Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations discussion
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Emma
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Emma Adaptations
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Emma (1972 Mini-Series - Doran Godwin, John Carson)
Clueless (1995 Movie - Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd)
Emma (1996 TV movie - Kate Beckinsale, Mark Strong)
Emma (1996 Movie - Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam)
Emma (2009 Mini-series - Romola Garai, Jonny Lee Miller)
Aisha (2010 Movie - Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol)
Emma (2020 Movie - Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn)
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1996 Emma starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. It's different from other Emma adaptations. It really highlights flaws in Emma's and Mr. Knightly's characters (instead of obscuring them). There is also emphasis on social differences, lots of short scenes with servants (Box Hill) and farmers (the Martins). I really enjoyed it right up to the end. The ending scene of the harvest celebration and Mr Knightly's speech were just weird. If you're familiar with this adaptation you know what I mean.
A bit of trivia - Jane Austen connections: The screenplay was written by Andrew Davies who is responsible for Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV Mini-Series), Sense & Sensibility (2008 TV Mini-Series), both Bridget Jones movies and 2007 Northanger Abbey movie.
Jane Fairfax is played by Olivia Williams, who you might know played Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets.
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It's a modern day slightly Bollywoodized adaptation of Emma. Set in the high society of Delhi, it follows Aisha in her misguided matchmaking attempts. It didn't work for me. JA's Emma is a complex character - she can be vain, narcissistic and controlling yet she has charm, is caring (her relationship with her father is really sweet) and she always means well. You love her despite her flaws. Aisha, on the other hand, seemed plain dumb, shallow, and pretentious, a privileged spoilt brat in every way. Why would Arjun (Mr Knightly) want to end up with such a girl? I don't understand the attraction.
“Men of sense, whatever you may choose to say, do not want silly wives.”
― Jane Austen, Emma
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My thoughts on the 1972 BBC mini-series (6 episodes):
Starring Doran Godwin as Emma and John Carson as Mr. Knightley. It is one of those low-budget shot exclusively in-doors adaptations. So nothing exciting as far as staging, locations & costumes go but the story remained close to the book and most of the actors did a solid job. Mr Woodhouse and Miss Smith were particularly good in their roles, both funny and moving. Emma and Mr Knightley were merely o.k., not much chemistry between the two. They chose extremely unflattering hairdo for Emma. The actress was 22 years old so perfect age for playing Emma but the hairstyle made her look 30. Mr Knightley might have been younger (the actor was in his mid-40s). The actress that played Jane Fairfax drove me crazy, she looked lovely but as soon as she opened her mouth I wanted to smack her. She slurred her words terribly. She stood out like a sore thumb among the cast that had perfect upper-class diction.
Look at Emma's hairstyle. Doesn't suit her at all. Miss Fairfax on the other hand looks lovely.
[Jane Fairfax, Mr. Knightley & Emma]
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My thoughts on the 1996 Movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow & Jeremy Northam:
Gwyneth Paltrow is not my favourite Emma, a little bit too whiney for that but I always thought that she was fine. Huge plus of this adaptation is Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley: quite dreamy (he might be too handsome for the role but I'm not going to complain about that). And he and GP have a nice chemistry. I always thought that the biggest flaws of this adaptation were Frank Churchill and Harriet Smith. Ewan McGregor is totally miscast and that silly wig didn't help either. Toni Colette is just plain terrible as Harriet Smith, she plays her as boorish and stupid and forgets that in the novel Harriet has a sweetness of character that makes people like her.
[Frank Churchill]
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Yeah, poor Obi-Wan. At least he had a singing scene in the movie. It must have helped him to get the role in the Moulin Rouge musical. :D
Hailey wrote: "Speaking of a miscast, Rupert Penry-Jones (Frederick Wentworth in the 2007 version of Persuasion) played St. John Rivers in the 1997 movie Jane Eyre. He seemed miscast to me for the role. Not sure why."
I didn't mind Rupert Penry-Jones as St. John in Jane Eyre. He was a nice contrast physically to Ciarán Hinds' Rochester. Not my favorite adaptation of the book though.
Hailey wrote: "Wait! Oh my goodness. I just realized both movie Captain Wentworths were in the same movie! That's kind of funny."
It's worse than you think- two Wentworths fighting for Harriet Smith's heart. Samantha Morton (Jane Eyre) was cast as Harriet Smith in 1996 ITV Emma (the one with Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong).
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OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
This production, recorded Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in early 2018, is available for streaming (by rental or purchase) at https://www.streamingmusicals.com.
SYNOPSIS: Emma, a timeless love story from one of the most widely read writers of all time, is a musical that will entice modern audiences to fall in love again with one of Jane Austen’s most adored characters. Paul Gordon’s critically acclaimed stage adaptation re-imagines the Austen’s classic in mid-century modern yet keeps the language intact.
Directed by Tim Kashani and Kent Nicholson
Starring: Kelli Barrett, Timothy Gulan, Dani Marcus, Lauren Cohn, Brian Herndon, Richert Easley, Sharon Reitkerk, Will Reynolds, Adam Daveline, Don Richard, Pamela Winslow Kashani, and Caitlin Brooke
RUNNING TIME: 119 MINUTES
MUSIC: PAUL GORDON
BOOK: PAUL GORDON
LYRICS: PAUL GORDON
Emma Concept Trailer: https://youtu.be/ARi--JNdGWM
I watched it in 2019. I like the lyrics and music better than Paul Gordon's Pride and Prejudice. The direction and production value of this production could be better. The cinematography is wild. The camera is moving willy-nilly; some angles and zooming-in are just weird. The casting could have been more age-appropriate. Mr. Knightley is about 55, and it doesn't work.
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As an actress, Emma always acts like she's in love for work, yet frankly knows little of what true love is. Emma is determined to help find her friend Hope a perfect match but in doing so, she accidentally tramples on several hearts. When Emma realizes she herself has always loved her good friend Gray, Emma learns love works best when she doesn’t meddle with it. A charming romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.
Director: Brian Brough
Stars: Monica Moore Smith (The Killing Pact, Saturday's Warrior), Dan Fowlks (Boyfriend's Deceit, Immortal Wars), Mikayla Iverson (Prescription for Love), Sashleigha Brady (Her Deadly Reflections, Crafting Christmas), Chelsie Hightower (Enchanted Christmas, So You Think You Can Dance), Mason D. Davis, Shona Kay
You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/-PGAXJVmt74?si=Ncllr...
Well, this seems like another Hallmark style movie. *shrugs*
Post your reviews and impressions here. Discuss about old & new Emma adaptations.