CAST: Fiona Shaw

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By contrast to the previous rendition’s warm geniality, Oakley’s film is much more concerned with the messiness of 19th century life  —  dust and dirt ring the hemlines of long dresses, fingernails are rough and often filthy, and the natural world surrounds the sisters in its sweep. The film often cuts from the human characters in various states of emotional upheaval to a bird swooping in the sky, or a herd of deer glancing up in alarm. Spider webs are frequently invoked, and the film has far more dogs in it than Austen herself might have imagined.