Masterpiece Classic: Emma.................Who Doesn't Love Jane

Masterpiece Classic: Emma
NR

I liked it and I gonna give it a bunch of stars but I'm not sure what I am going to say about it.  You know the story.  Headstrong girl who has the whole world figured out only to find out that she doesn't.

As I have read the book more than one time and seen several versions on film, this one had a lot to live up to.  (Ack preposition at the end of a sentence.  Look away!)   This is clearly not an enviable position for a film.  I was encouraged by the casting of Romola Garai as I had seen her previously in Daniel Deronda and she seemed to have the right kind of spunk to pull it off.  NO WAY!   I just looked her up and discovered that she plays the love interest in Amazing Grace. I didn't even recognize her!  Shows you what a bad witness I would be in court.  Put a red wig on and I won't know you.  Feel free to roll your eyes at me here.

First to things I like in this version. 1) Camera work.  There were several very nicely done shots.  The one I like best is at the end when Emma and Knightly must break their engagement news to her father.  I won't ruin it but it is a shot from behind Emma, oddly enough of her behind.  Watch for it.  2) Mr. Knightly is spot on.  At first I didn't think him handsome enough but by the end he had more than won me over.  3)  Emma's father is PERFECT.  PERFECT.  You sure do grow to love that annoying little man.  Kudos to Micheal Gambon.

Now to things I didn't like or perhaps I should say didn't love.  1) Miss Bates was not nearly annoying enough.  When Emma has her faux pas at the picnic it seemed a little out of left field because Miss Bates hadn't seemed that bad.  2) I am sure some will disagree here, but I think Frank Churchill needed to be played with a tad more sympathy.  I mean the audience needs to make a complete emotional turn around about him at the end and that didn't go well.  Everyone on screen had moved on but I still wanted to clock him.  3) The ending was a little lame.  Not unforgivable but lame.

What to know before viewing




1) You need to know, in fact you can't go another day without knowing,  that Romola Garai looks like my friend Libby.  Look here at the evidence.  Okay, so maybe it is a little hard to see in the terrible picture I took with my Ipod, but trust me, she does.

2) If you are jonesing for a Jane Austen, dive on in.

3) This is long.  There are four episodes, each about an hour long.  Plan on it taking you a couple of night.

What about the kids?


This is rated E for everyone.  If they are old enough to want to watch it then you are good.  I confess I watched alone though cause I just wanted to watch without answering questions or stopping for potty breaks, other than my own of course.

Currently available on disk through Netflix and here


Five Stars- "Love It"


Good thing I didn't know what to say, huh?  I'd have written a novel if I had.  LOL