Introduced by Chris Berry

Sense and Sensibility was a major shift of scene for Ang Lee, from contemporary Taiwanese and Chinese-American communities to Jane Austen's England. But the alertness to social ritual that was a hallmark of Lee's earlier films also made him a sympathetic interpreter of Austen's comedy of family, love, and class. Emma Thompson was both screenwriter and star, playing the pragmatic older sister to Kate Winslet's rosy embodiment of high-spirited passion. Attractive settings and a gracious tone helped make the film a popular and critical success. But running through the comedy are themes of compromise and inner conflict that hark back to the director's earlier work. As New York Magazine critic Peter Rainer wrote, "The characters in Lee's earlier movies know the same double bind that Jane Austen's characters are caught in: life in society can be excruciating, but there is no real alternative to it."