Monday, January 3, 2011

film review: Romola Garai's "Emma"


When this was on tv last year, I kept forgetting about it, so only caught a small part of it. But as a big fan of (most) Jane Austen film adaptations, I purchased it anyway. And then, put it on my shelf, and forgot I owned it.

Until the other day - and, I just watched the end of it. Aside from Romola Garai's portrayal of Emma as an unrestrained young woman, more immature than previous versions show her, I was able to overcome my initial dislike because it really developed the characters in a way the other films could not, being twice as long as the others. And I like the others (I'm thinking of Kate Beckinsale's and Gwyneth Paltrow's Emmas), but this one is so well done - I'm quite surprised at it.  This Emma grew on me, because everything else about the production was so wonderful, and I guess I'll have to read the book again to see if I'm being picky about the way Ms. Garai played her, or if there's a possibility Emma could really have been this way.

It was less like an entertainment, and more like a story of human nature unfolding before you - if that makes any sense. And I really recommend it.

8 comments:

  1. Emma is my absolutly favorite movie and book. It really is a close second to Pride and Prejudice for me. I often think the book is over looked. ~ I had the same feelings about the movie as you did.

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  2. Ah! I'm glad to read your comments - how I love Jane Austen. It's funny - "Emma" is the longest of her books, right? But the story is not as complicated as "Pride & Prejudice", for example. And, proof of that is the film with Keira Knightley - they had to leave out almost all of the Wickham business, because 2 hours just wasn't long enough to deal with the whole thing. Although I thought it was an excellent movie, all the same; well done in other respects.
    But, back to "Emma" - the other two versions have their good points and I never thought it could be improved upon or enlarged in any way. However, the extra time allowed for a deepening of the characters - Mr. Woodhouse, for example, was really well done, and Mr. Knightley, too - Jonny Lee Miller was terrific. He played it in an understated way, but you could see him falling in love with Emma - perhaps even before he was aware of it himself. And you got to see Emma's sister and her husband more, too. As for the other characters, I think the other adaptations dealt with them probably as well as this one, except maybe Frank Churchill - I think all three Franks are good portrayals.
    Well, enough rambling!

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  3. Sorry - I'm just catching up on your blog, so leaving comments right, left and centre!

    I saw the first episode of this when it was aired on the BBC a couple of years ago. I have to say, I didn't warm to it because of Romola Garai's portrayal of Emma and so didn't watch the subsequent episodes - it sounds like I should have persevered!

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  4. I think you should - I am still surprised that I got used to her portrayal; but I know she's a very talented actress. I saw her in "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Daniel Deronda", at least. I'm not entirely sure how I felt about the girl who played Harriet - I'll have to watch it again to decide. Watch it again, Rachel!!

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  5. I remember being extremely disappointed in Mr. Elton’s proposal to Emma in this movie. The scene in Kate’s movie had me in giggle. I came very close to turning it off and thinking “if they can’t get that right what else are they going to do.” I believe that what kept me glued to the tv was simply that I liked the opening where they showed how all of them started out in the community and then were dispersed due to their circumstances. I am glad that I saw it through until the end some of the scenes really were magnificently done.

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  6. You are right about Mr. Elton - this fellow was the most unpleasant of the three. And, if I hadn't seen him first as Edmund Bertram in "Mansfield Park" (and did a good job, too) I would have to be hating him forever - his Mr. E. was so revolting. And yes, the one in Kate Beckinsale's version was the best; the most normal Mr. Elton, who after all is just a social-climbing snob; unfortunate especially in a clergyman.
    The way they emphasized that two of the local children had been shipped away is one of the things which made it seem more human to me, and more serious - less like a light-hearted romance.
    Everyone who stuck with it seems to say they ended up liking it!

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  7. I unfortunately am not familiar with the book - we don't have it at home and the Austens in the local library are constantly away from the shelves! :-)
    But I liked this version a lot. I really liked that one had time to get to know the characters. In that way, this is similar to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice.

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  8. The book is a longer one, but the story isn't so complex - there's a lot of description in it.

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