Emma

Rating:
Summary: Paltrow is a delightful Emma...
Review: First I would like to start with the positive aspects of this version of "Emma". The casting was almost 100% perfect. Life has never been too hard on Emma, and Paltrow played her with a light-heartedned sweetness, untouched by bitter experience that I found appealing. Emma may be misguided, but she is good-hearted. That is how Paltrow played her.

I really enjoyed Northam's portrayal of Knightley. His thoughtfulness and kindness were expressed well. His insight into the other characters was displayed. However, the best aspect was the friendly interplay between Paltrow and Knightley. They are believable as friends and as lovers. Their future marriage will be a happy one because not only are they attracted to one another; they truly esteem one another.

Juliet Stevenson was WONDERFUL as Mrs. Elton. Shallow, snide and jealous she was. I loved to hate her! Delicious!

The lovely Greta Scacchi played my ideal of Mrs. Weston. Cultured, feminine, she played Paltrow's friend rather than authority figure, which is how I always felt Austen pictured her. While Emma always listens to Mrs. Weston, she does not always heed what she says.

Sophie Thompson must be one of the best character actresses to ever come out of the U.K. Her Miss Bates is Perfection. In those times, a woman needed to pretty, demure and married. Poor Miss Bates is none of those things. She feels herself to be a failure in life. She is a social person by nature, but society denigrates her. She is despised by the thing she loves. Thompson played this very well.

Now for what I didn't agree with in the movie. I'm sorry, but Harriet Smith was not portrayed accurately in this film version. This was no fault of actress Colette. The fault is in direction and script. Harriet was a simpleton, yes, but she was sweet-natured and quite pretty. Austen brings this out again and again. After all, Emma thought that it was possible for her to marry Elton, Churchill and Knightley. No one would have believed it possible in this Harriet Smith. Robert Martin would not have married her either.

I also did not care for Polly Walker's version of Jane Fairfax. Jane is a reserved person in extremely difficult circumstances, living in cramped conditions, facing an uncertain future, in love with man not her equal. Walker simply played her like an untouchable goddess. True, that is how Emma sees her at first; that is why she is jealous of her, but that is not how Jane really is. Jane has feelings and is actually a romantic at heart. Jane is frustrated and for that suffers headaches and ill health, like we all do when faced with prolonged stress. That is how I think she should have been played.

However, that does not mean I didn't like the movie. I did. I also liked "Jane Austen's Emma", but for different reasons. Really, everyone must do themselves a favor and see them both!

Rating:
Summary: Review from a Brit
Review: I absolutely LOVE this film. It is very faithfull to Jane Austen's book and Gwyneth Paltrow's accent is superb, you really can't tell! I believe that all of the actors did a sensational job of portraying their characters and really sold the story. I have watched this film many times over and it never gets old. I think that making these classic films helps to draw in younger viewers and get them interested in older and more sophisticated novels.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfully Romantic Film
Review: One of the wonderful things about Jane Austen's stories is that the same set of circumstances - a young woman's coming of age and falling in love - are examined from many different angles. In Emma, the central character is something of a snob. Delightful in her character, she never the less considers herself above just about every one of her acquaintances in some way.

Emma determines, therefore, to play matchmaker. When she meets the lovable - if not extremely intelligent - Miss Smith, Emma is determined to marry her off to one of the upper class gentlemen in the neighborhood.

This is lovely adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. The story remains faithful to the work and the cast is wonderfully chosen (specifically Toni Collette as Miss Smith).

There are several things about the movie that prevent it from being better. First, there is a series of scene changes that take place in mid-sentence. This is cleverly done. In setting up the next scene, the characters suddenly find themselves in it. After a while, though, the rapid scene changes gave me a feeling akin to very slight motion sickness. I think the trick was maybe used just a little too often. Second, the choreography of the ball is horrid, or at least the dancing is. I can't speak to its authenticity, but it seemed to me as if the choreographer had quit half way through. Third and lastly, the language of the film has been updated too much. While I'm sure this makes the film more accessible, I love Jane Austen's dialogue too much to enjoy seeing it pulled too far from the original ("Clueless" exists as a great modernization of the story - with some fairly major modifications of the plot).

All in all, "Emma" is almost enjoyable in movie format as the novel. Toni Collette's portrayal of Miss Smith had me laughing out loud on several occasions, and particularly in her interactions with Paltrow. Likewise, Alan Cumming did a marvelous job as Mr. Elton, only to be outdone by Juliet Stevenson as his wife.

I haven't paid any attention to the extras on the DVD, so I can't speak to those. I only know I found the film itself well worth the investment, as I've watched it several times and will definitely continue to do so.

Rating:
Summary: funny but also moving
Review: It is very funny, and at times broadly humourous. The most touching scene, beautifully done by the underrated Sophie Thompson, is the pivotal scene where she (as Miss Bates) is insulted by Emma. Miss Bates' brave face and faltering reply are heartbreaking and amazing to watch.