Emma

Rating:
Summary: Even Jane Austen would have loved this production.
Review: A faithful screen adaptation of the last novel published during Jane Austen's lifetime, this BBC production contains all the wit, irony, and social commentary of the original and sets a new standard for accuracy. Originally presented as a serialized version of the novel, it is as fully developed and as leisurely as the novel itself, granting viewers ample time (about four hours) to watch the characters unfold, the subtle complexities of the story to be revealed, and this genteel period to come fully alive. Director John Glenister takes full advantage of the early nineteenth century setting, depicting the elegance of Hartfield, the Woodhouse estate in Highbury, the highly refined and elaborate furnishings of the period, and appropriate costuming. In varying his settings from room to room at Hartfield, he is able to frame the interactions among characters dramatically, and in showing other houses and buildings within the town, he provides a glimpse of the wider world beyond Highbury.

Emma Woodhouse, the spoiled and somewhat bored twenty-one-year-old daughter of Highbury's leading citizen, amuses herself through her hobby of matchmaking. Taking Harriet Smith, a young woman of "questionable birth," under her wing, she convinces Harriet to reject a farmer who loves her while Emma tries to find her a groom of higher social standing. A comedy of errors unfolds as the chosen "groom" thinks Emma herself is attracted to him, and when rebuffed, marries an abrasive and social-climbing woman who upsets the predictable social life of Highbury. Emma's other attempts at matchmaking are also misinterpreted, leaving her mystified by the failure of her plans and heartily resented by some of her victims. As those around her manage to find spouses without her determined help, Emma herself must come to a final understanding of who she is and where she belongs.

Doran Godwin, as Emma, reflects Emma's sense of entitlement, sacrificing warmth in favor of purposefulness. Debbie Bowen, as Harriet, is pliable, grateful, and suitably dependent. Coming to Highbury as the new Mrs. Elton, Fiona Walker provides comic relief as a woman who has, through marriage, entered a level of society to which she is not entitled by birth. Mr. Knightley, a friend of Emma's father, is a stuffy 37-year-old, one of the few in Highbury able and willing to tell Emma that she is wrong. Only Ania Marson as Jane Fairfax fails to charm. Gorgeous, impeccably produced, accurate in reflecting class divisions and social conventions, true to the novel, and brilliantly cast, this production will make a Jane Austen fan of anyone with the patience to appreciate its length and level of detail. Mary Whipple

Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait.
Review: I've seen all three film productions of Jane Austen's "Emma," and while all of them have merit, I appreciate that this version is the one that's closest to the book. I'll have to reread my copy of "Emma," but it seems to me as if this movie is taken verbatim from the book. Unlike the Gyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale Emmas, this movie takes a while to draw you in, but once you are drawn in--about the time Mrs. Elton (Ellen Dryden) appears--you're hooked. Dryden's portrayal of the hilariously vulgar Mrs. Elton is practically perfect. Doran Godwin, as Emma, sometimes seems a bit too prim, but she grows on you as the movie progresses. Debbie Bowen, as Harriet Smith, is certainly the best Harriet Smith of the three films. I also enjoyed Ellen Dryden's portrayal of Mrs. Weston, and the actor who plays Mr. Weston gives life to what is a very minor character in the other two movies. Also totally charming, and just as I imagined him is Donald Eccles' portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse. To sum up: you may feel impatient with this movie at first, but watching it to the end is worth the wait.

Rating:
Summary: Two Words: No Chemistry
Review: Tedious, with inferior casting, costumes, and sets.