WCW: Elinor Dashwood

We have MCM’s on Sense and Sensibility‘s men, but wait, we haven’t done the ladies! With the new version coming out Very Soon, I thought it was time to compare the various iterations of Elinor Dashwood on screen — in adaptations of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel.

Elinor is the “sense” of the title: logical, proper, and thoughtful. Early on in the story she falls in love, but as her love interest never declares himself, she keeps her feelings restrained and mostly to herself. When she finds out that he’s engaged to another woman, she doesn’t outwardly judge him for it or create any drama, but instead works to resign herself to the situation — both because that’s the proper thing to do, and also to spare those who love her from suffering on her behalf.

Sense has been adapted six times, if we count this year’s feature film:

Joanna David in 1971

Yes, the woman you and I know as Mrs. Gardiner from Pride and Prejudice (1995) was, long before that, Elinor Dashwood! I haven’t seen this BBC miniseries (although now I kind of want to because of the hair I’m seeing here? Stop me! You know it’ll be bad videography and I’ll abandon it as I have similar productions!). But according to the blog Austenprose,

“Her solid and stoic Elinor is never overplayed, but totally understated and stealthily effective … Besides being absolutely stunningly beautiful, her timing and delivery are spot on.”

Sense and Sensibility (1971) — See? I know, it’s early 1970s hair but I like it because it’s BIG!

Irene Richard in 1981

I did actually watch this, but like 20 years ago, so all I can do is quote the short review I wrote then: “On the whole I liked Irene Richard’s portrayal of Elinor, although she could be rather one-note in some scenes.”

Sense and Sensibility (1981) — On the right. More serious = darker hair, perhaps?

Emma Thompson in 1995

The feature film aged the character of Elinor so that she could be played by screenwriter (age 36 at the time), so she’s a bit more on-the-shelf — which in my mind makes her plot more emotionally effective, but she’s probably not viable WAIT SHE MIGHT HAVE A SHOT AT LOVE no crap maybe not YES GO EMMA/ELINOR! I do love her performance, but I probably read the novel AFTER seeing this film, so was probably more forgiving of the character aging. I think, however, the aging gives her gravitas, and Thompson is just such a great actress that you really believe her every move (at least I did!).

Sense and Sensibility (1995) — Dressed up fancy for a ball in London with metallic trim.

Hattie Morahan in 2008

I just watched this miniseries adaptation, and I felt like Morahan gave one of the stronger performances. She managed to convey the sadness lurking below the character and the concern she had for her family in a very understated yet real way.

Sense and Sensibility (2008) — Unfortunately, none of the characters are given particularly flashy wardrobes.

Sense & Sensibiility (2008) — And Elinor’s more solid character is depicted through relatively boring colors.

Deborah Ayorinde in 2024

I can’t with these clunky, garish costumes, so I thank Trystan for taking one for the team and watching this Hallmark Channel adaptation. Trystan wrote, “luckily Deborah Ayorinde as Elinor is strong, since she carries a lot of the movie.”

Sense and Sensibility (2024) — I actually like the colors here, just, let’s calm down with the trim.

Daisy Edgar-Jones in 2026

We haven’t seen the new feature film version — yet! So I can’t tell you how Edgar-Jones plays the character. I also haven’t seen her in anything, but I can tell you she’s won one Golden Globe already, so that means she’s got some skill!

Sense and Sensibility (2026) — I am concerned at how Marianne-ish this makes her character look.

Who’s YOUR favorite Elinor Dashwood on screen? Will you be seeing the new movie asap or waiting til it comes to streaming?

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2 thoughts on “WCW: Elinor Dashwood”

Boxermom says:

October 7, 2026 at 7:35 am

Emma Thompson, no contest! It doesn’t hurt that she also wrote the screenplay AND a behind-the-scenes book about the making of the film. :)

hcripley says:

October 7, 2026 at 7:51 am

Ooooh, I need to find that book @boxermom! Emma’s version is the only one I’ve seen and I can watch it over and over, such a perfect cast! Quite frankly I don’t feel the need to watch any others.
I don’t think I can watch the newest version, the long loose hair and muddy colors-ick.