Jane Austen Sartorial Throwdown

Ah, the men in Jane Austen's novels. They are so divine, even the rascals. Film adaptations sometimes show them to the best advantage and sometimes not. Let's take a look at Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility. Whose portrayal of the handsome colonel was more sartorially resplendent? Alan Rickman in the 1996 film or David Morrissey in 2008?

Alan Rickman

David Morrissey

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Colonel Brandon is the true romantic hero in Sense and Sensibility. Oh, Willoughby is dashing enough but too self-serving, and as a leading man, Edmund Ferrars is merely nice and not particularly forceful. In contrast, the Dashwood women can always rely on Colonel Brandon to escort them or help them out despite Marianne's aversion to him as a suitor. In this week's throwdown we ask: which actor's portrayal of Colonel Brandon do you prefer? Alan Rickman's or David Morrisey's?

Which actor's portrayal of Colonel Brandon do you prefer?

Alan Rickman, Sense and Sensibility 1995

Alan Rickman was convincing as the noble, brave, kind Colonel Brandon, who deeply loves Marianne, but doesn't stand in Marianne's and Wiloughby's way. He steps up to the plate when Marianne and Elinor need his help. His facial expressions and delivery of his lines proves that Rickman is a talented, gifted actor, who plays both heroes and villains equally well - Home Videos

David Morrisey, Sense and Sensibility 2007

David Morrissey observed about Colonel Brandon, "Just as he’s starting to form an idea of himself with Marianne, he’s gazumped, really thwarted by his rival, and has to take a back step. He then tries to be honourable, even though his rival is somebody he knows is not right for this girl."

When approached to play the Colonel, David quickly signed on, having been a massive fan of Andrew Davies for a while.

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Which actor's portrayal of Colonel Brandon do you prefer?

Alan Rickman David Morrisey

David Morrissey: Gazumped by Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility

In an interview with BBC Press last season, David Morrissey observed about Colonel Brandon, the character he played in Sense and Sensibility, "Just as he’s starting to form an idea of himself with Marianne he’s gazumped, really, thwarted by his rival, and has to take a back step. He then tries to be honourable, even though his rival is somebody he knows is not right for this girl."

When approached to play the part, David quickly signed on, having been a "massive fan" of Andrew Davies for years. As prolific an actor as Dominic Cooper (see post sitting below), David can most recently be seen as Norfolk, the scheming uncle in The Other Boleyn Girl. He also played the London psychiatrist opposite Sharon Stone's deadly character in Basic Instinct 2, and in Hilary and Jackie and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. David is a regular fixture on British television, and viewers will recognize him from State of Play, Blackpool, and most recently, Cape of Wrath. David's success lies in his ability to immerse himself in his characters. "At 43, he's one of Britain's most in-demand character actors, strangely familiar yet oddly unrecognisable, despite the fact that he's cornered the market in ordinary-men-in-extraordinary-turmoil roles over the past few years," Stuart Husband recently wrote in The Telegraph.

Wishing to embrace all aspects of his craft, David has also branched out into directing, and owns his own production company, Tubedale. His partner of almost twenty years is the novelist Esther Freud, author of The Hideous Kinky, great granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, and daughter of Lucien Freud, who is regarded as one of Britain's greatest painter. They have three children.

David's appeal as the Colonel is enormous, as this YouTube video attests. As Colonel Brandon, we all know that hunky David gets the girl in the end.

• Click on this link to read a short biography, view Flickr photos of set scenes and a series of video clips about David, or see a filmography.
  

• David Morrissey, Honorary Fellowship, Liverpool John Moores University, Oration by Frank Sanderson
  

• 2005 UK Guardian Interview
  

• David Morrissey: The Incredible Disappearing Man, UK Telegraph, March 2008
  

• Images: David Morrissey and Esther Freud

Posted by Ms. Place