Sense and Sensibility (film) to appeal to contemporary audiences. Grant's Edward and Rickman's Brandon are "ideal" modern males who display an obvious love of children as well as "pleasing manners", especially when contrasted with Palmer. Thompson's script both expanded and omitted scenes from Edward's storyline, including the deletion of an early scene in which Elinor assumes that a lock of hair found in Edward's possession is hers, when it belongs to Lucy. He was made more fully realised and honourable than in the novel to increase his appeal to viewers. To gradually show viewers why Brandon is worthy of Marianne's love, Thompson's screenplay has
Sense and Sensibility (film) 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