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Jane Austen's Emma | Year: 1997 Classification: Drama Directed: - Diarmuid Lawrence It could be so good... Although this adaptation (one of three) of Jane Austen's novel is faithful to the plot and general mood of the book, it is not the best of the filmed versions. It could be, but for the central character. While Gwyneth Paltrow made Emma a generally nice person who was just a little inexeperienced and meddlesome, Kate Beckinsale makes the character genuinely hateful. Emma is mean; she is a snob; she is not someone you would want to know. She is also remarkably cold. Mark Strong as Mr. Knightely does a good job. He is closer to the right age than Jeremy Northam, and although he appears to be constantly angry, it would be difficult not to shout at this Emma whenever you saw her. Samantha Morton is a far superior Harriet Smith to Toni Collette's bumbling idiot, and Olivia Williams brings a lot of depth to Jane Fairfax. Generally, this is a very well done adaptation, but Beckinsale is seriously miscast, and it mars the whole picture. The Best Emma Ever!! This version is true to the book and the acting is superb. The novel's complexities are brought out by the actors in subtle ways. Kate Beckinsale was the perfect choice for Emma because she played her duel layers so wonderfully. Beckinsale played Emma's intelligence against her lack of knowledge of the world, without being dumb. She showed that Emma thought she was superior and had to learn that someone's rank in society does not make them a better person. Mark Strong is great as Mr. Knightley. He plays it serious and heartfelt. Strong brought out Knightley's strong beliefs and feelings with grace. Everyone else was also cast perfectly. The story was very loyal to the novel. Emma is funny, but really a serious novel about women's place in society. This version showed all these conplexities with ease and grace. It was beautifully shot and directed. This is truly an adaptation to be proud of and lots of fun to watch over and over. Emma is my second favorite Austen novel on behind Persuasion. I am glad Austen's less popular works had such great adaptations. Emma got the right treatment here concidering it was Austen's longest novel... I am happy to say that enough people liked it to make this great adaptation of her work. Excellent adaptation of Austen's work! This movie is far superior to the one starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Kate Beckinsdale gives the part of Emma a greater depth of character than Ms. Paltrow does...and a great deal more fire and attitude - as Emma should have. Character development in this version is much better than in the Miramax version. Ms. Beckinsdale's Emma is much more lovable and understandable than Ms. Paltrow's. In the end, this makes the audience symphathetic to Emma - she deserves this. Remember, she is only a child, still finding her place in society. The scene on Box Hill is played quite brilliantly in this version - Emma, you must remember, is very naive and is not really aware of what she is doing. You get a better sense of her blunder and of her remorse in this version than in the Miramax version, in which she seems to be nasty on purpose. The casting (and acting) in this version is superb - Jane in the Miramax version is saucier than one would expect; her expressions were much harsher than author Jane Austen may have wanted. A nice nod to the Pride and Prejudice version - the inclusion of Ms. Lucy Robinson (Mrs. Hurst in P&P) in Emma as Mrs. Elton was a great choice. She makes a wonderful, loud, brassy wife. If you must insist on watching the Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow, watch that version first, and then watch this version. Otherwise, you will be very disappointed. Buy Jane Austen's Emma at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Jane Austen's Emma Search with the Priority Search Engine on Jane Austen's Emma This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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