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eak1013's review against another edition
5.0
Because Emma Thompson is even more clever and delightful than you think she could possibly be.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
3.0
Ah, amo a Emma Thompson. También adoro a Austen y en particular Sense and Sensibility, así que este libro me interesó desde que lo escuché por primera vez hace unos años.
Y aunque me encantó, ustedes saben que no soy fan de los guiones. No me gusta leerlos, como que el formato me desespera un poco y me toma mucho tiempo encontrar un buen ritmo. Con todo, este guión tiene partes bastante graciosas porque Emma Thompson tiene un sentido del humor genial.
Definitivamente me gustó más la parte del diario, en la que Emma describe el largo proceso que llevó el proyecto (al menos 5 años de trabajo en el guión) y como fué decidiendo qué era lo mejor para la historia. Es bien sabido que su adaptación resultó una de las más queridas y mejor recibidas, así que es obvio que tuvo éxito, pero con el diario es posible ver los buenos y malos momentos y sobre todo el esfuerzo que todos los involucrados tuvieron que pasar para conseguirlo. El plus es que además de enterarse de todo, uno disfruta de una buena dósis de sarcasmo y anécdotas graciosas contadas de la manera más perfecta posible. Mis partes favoritas fueron cuando necesitaban un bebé llorón y los bebés que consiguieron resultaron ser "bebés budistas" que nunca lloraban y más bien hicieron llorar a Emma de desesperación, cuando un turista confundió a Alan Rickman con Tom Cruise y tooodo lo que tenga que ver con Ang Lee como director.
Y aunque me encantó, ustedes saben que no soy fan de los guiones. No me gusta leerlos, como que el formato me desespera un poco y me toma mucho tiempo encontrar un buen ritmo. Con todo, este guión tiene partes bastante graciosas porque Emma Thompson tiene un sentido del humor genial.
Definitivamente me gustó más la parte del diario, en la que Emma describe el largo proceso que llevó el proyecto (al menos 5 años de trabajo en el guión) y como fué decidiendo qué era lo mejor para la historia. Es bien sabido que su adaptación resultó una de las más queridas y mejor recibidas, así que es obvio que tuvo éxito, pero con el diario es posible ver los buenos y malos momentos y sobre todo el esfuerzo que todos los involucrados tuvieron que pasar para conseguirlo. El plus es que además de enterarse de todo, uno disfruta de una buena dósis de sarcasmo y anécdotas graciosas contadas de la manera más perfecta posible. Mis partes favoritas fueron cuando necesitaban un bebé llorón y los bebés que consiguieron resultaron ser "bebés budistas" que nunca lloraban y más bien hicieron llorar a Emma de desesperación, cuando un turista confundió a Alan Rickman con Tom Cruise y tooodo lo que tenga que ver con Ang Lee como director.
faintingviolet's review against another edition
3.0
While I have read many Austen related books in my time with Cannonball I had never poked around into books about the movie adaptations. Then in May of this year the existence of this book (and its availability in my library system) came to my notice and it went onto my request list immediately. Which, timing was excellent because July and early August have just been brutal in my world and an evening with Emma Thompson, her diaries, the shooting script, and the movie itself seemed just a thing I deserved to give myself.
full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2021/08/21/the-sense-and-sensibility-screenplay-diaries-cbr13-39/
full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2021/08/21/the-sense-and-sensibility-screenplay-diaries-cbr13-39/
towardinfinitybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Janeites are diverse and passionate about the object of their affection. They engage in debate often, but most would agree that the 1995 film adaptation of [b:Sense and Sensibility|14935|Sense and Sensibility|Jane Austen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309203534s/14935.jpg|2809709] is exquisite. This book is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, and it includes the final draft of the screenplay as written by Emma Thompson (also one of the stars of the film) and her diaries during filming. The book is a celebration not only of the movie but also a recognition of the cast, crew and major players (e.g. director Ang Lee, producer Lindsay Doran, etc.) and their respect for Austen's work.
Thompson wrote more than a dozen drafts of the screenplay over a period of fifteen years. We tend to think of "movie magic" resulting from great performances but here, Thompson's screenplay deserves a substantial share of the praise. Her language illuminated some of the more poignant moments in the film for me and I liked her clever phrasing (e.g. she describes a room as having the feel of a "damp shoebox").
While I liked the screenplay as well as the many black-and-white and color photographs included, I loved Thompson's diary entries best. By turns, they are insightful, witty, and somber. I loved finding out more about the people who worked on the film and what set life was like. If Thompson ever writes a (proper) book, I'll be first in line to purchase it. A quick, fun read!
Thompson wrote more than a dozen drafts of the screenplay over a period of fifteen years. We tend to think of "movie magic" resulting from great performances but here, Thompson's screenplay deserves a substantial share of the praise. Her language illuminated some of the more poignant moments in the film for me and I liked her clever phrasing (e.g. she describes a room as having the feel of a "damp shoebox").
While I liked the screenplay as well as the many black-and-white and color photographs included, I loved Thompson's diary entries best. By turns, they are insightful, witty, and somber. I loved finding out more about the people who worked on the film and what set life was like. If Thompson ever writes a (proper) book, I'll be first in line to purchase it. A quick, fun read!
atticmoth's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Lately I’ve been feeling deeply insecure about my own career as a filmmaker, partially brought on by a particularly unpleasant filmmaking guide but mostly a slew of rejections for Stiletto and the crushing anxiety of not knowing whether or not I will get into grad school in February. So instead of glorified self-help books, I thought the best way to improve my own craft is to read scripts from films I admire, especially because my own screenwriting ability leaves much to be desired. In college we read the obligatory Godfather and Chinatown scripts, and while I mean no disrespect to the classics I thought I’d start with something more in line with my artistic interests. Ang Lee is the only filmmaker I mentioned in my grad school application, mostly because of his Sense and Sensibility adaptation which channels the neuroses of his repressed Asian culture to an entirely unfamiliar setting.
But to call it “Ang Lee’s movie” is pretty reductive, considering he was a director-for-hire in the most literal sense. Sense and Sensibility (1995) is an anti-auteur film, truly collaborative because every major player was a different person. Lindsay Doran, the producer, brought a passion & scholarship for Austen’s works to the table, and her introduction to this book was very inspiring. Emma Thompson, who both wrote the screenplay and played Elinor, brought a unique comic sensibility to a book that I don’t much like in the first place. In fact, the biggest voice that was missing in this book was Lee’s, which is a shame because I am curious what he had to say about directing the actors. But Thompson’s production diaries were absolutely delightful to read, her voice is really funny and I would honestly read a whole novel written in this style. When she describes the Buddhist ceremony performed before shooting, it really made me miss working on film sets myself.
The screenplay portion of this book is obviously amazing, one of the few times the Academy’s decision made sense. It’s curious that Sense and Sensibility (the novel) is one of my least favorite of Jane’s, but this is one of my favorite adaptations of her work. It’s very near a perfect script; I only wish Thompson had included the scene where Willoughby shows up drunk. Elinor is still one of the most relatable characters of all time, but the reason I like the film better than the book is because Marianne’s arc is more fleshed out, especially towards the end. I was also surprised at how much was added to Margaret’s character, because in the original she’s little more than a plot device a handful of times, but in the film version she’s almost a Regency-era Yotsuba, providing much-needed comic relief.
The biggest negative about this book is in the pages themselves. The copy I read was printed on square paper, which completely negates the 1 page:1 minute of screentime rule that’s carefully baked into the margins of every screenplay ever written. I suppose it doesn’t matter much for general audiences, but if I’m trying to learn the craft of screenwriting by reading, this totally throws off the pacing.
emmajw's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely delightful. I couldn’t put it down once I got to Emma Thompson’s diaries from set, but loved reading the screenplay too. I think I was smiling to myself almost the whole time I was reading. I didn’t realize I could be more in love with Ms. Thompson than I already am, but here we are. My God, she is funny.
For those of you who rush out to read this book but don’t have encyclopedic knowledge of her personal life, let me share some background. Shortly before the film started shooting, Ms. Thompson went through a very public break up with her husband, Sir Kenneth Branagh, as he was having an affair with Helena Bonham Carter. For those paying attention, yes, all three did eventually go on to give fabulous performances in the Harry Potter movies along with the other 5 or 6 actors from the UK. Back to the break up: Ms. Thompson was 36 and miserable. In her diaries, she makes a few references to Greg Wise (who plays Willoughby) and how gorgeous he is, but not much more than that. We now know that they fell madly in love after meeting on set, got married, have a beautiful family, and continue to be blissfully happy per the various podcast episodes I’ve enjoyed on the subject. Ms. Thompson went on to win the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for S&S (yes!!! she played Elinor and adapted the script!!!), becoming the first person ever to win Oscars for writing and acting (she also won for best supporting actress in 1993 for Howard’s End). She continues to hold that distinction. As a side note: I highly recommend her Desert Island Discs episode.
This was such a pleasure of a reading experience. *Chef’s kiss*
For those of you who rush out to read this book but don’t have encyclopedic knowledge of her personal life, let me share some background. Shortly before the film started shooting, Ms. Thompson went through a very public break up with her husband, Sir Kenneth Branagh, as he was having an affair with Helena Bonham Carter. For those paying attention, yes, all three did eventually go on to give fabulous performances in the Harry Potter movies along with the other 5 or 6 actors from the UK. Back to the break up: Ms. Thompson was 36 and miserable. In her diaries, she makes a few references to Greg Wise (who plays Willoughby) and how gorgeous he is, but not much more than that. We now know that they fell madly in love after meeting on set, got married, have a beautiful family, and continue to be blissfully happy per the various podcast episodes I’ve enjoyed on the subject. Ms. Thompson went on to win the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for S&S (yes!!! she played Elinor and adapted the script!!!), becoming the first person ever to win Oscars for writing and acting (she also won for best supporting actress in 1993 for Howard’s End). She continues to hold that distinction. As a side note: I highly recommend her Desert Island Discs episode.
This was such a pleasure of a reading experience. *Chef’s kiss*