Emma Thompson

You'd never guess from her production diaries that Emma Thompson was, at the time of filming, an Oscar-winning actress. She has such a witty, self-deprecating tone. When she complains about being forced to go to Cannes to promote another film, you're jarred right out of the whole thing. Oh yeah, Emma Thompson is quite a big deal.

In many ways, Thompson's production diaries are a tell-all. Thompson doesn't hide the frustrations of not getting the day's required shots, the cultural dissonance show more between the Taiwanese film industry that director Ang Lee is used to and the British film industry, or their money troubles (horses are apparently appallingly expensive). But Thompson is also careful in a very subtle way. Though she never ceases to complain about the weather or hotels, she never has a bad word for the actors or their performances. And you'd never know from the diaries that Thompson had just separated from her husband and was deeply depressed (the diaries are definitely laced with depression and gloom, but you'd be forgiven for thinking the shoot was just unusually miserable for everyone and not a reflection of Thompson's own personal unhappiness). You'd also never guess that Thompson would end up married to the actor who plays Willoughby, Greg Wise. Although her glowing descriptions of him (at one point she calls him an "adonis") do hint at her affections.

At any rate, the diaries are a marvel. Thompson may have been dangerously depressed during the filming of Sense and Sensibility, but her writing is full of wit and dark humor. Also, she won an Oscar for writing this movie, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel for her. show less

An entertaining and absorbing behind the scenes look at how a movie is made, from conception to final take. Also a fascinating sketch of the culture of actors, especially as seen from the filming weeks.
Note: strong language present in diaries section.

The film is one of my favorites, so this book is a lot of fun for me. I enjoyed the extra material that wasn't filmed or included in the final cut, particularly a longer first scene at the bedside of Mr. Dashwood and more evidence of Marianne's "romantic sensibilities." A favorite line from the screenplay not included in the film:
Marianne: (discussing her ideal beau) "I require only what any young woman of taste should - a man who sings well, dances admirably, rides bravely, reads with show more passion and whose tastes agree in every point with my own."

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I hope Emma Thompson writes a memoir, her diary entries written while filming are absolutely hilarious. It really reminded me of Bossypants by Tina Fey, Thompson is that funny. She of course has her own voice, one that is her own, highly readable, humorous and insightful. The details she used were delightful and unique, from the specifics of a filming schedule, notes from Ang Lee or the many locations used in Sense and Sensibility, a beautiful film and a favorite. show less

This is the shooting script by Emma Thompson for the Ang Lee film of Sense and Sensibility as well as her diaries recounting the making of the film. Five stars for "amazing" as Goodreads would have it? For me yes. Of course, it helps if you are 1) A Jane Austen fan check 2) A fan of this film adaptation of her novel. check 3) Interested in the process of writing and film-making. check.

I am decidedly a Jane Austen fan. I don't just own all her novels, some I have in multiple editions. I've show more read all her completed novels more than once, as well as reading her two unfinished ones. I've read everything by Austen except some scraps of juvenalia and her letters (which I plan to get to). I know her writing well-enough to be able to recognize the differences between Austen's text and Emma Thompson's screenplay, which I think is an amazing adaptation. I loathed the Pride and Prejudice film with Keira Knightley, and a lot of the reason is that for me the additions, changes and omissions from the original jarred. With Thompson's screenplay, her words felt seamless, as if she plugged into Austen's head. For someone who knows the Ang Lee adaptation of it well, it's also interesting seeing the differences between the shooting script and what made it onto the screen. It's a great film, a favorite--one that not only made me cry more than once when I saw it in the cinema, but made me cry again in exactly the same spots when I rewatched on DVD. It was in fact one of the first DVD purchases I ever made, and I loved what a DVD brought to my experience--not just the ability to watch whenever I wanted, but additions such as the commentaries by Thompson and Lee.

I think just the letter in the Appendices by Imogen Scrubbs (Lucy Steele) is worth the price of this book. And Thompson is great company in her diaries. I loved her description of film-making: The beginning of a film is like watching a huge newborn centipede trying to get up on its hundred legs and go for a walk. So yes, even given my familiarity with the material, I found reading this book well worth my while and keeping on my shelves. show less