'' Sense and Sensibility '' has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from film critics , and was included on more than a hundred top-ten of the year lists . Writing for '' Variety '' magazine , Todd McCarthy observed that the film 's success was assisted by its " highly skilled cast of actors , " as well as its choice of Lee as director . McCarthy clarified , " Although Lee 's previously revealed talents for dramatizing conflicting social and generational traditions will no doubt be noted , Lee 's achievement here with such foreign material is simply well beyond what anyone could have expected and may well be posited as the cinematic equivalent of Kazuo Ishiguro writing '' The Remains of the Day '' . " Mick LaSalle of the '' San Francisco Chronicle '' lauded the film for containing a sense of urgency " that keeps the pedestrian problems of an unremarkable 18th century family immediate and personal . " LaSalle concluded that the adaptation has a " right balance of irony and warmth . The result is a film of great understanding and emotional clarity , filmed with an elegance that never calls attention to itself . " Film critic John Simon praised most of the film , particularly focusing on Thompson 's performance , though he criticised Grant for being " much too adorably bumbling ... he urgently needs to chasten his onscreen persona , and stop hunching his shoulders like a dromedary . " However , many other major critics such as LaSalle , Roger Ebert , James Berardinelli and Janet Maslin praised Grant 's performance . Maslin wrote , Grant " rises touchingly to the film 's most straightforward and meaningful encounters . " In '' The Mail on Sunday '' , William Leith found '' Sense and Sensibility '' to be " an extremely sharp , subtle , clever , lovely looking film " that was superior to the serial '' Pride and Prejudice '' . Leith especially saved praise for the cast , writing that Grant plays his role " masterfully " and Harriet Walter " conveys sour bitchiness like you never thought she could . " Jarr Carr of '' The Boston Globe '' thought that Lee " nail ed Austen 's acute social observation and tangy satire , " and viewed Thompson and Winslet 's age discrepancy as a positive element that helped feed the dichotomy of sense and sensibility . The '' Radio Times '' David Parkinson was equally appreciative of Lee 's direction , writing that he " avoid s the chocolate-box visuals that cheapen so many British costume dramas " and " brings a refreshing period realism to the tale of two sisters that allows Emma Thompson 's respectful Oscar-winning script to flourish . " Out of the 1990s Austen adaptations , '' Sense and Sensibility '' received the most recognition from Hollywood . It garnered seven nominations at the 68th Academy Awards ceremony , where Thompson received the Award for Best Adapted Screenplay , making her the only person to have won an Oscar for both her writing and acting ( Thompson won the Best Actress award for '' Howards End '' , in 1993 ) . The film also was the recipient of twelve nominations at the 49th British Academy Film Awards , including Best Film , Best Actress in a Leading Role ( for Thompson ) , and Best Actress in a Supporting Role ( for Winslet ) . In addition , the film won the Golden Bear at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival , making Lee the first director to win this twice
46th Berlin International Film Festival
46th Berlin International Film Festival
Sense and Sensibility (film)