Sense and Sensibility - better than I thought

I admit I went a bit reluctantly to see the new movie Sense and Sensibility with my wife and some friends. I enjoyed it more than I thought. The outdoor photography is stunning and mesmerick, from the bumble bee close ups to the grass swaying in the summer breeze mimicking Elinor's hair. Daisy Edgar-Jones is brilliant as Elinor and whilst Esmee Creed-Miles is as dramatic and sensational as you would expect as Marianne Dashwood. Drama, emotion, tension, humour and moral quandary are a plenty in this Jane Austen adaption. The evening and night time scenes are infuriating because they are so dark. They might be realistic of the time but you simply can not see what is going on. There is a refreshing grit to this adaption, plenty of mud and mess - not just prettiness and nighties. The enduring scene is the duel between the caddish Willoughby and the upstanding Colonel Brandon. I will not spoil it (although I did wonder where thre snow suddenly appeared from?).