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z hayes |
Date: 2009-12-31

Being an avid Jane Austen fan, I have watched every single adaptation of Emma (as well as Austen's other works). The older 1972 BBC adaptation, Emma (BBC, 1972) was quite tepid and the lead actress was not very inspiring in her role, lacking the upbeat, and sunny disposition that one associates with Austen's character. Then there was the A&E version starring Kate Beckinsale in the title role, in Emma (A&E, 1997) which though much better than the 1972 version (which also suffered from inferior production qualities), was still not the best adaptation. Finally, there was the movie version of "Emma" starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and until this current adaptation, this was actually my personal favorite (even though I personally found Paltrow's accent rather stilted)- it was a gorgeous movie with beautiful cinematography and the chemistry between Emma (Paltrow) and Mr. Knightley (Jeremy Northam) was simply wonderful and altogether credible.

When I came to know about this latest BBC adaptation of Emma, I was predictably excited and could not wait to watch it - thanks to a friend residing in England, I was able to watch this entire series and have pre-ordered the DVD on 24x7 Shopping Deal. This is truly a stellar production in terms of casting, and production qualities. The title role of Emma is credibly portrayed by Romola Garai, who has also been in other notable productions such as I Capture the Castle,and Daniel Deronda. She is perfectly cast - luminously beautiful, snooty, a busybody matchmaker wannabe who feels self-justified in her quest to pair off couples regardless of their own wishes, and yet possessing of a warm and sunny disposition. Romola Garai convincingly portrays all of Emma's characteristics - both her lovable and annoying qualities, her immaturity and impetuousness, and also shows her ability to transform from a self-centered immature young girl into a mature woman who realizes her flaws.

The other lead is of course Mr. Knightley, and he is also convincingly portrayed by Johnny Lee Miller, who had portrayed Edmund Bertram in the 1999 movie adaptation of "Mansfield Park"Mansfield Park (1999) which was rather reviled by critics and purists alike for its liberal adaptation of Austen's classic. Miller was also excellent as Lord Byron in Byron.I was quite concerned initially because I had always thought Jeremy Northam's portrayal of Knightley to be the best thus far, but Miller comes close, and in fact brings a new interpretation to the character that I really appreciated. There is this one scene in the series where Emma invites Knightley to dance, and as they dance...viewers get the sense that these are two individuals who are gradually realizing their real chemistry, not just as childhood friends and relatives-in-law, but as true soulmates. It is definitely one of the most romantic parts of the series and a highlight!

The other characters are also generally well-cast - Mr. Woodhouse is played to delightful effect by Michael Gambon (aka Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movie franchise); Harriet Smith is portrayed by Louise Dylan (though I still prefer Toni Collette's portrayal of Harriet in the movie version); the talented Jodhi May plays Emma's governess turned Mrs Weston (Jodhi May is a veteran of BBC productions and Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC Version), as well as others, including the coincidence that she was also in Daniel Deronda cast as the Jewess Mirah Lapidoth who attracts the attentions of Daniel Deronda, showcase her diverse acting talent); Frank Churchill is portrayed by Rupert Evans and I must say this particular adaptation portrays Frank Churchill in a thoroughly unflattering light - the man is simply infuriating, and gives Mr. Elton a run for his money! Mr. Elton is played by Blake Ritson who recently portrayed Edmund Bertram in Masterpiece Theatre: Mansfield Park.

The cinematography is excellent, capturing the beauty of the lush English countryside through the seasons, and the score is memorable (I still cannot get the music from the Emma-Knightley dance out of my mind!). The costumes are gorgeous - simple in their beauty, yet detailed and period-accurate, and the other production qualities are impeccable (the English manor houses picked for the various residences such as Hartfield etc are well-chosen).

Austen purists might take issue with some of the liberties taken here - the way the characters are portrayed, missing dialogue, the sequencing of certain story arcs, etc - but I still loved this adaptation - it is sunny, and bright, and all that I love in an Austen adaptation, and it is certainly my favorite adaptation of "Emma" thus far!

DVD features
Contains the scenes deleted from the PBS airing, and in addition:

Emma's Locations - this nine-minute featurette focuses on the locations used during Emma's filming, and why these places were chosen. I just loved the places they used (as is the case with most BBC period dramas) and found this illuminating.

Emma's costumes - this twelve-minute featurette explores the details behind costuming decisions for this period drama, including the choice of fabrics, color, etc. It's really a wonderful opportunity to see what goes on in the costume department, and these folks certainly take their jobs seriously, to wondrous effect!

Emma's music - this ten-minute featurette explores the music behind Emma with a brief description of how one goes about creating a score that matches the mood of the drama (I'd say they did a great job, especially on that Emma-Knightley dance!), and how important this is as the score should complement and not detract from the show itself.

Emma's Mr. Woodhouse - fans of Michael Gambon (aka Dumbledore) will rejoice in this thirteen-minute featurette. This veteran actor is truly a great talent, and this interview covers his career from his early beginnings in the craft until today. It's more of a special focus on Gambon, not so much on his role in Emma, but it is a nice touch nevertheless.

I did wish they had a director's commentary (I guess we'll have to wait for a special edition release for that, and spend more money!), and other cast interviews, sigh...but I'm happy to have the drama itself on DVD so that I can enjoy repeat viewings, and have an Emma adaptations marathon (the 1972 BBC adaptation, Kate Beckinsale's A&E adaptation, and of course, Paltrow and Jeremy Northam's pairing in the movie version). Enjoy!

E. A Solinas |
Date: 2009-12-07

I've seen the various adaptations of Jane Austen's "Emma," but no movie (or actress) really seemed to capture the lighthearted brightness, romance and sweetness of that book. Fortunately, such is not the case with the BBC's latest adaptation -- it's a sunlit, enchanting little story that dances along at a leisurely pace, and has a brilliant cast headed by the astonishingly good Romola Garai.

After matchmaking her sister and her governess Miss Taylor (Jodhi May), Emma Woodhouse (Garai) fancies herself an expert on human nature, and on "nudging" couples into matrimony. The acerbic Mr. Knightley (Jonny Lee Miller) isn't impressed.

And after Miss Taylor becomes Mrs. Weston, Emma ends up becoming best buddies with Harriet, (Louise Dylan) a sweet (if not very bright) young woman who is the illegimate daughter of "somebody." Emma becomes determined to pair Harriet with someone deserving of her, and focuses her efforts on matching Harriet to the rather smarmy but charming Mr. Elton. When Emma's latest matchmaking attempt falls apart, she vows not to mess with people's lives again -- but she can't help but be interested by Harriet's potential suitors.

At around the same time, two people that Emma has heard of her entire life have arrived -- the charming Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans), and the reserved and "perfect" Miss Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper). Emma begins a flirtatious friendship with Frank, but for some reason is unable to get close to Miss Fairfax -- and ends up alienating her further on a disastrous day out. And as she navigates the secrets and rumors of other people's romantic lives, she begins to realize who she has been in love with all along.

Out of all Jane Austen's books, "Emma" is the frothiest and lightest, and this adaptation reflects that well -- it's bright and sunny most of the time, full of "fairyland" balls, lush green fields and forests, and the a quaint little village. There's some moments of seriousness (such as the somber, rainy examination of the similarities between Jane, Emma and Frank), but nothing that keeps Emma Woodhouse's sunny charmed life from proceeding as usual.

Fortunately, the story also explores Emma's maturation over the course of a year or two, and the writers also expand on the feelings and lives of Frank, Jane and Mr. Woodhouse. Ir's laced with plenty of clever dialogue ("That man is so full of himself, I'm surprised he can stay on his horse!"), gently barbed humor and beautifully orchestrated moments of subtle romance, such as Emma and Knightley's dance together or Emma's simple declaration of "I began to examine my own heart, and there YOU were."

And Romola Garai makes the perfect Emma: young, bright, well-meaning and assured of her own knowledge of the human heart, but also naive and a little snobbish. She flits around like a clumsy butterfly, and Garai makes her lovable and endearing even when she screws up. Jonny Lee Miller is similarly brilliant as the restrained, stern Mr. Knightley with his sharp wit and unconventional habits (such as when he tells Emma why he rode a horse to a dinner party).

The supporting cast is also brilliant: Michael Gambon is of particular delight as Emma's dismal hypochondriac dad, who still tried his best for his daughters, and Jodhi May is amazing as Emma's ex-governess. Dylan was adorable as the naive Harriet, and Evans and Pyper are excellent as Frank and Jane. Tamsin Greig, Blake Ritson and Robert Bathurst all do good jobs as well -- and Christina Cole is wonderfully horrible as the snobby, domineering Mrs. Elton.

The newest adaptation of "Emma" is enchanting from beginning to end -- beautiful direction, solid writing, and an amazing cast. Definitely a must-see for Austen aficionados.

Phair Reviews |
Date: 2009-12-02

My absolute favorite version of Jane Austen's Classic Book. Within the first 30 minutes I'd fallen in love with the characters and the amount of detail from the book. Though events are somewhat out of order, or rather you learn the information about the characters a little out of order, this version is close to perfection. Add in the charming Edmund from Mansfield park, Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley, and who can help wanting to watch this mini series over and over. Well done!

A. Christenson |
Date: 2010-02-17

I just received my Emma DVD and I'm happy to say that the DVD includes in the original BBC version - not the PBS version. Upon watching the DVD I was surprise to see delightful scene after scene not seen in the PBS airing. More shocking is that the multiple scenes cut where not just "filler" scenes, but actually dialogue scenes between major characters. Most shocking is that PBS cut a conversation between Knightly and Emma prior to the dance - discussing her dance card and a scene following the proposal in which Emma & Knightly discuss when each of them realized their love for one another and many other scenes... shame on PBS for cutting the story to pieces! Bravo to BBC for including them on the DVD.

Jennifer K. |
Date: 2010-02-09

I approach my Jane Austen adaptations as I do productions of Shakespeare....each will bring their own view to the story, each emphasizing different aspects. Some will more true to the original text, some less so....and unless they violate the spirit of the original (sadly like Mansfield Park), I take each one on its own merits. This Emma may not follow Austen's text exactly, but in my opinion it was one of the most enjoyable Emma, or for that matter Jane Austen, productions I have seen. In retrospect, previous movies/series have been beautifully done...but this was both beautiful and the most emotionally engaging.

Ramola Garai is a lively Emma that, after early reservations due to her more modern manners, grew on me as the series progressed...much as Emma does in the book itself. Emma's maturation over the course of the series is more believable and more evident here than in any other Emma adaptation I have seen. Any hesitation I may have had about the casting of Emma faded as I watched the series - and the scene where she realizes she loves Mr. Knightley, but has potentially lost him due to her own actions was an incredible piece of acting on the part of Ms. Garai.

Ms. Garai's chemistry with Jonny Lee Miller is palpable and believable. My highest compliment of all is reserved for JLM: he is, by far, my favorite Knightley of all time...and this is from a huge Jeremy Northam fan (forgive me!). He was the first I've seen to strike the perfect chord between the character's big brotherly scolding and his dawning realization of his true feeligns towards Emma. Incredibly subtle acting which conveyed more of this somewhat opaque character's inner workings than I could have imagined possible.