Having made a number of films in his homeland of Taiwan, including 1993’s The Wedding Banquet and 1994’s Eat Drink Man Woman, director Ang Lee decided to take on his first English language film.

Instead of choosing a relatively modern setting and commercially appealing project, Lee took the bold step of taking on an adaptation of classic literature, that of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility.

It transpired to be a good decision on Lee’s part, as it went on to be a huge big box office hit, taking over $135 billion against a modest budget of $16 million.

Here it gets a most welcome re-release to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

With the death of her husband, Mrs Dashwood (Gemma Jones) and her three daughters Elinor (Emma Thompson), Marianne (Kate Winslet) and Margaret (Myriam Emilie Francois) find themselves in the awkward position of having to move out. This is due to the rules of inheritance, as Mrs Dashwood was her husband’s second wife, and his fortune being left to son from his first marriage, who despite promising his father on his death bed to look after them, decides to give them a paltry sum to live on.

This comes at an ill opportune time as the dashing Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) was making his feelings known to Elinor.

But after an offer from Mrs Dashwood’s cousin they couldn’t refuse, with him allowing them to stay in a cottage on his estate, the family relocate to Barton Park in Devonshire.

It is there that that young Marianne finds herself the object of affection to not one but two suitors, the brooding Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) and the handsome John Willoughby (Greg Wise), as love fills the air of the cottage.

But as the family soon become aware, the path of true love never runs smooth.

Lee’s film is a sumptuous adaptation, with a screenplay beautifully written by Thompson, which she deservedly won an Oscar for, making her the only person to win an Oscar for writing and acting (1992’s Howards End).

It’s essentially a film about the perils of dating in the late 1790’s, especially as there was a direct connection to social standing at the time. Young love came at quite a price, as the Dashwoods discover, where marrying into a family’s fortune was more important than the notion of love itself.

Lee benefitted from a terrific cast, which included a number of impressive performances, such as Winslet in only her second film, and Grant giving the perfection definition of a fop on screen.

It also serves as a reminder of the greatness of Rickman, who delivers a heartbreakingly reserved turn as Brandon.

The gel holding it altogether however is Thompson, whose wonderfully understated Elinor shouldn’t be underestimated.

Considering it was Lee’s first English language film, it didn’t faze him, as he captures the period quite magnificently.

It’s a tale that’s been told many times, and is about to again with an upcoming new big screen adaptation starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor, but it will have to go some way to compete with this modern, timeless classic.