Every beloved book lives forever in the mind of its reader, and sometimes if we’re lucky, it becomes a beloved movie, too. Jane Austen’s tale of two sisters, “Sense and Sensibility,” was made into a funny, lovely and entirely perfect movie about 30 years ago, adapted by Emma Thompson (who also memorably played older sister Elinor Dashwood) and directed by Ang Lee. I have watched Lee’s movie more times than I can say; it’s a perpetual source of comfort and joy. So it was with trepidation that I approached Georgia Oakley’s new “Sense and Sensibility,” adapted by Diana Reid — could genteel literary lightning strike twice? Well, not quite — the world is, apparently, not that generous — but the new movie brings plenty of pleasure of its own.

Oakley’s version, plotwise, is more or less as equally faithful to Austen as Lee’s (though it does add a late scene from the book involving John Willoughby that gives his character some redemption). Sensible Elinor (an excellent Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her impetuous, passionate sister Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), upon the death of their father, must move with their mother (Caitríona Balfe) and younger sister Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) from their comfortable manor home to a remote cottage in the country, from which they must sort out their complicated romantic lives. The main difference here is in a touch more realism, both in the overall casting — the cast is rather younger than in Lee’s version, and probably closer to what Austen intended — and in the visuals. The cottage is low-ceilinged and cramped; the gowns are muddy around the hems; the women’s hair is messy; the rooms are dark in a not-entirely romantic way.

But an Austen movie lives and dies on its casting, and on whether the actors can convey a particular mixture of sharp-minded wit and earnest sweetness. The standout here is Edgar-Jones, whose sad-eyed, wise Elinor tells entire stories without saying a word; you’ll find you can’t take your eyes off her. George MacKay is delightfully awkward as Elinor’s unfortunate suitor Edward Ferrars, and while Herbert Nordrum won’t make you forget the great Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon, his performance has a lovely slow burn that entirely won me over by the end. Fiona Shaw, perpetually clutching a little dog and cackling like a sputtering firecracker, steals the movie as the meddling Mrs. Jennings. And some tiny roles are especially vivid, such as Tom Brooke’s John Dashwood (the sisters’ half-brother), whose marriage seems to have literally shriveled him.

Reid’s screenplay isn’t as artful as one might wish; a few too many scenes get elaborately explained rather than shown, and I wondered if someone unfamiliar with the story might have a bit of trouble following along. But overall, Oakley finds a beautiful sense of place and a quiet happily-ever-after that feels entirely earned. I’m not wavering in my loyalty to Lee’s movie, but hey, it’s had 30 years to become embedded in my heart. Perhaps every generation will have its own “Sense and Sensibility,” in a lovely and endless cycle; perhaps there’s an even more perfect one coming along, some day.

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'SENSE AND SENSIBILITY'

3 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG (for some thematic elements, partial nudity and brief violence)

Running time: 2:11

How to watch: Now in theaters

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