restraint and passion follows sisters Elinor (Edgar-Jones, 27) and Marianne Dashwood, opposites in their emotional approach, as they navigate love, loss, and financial uncertainty amid the societal expectations of 18th-century England." In a selfie she posted on Instagram to announce her casting, Edgar-Jones held up a damaged copy of Austen's first book. The release goes on, "Celebrated for its wit, deep social insights, and enduring cultural relevance, the novel launched the bright career of one of history's greatest authors." First published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has been adapted for the big screen several times over the years, especially in a 1995 Ang Lee film. Hugh Grant played Edward Ferrars, Alan Rickman played Colonel Brandon, and Kate Winslet played Marianne. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Emma Thompson played Elinor in that version. (Thompson would go on to reprise his role in Love Actually (2003) alongside Grant and the late Rickman.) Edgar-Jones, on the other hand, is well-known for her parts in movies like Twisters (2024) and Fresh (2022), as well as a number of television shows and motion pictures that were adapted from novels, including On Swift Horses (2024), Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), Under the Banner of Heaven (2022), and Normal People (2020), in which she played a breakthrough role. While acknowledging that Crawdads did not receive rave reviews, the actress stated in an interview with Elle in March that "It's been the thing that most people come up to say they loved." "For some people, it's their favorite film. How amazing is that? And I had the best time, and I think it's a great film," she continued. "Art is so subjective, and you can't control how people respond. You can only do something with goodwill and to learn something from it yourself." Fans are excited about Edgar-Jones' latest role, as shown by the numerous comments left on her Instagram post announcing the news, which she captioned with the 'simple eye' emoji. Sense and Sensibility, which is directed by Georgia Oakley and produced by Focus Features and Working Title Films, does not yet have a release date or additional casting information.
