Jane
Austen's works are the subject of many a film adaptation and today,
I'm focussing on Emma.
Our titular heroine is a rich, handsome and clever young woman who
plays matchmaker in her little Regency England social circle.
Romantic misunderstandings ensue. Like Austen's other works, there is
a Happy Ever After for the heroine, in which she ends up with a man.
But unlike some of Austen's other works, it is not immediately
apparent who
that lucky man will be. So if you'd like to keep the suspense going,
then I suggest you look away. On the other hand, if you want to know
whether you'll like the romance in this story, read on. This piece is
intended to help you find an adaptation you'll like. To date, I have
only seen four
film adaptations of the work. Here they are in no particular
order.
But first, a quick rant on the book...
Austen
predicted that she had created in Emma a heroine whom no one would
like but herself. I'll admit: the one (and only) time I read the
book, I disliked Emma. As clever and as lively as she was, I could
not forgive Emma's superior manner and selfishness. She treats her
“friend” Harriet like a toy – to be picked up and discarded at
whim – and I with my 21st century values found Emma's snobbishness to be very off-putting,
despite how “appropriate” such behaviour might have been two
centuries ago.
Even
so, I thought she could have done better in her choice of romantic
partner. I mean, Mr Knightley is perhaps the only decent fellow of
the lot, but I did not feel their romance at all. Their pairing
seemed too convenient, almost but not quite as bad as Marianne and
You-Know-Who at the end of Sense
and Sensibility
(but that's a different rant). Mr Knightley was also old
(can
you tell I read this when I was young?) and felt more like a
relative. When he talks about having known her since she was a baby
and starting to love her since she was thirteen – he, at the time,
being almost thirty – then yeah... not sexy. At least, not for me
with my prudish 21st century Western sensibilities.
Still,
it's Austen, so I don't think I need to say that it's a good book, my
dislike of the heroine aside. As you might expect, the
characterisation is deft and there's a lot of comedy in this comedy
of manners. Further, if you're watching a Regency drama then you at
least know (in an Austen story) that the plot and character arcs will
come together in a largely satisfying way.
1.
Emma (1996)
This
version, starring Kate Beckinsale as Emma, was the first adaptation I
watched. I don't remember much of this other than thinking, at the
time, that it was a faithful adaptation of the book. It has a similar
look to the 1995 Pride
and Prejudice miniseries
and there's a muted darkness to the colours. Beckinsale is
appropriately girlish and haughty as Emma while Mark Strong is
decidedly avuncular as Mr Knightley (also, I have no idea why he
mentions holding her as a baby during his freaking
marriage proposal
and it haunts my mind to this very day). His hair is also
distractingly bad. The Knightley/Emma relationship feels like an
adult/child relationship (I got the feeling he'd be the sort to
constantly scold her while she'd maybe sulk and cry), but hey, you
might like that. Alternatively, you might interpret it differently. I
enjoyed the film but liked neither of the main characters. I liked
even less that they got together. Otherwise, I remember it being
pleasant to watch.
2.
Emma (1996)
The
Gwyneth Paltrow movie is a lighter take on the story, with the
comedic aspects of the tale being played up. There are more active,
outdoors-y scenes in this one and there's a warm, 90s sort of feel to
the aesthetic, not unlike the 1992 version of Little
Women.
The beginning feels rushed – a lot of information is dumped on the
viewer – and for the first half hour or so it feels like everyone
is Acting (I also spent way too much time pondering Paltrow's accent
than I should have). It took me a while to get into the film, but
when I did, I was surprised to find I rather liked it. Emma seems
kinder and more of a goody-two-shoes in this version and I liked her
the better for it. Jeremy Northam's Mr Knightley exudes a sort of
off-duty sexy professor vibe, and as he's much less imposing than
Mark Strong, I much preferred this Emma/Knightley pairing to the one
in the other 1996 Emma.
However, the performances in general are nothing to write home about
and I didn't much care for the side characters (though Mrs Weston was
distractingly gorgeous). Still, it's good if you want a sweet,
romantic film.
3. Emma (2009)
This
2009 adaptation really benefits from being a miniseries, as the
increased length gives it the opportunity to flesh out both the
novel's story-lines and characters. In some ways, everything about
the atmosphere of this series feels like a revenge against those
criticisms of “stuffiness” as regards Regency costume dramas:
there are plenty of bright colours and exterior shots and there is a
much greater sense of familiarity (perhaps to the point of excess)
between the characters. Romola Garai's Emma is lively and energetic;
she's snobby but she seems so eager to do well that it's easier to
like her. While largely faithful to the book, there is a major
departure from the source in terms of Emma's own romantic arc. The
series places more of a focus on this and there is no slow-build
“reveal” of Mr Knightley as her One True Love: from the very
moment you see Mr Knightley, here played by Jonny Lee Miller, you
know he's the Designated Love Interest. Here, Mr Knightley comes
across as reasonable and kind, and his relationship with Emma feels
like one of equals, so that gets a thumbs up from me. The Frank
Churchill/Jane Fairfax business seems to drag on towards the end, but
overall I think this version is one of the more cohesive ones and has
one of the better casts. Michael Gambon is a hoot as the
hypochondriac Mr Woodhouse.
4.
Clueless (1995)
The
fact it's a very loose adaptation set in a modern American high
school might scare some of you off, but really, it's great fun. Emma
is reincarnated as Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), a rich white
girl who along with her black best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) takes
it upon herself to “rescue” new student Tai (Brittany Murphy)
from the horrors of unpopularity and loser-dom. What I love about
this movie is how it plays with all the movie/high school tropes and
how funny and quotable it is. Cher is snobby and silly but she's so
well-meaning that you root for her nonetheless. She's taken down a
peg or two in this film too, and I appreciated seeing more of her
personal growth. I don't have much to say about the Mr Knightley
character in this one, other than that he's there, he seems alright
and he does what he needs to. I also liked how the Emma/Harriet storyline
takes centre-stage over the romance. Worth watching, regardless of
whether you like Emma.
Probably my favourite adaptation and undoubtedly one of the best
American High School films out there.
So
there you have it. All these adaptations are different and all have
their pros and cons. I don't think any of them are “definitive”
adaptations but I do think they cater to different tastes. If you
have recommendations or favourites, let me know; I'd be interested to
see what else is out there!
(A/N:
As you can see, I'm trying something a bit different from the usual
reviews. Let me know what you think :))
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