Emma

"Emma" (2009) has now become one of my favourite mini-series, closely following the 1995 version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

"Emma" is a beautiful adaption of Jane Austen's classic novel of the same name. The story is based on Emma, the pretty daughter of a wealthy gentleman, Mr. Woodhouse, and her attempts at matchmaking people in her neighbourhood. It is an engaging, sweet and playful movie, which is touching and a delight to watch.

When compared to the 1996 adaption of "Emma", with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jim O'Hanlon's version is superior; this is partially due to the length. The four part mini-series enables the characters and plot to be developed with more detail than in the feature film. In particular, you are able to see Emma mature and watch her relationship with Mr. George Knightley change. More of the original text and dialogue is included which makes the series more believable. Watching a Jane Austen film, I personally believe, should be like taking a vacation. You should be able to slow down, enjoy the slower pace of the era and enjoy making your own observations of characters, while enjoying the beautiful scenic shots. This is what you get with the 2009 mini-series – time, whereas the 1996 film is rushed, with a lot crammed into a few hours.

The cast is excellent. Romola Garai is a youthful, vivacious and expressive Emma Woodhouse. What impressed me the most was her ability to present not only Emma's love of life and enthusiasm but her innermost thoughts as well; when she is reflecting or unhappy about something but trying to "put on a brave face" we see it. Although I like Gwyneth Paltrow, she is not able to portray the youth and innocence of Emma as well as Romola Garai. Johnny Lee Miller is a handsome and intelligent Mr. George Knightley and Michael Gambon is a very lovable Mr. Woodhouse, although I identified him as "Dumbledore" immediately. The only character that I do not fully believe in is Mr. Elton. Perhaps it is just personal preference but I do not think that Blake Ritson portrays the handsome and gentlemanly Mr. Elton successfully; he is more of a "Mr. Collins". However, he is the only character who I have not taken to.

Like many of the BBC productions, the historical buildings, props and gardens used are amazing. When watching the mini-series, keep an eye out for some of the incredible landscape shots throughout the film.

The costuming for the film is quite proper. However, I would have liked to have seen Emma in a few prettier gowns. Although she lives in the country, I think as a wealthy young woman she should have had some more expensive looking gowns. I also would have liked her to have her hair in some more elaborate styles.

However, all in all, the mini-series is fantastic. I love the scenery, the actors are superb, the pace is just right and the story a classic. It is a beautiful adaption and I strongly recommend watching it.

Brilliant! Everything from the acting, the costumes, storyline, and music was just so superbly done. This version of Emma far surpasses its predecessors. Romola, actress staring as Emma, puts Pultrow to shame.

This movie sets itself apart from other versions of Emma. The storyline is very much dictated by the actual book. The actors and actresses really captured the characters in the story; it made all the difference in being able to identify and understand the characters.

Also, the setting and costumes they chose really captured the times. The color palate was sensational.

If you are a true Jane Austen fan, you will love this film. It is a must for your Austen collection!! WELL DONE!!

I was kind of dreading this, but it is now my favorite Emma adaptation. Much better than either the Paltrow or the Beckinsale version.

Romola Garai was as close to perfect an Emma as I could imagine. Jonny Lee Miller was an excellent Mr. Knightley. I adore Jeremy Northam but really he was almost too dishy to be a credible Knightley. With Northam around how could Emma ever think herself in love with anyone else? With Miller, Knightley became a more credible character -- that pleasant, cultivated, somewhat older man from next door that Emma had known all her life and never realized she loved because she was so used to him.

Michael Gambon was wonderful as Emma's father. He is easy to overplay to comic effect for his idiosyncrasies -- a foolish, fussy hypochondriac. With Gambon, he was more nuanced -- his fear of illness and accident was understandable (people did die of such things a lot in the 18th century, and he had lost his wife in tragic circumstances). He seemed genuinely loving of Emma, not just exploiting her as a dutiful daughter. You could understand why Emma was genuinely fond of him.

The rest of the cast was also excellent and the English countryside never looked so gorgeous.

There were some smallish glitches. I am quite sure, for example, that Frank Churchill would never have sprawled on the ground with his head on Emma's lap, as he did in the Box Hill scene. All Highbury would have been shocked.

With the enduring interest in the novels of Jane Austen, an author eons ahead of her time as far as writing stories that dealt with women's view of the world, it is not unexpected that the film makers repeat versions of these rollicking tales. This may be the fourth or so version of EMMA and for this viewer it is the most successful. A large part of the success of this version of the novel is both the screenplay by Sandy Welch and the direction by Jim O'Hanlon who elect to open the graphic gates of Highbury with a sequence that shares with the audience the background of the diaspora of the children whose parents have died and whose lives will eventually come together as adults. It works very well in setting the scene and the mood of class distinction so prevalent in England of the period.

Emma is brought fully to life by Romola Garai and this role further establishes her as one of the more important character actresses on film. The remainder of the cast is perfectly balanced, with Michael Gambon as Emma's ever needy father, Jonny Lee Miller as the perfect Mr. Knightley, Lousie Dylan as the ditsy Harriet Smith, Tamsin Grieg as the hilariously boring and mouthy Miss Bates, the striking Blake Ritson as the vicar Mr. Elton, talented Laura Pyper as Jane Fairfax, and Jodhi May as the governess turned neighbor Anne Taylor. The ensemble casting is as fine as any of the Austen transitions to the visual and the cinematography and costumes are first class.

The words may not all belong to Jane Austen (Sandy Welch has introduced some very apropos new lines), but the feel of the novel would likely please the author as much as it pleases the audience. The 4 episode BBC production comes in two CDs and the quality of production is superb. In every way, this EMMA is a joy.

Grady Harp

So far this is proving to be a great series - up there with BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Jonny Lee Miller plays a very good Mr Knightley. He comes across as a slightly softer character than when Mark Strong played Mr. Knightley - but it's done well. The interaction between him and Emma is very enjoyable to watch - I love all the dialogue. I must say, although I like Jonny as an actor, I wasn't sure how he'd come across in this role but he's doing it very well. I will buy this on DVD when it comes out as it's one to keep. It has a very romantic feel to it and the filming is excellent. I love it when they do a great adaption and put the right actors in the right roles. If you haven't seen this - I would highly recommend it.