Emma

[thegreylady]

Did anyone else watch last night’s film on BBC1? It was simply the best TV we have seen for ages. For once we had a convincing Harriet and a sufficiently oily Mr Elton.Miranda Hart’s cameo as Miss Bates was wonderful and the whole thing was enhanced by the music. To hear Johnny Flynn (Detectorists) and June Tabor was such a delight. The whole story was condensed into two hours without missing anything crucial.

Yes, I watched it. I saw it in the cinema before lockdown and I own a dvd of it. It does add some scenes, I know.
I had seen Sanditon on ITV in the autumn of 2019. I am old so I have seen several adaptations, TV and film, of Emma. Late that year or early in 2020 I saw the promo photo and I assumed fair-haired Johnny Flynn would be Frank Churchill. However, the trailer told me something different and the trailer also suggested that it was a comedy and after the part-mangle of Sanditon I was a bit apprehensive about what they'd done to Emma. Autumn de Wilde wanted to make it a bit slapstick-ish and they did invent some scenes, but I felt that they got the feeling and the people correct, except for the relationship between John and Isabella.
On the dvd there is the modern option of watching it through with the commentary of Autumn de Wilde and Eleanor Catton and that is interesting to listen to. They point out things which I wouldn't have noticed perhaps, like the fact that the film opens with Emma opening her eyes on the day of Miss Taylor's weddding and (they call it book-ending) closes with her closing her eyes on her own wedding day.

You have to watch it several times to take in the colours and the costumes as well as the people and the words.

I haven't seen this -thanks for the heads-up!

IT WAS PANTS!

I watched Emma through to the (decidedly bitter) and it was terrible!

Jane Austen must still be spinning!

@thegreylady Ihave to totally disagree with your opinion - despite a very promising cast (especially Miranda Hart and Bill Nighy) they story was trimmed and twisted far too much for my taste.

Sound was off, too - music too loud, and speech too quiet.

Still, it would be a dull world if we all liked the same things.

I watched it on Netflix a while ago. I thought it was...okay. The Wes Anderson colour palette was very eye catching (but maybe it was a tad too Wes Andersonish). Bill Nighy was a charming Mr Woodhouse and Johnny Flynn made a very sexy Mr Knightley. But all in all it felt a bit too affected for me.

But when compared to the recent Persuasion travesty I'm happy to hail it a masterpiece!

I loved this film. Emma is my favourite Austen and I thought this one really conveyed the brilliant humour of the book. It wasn't overly realistic in tone, but I liked that.

Do agree that the relationship between Kohn and Isabella was too contrived compared to the book.

I confess I did rather like the portrayal of Mrs Augusta Elton, though.

Otherwise - nope, not for me.

I didn't rate it - and though Johnny Flynn was hopelessly miscast as Mr Knightly. He looked like a farm labourer, not an educated urbane "tall firm upright" figure. And Anna wotsit, who was fabulous in Queen's Gambit, was far too "cooky". I never thought I'd say it but I far preferred the Gwyneth Paltrow version.

Obviously the book is best.

@Emotionalsupportviper for your mental health do NOT watch the current Netflix adaptation of Persuasion; it makes this look positively classic.

Johnny Flynn was hopelessly miscast as Mr Knightly. He looked like a farm labourer, not an educated urbane "tall firm upright" figure.

I'm a simple soul who was dazzled by his good looks and delighted that they showed us his bare backside. (I'm partial to his music too so that may have swayed me.)

In agreement, friffle! Music, etc 😅

Of all the Mr Knightleys I possibly like him the best, he brought something refreshing to the role, and he's about the right age to be Knightley and looks it.

The adaptation, as a whole, isn't my favourite but I didn't dislike it.

Persuasion, however (the latest offering) I agree about Austen spinning.

Thank you - I will be very careful not to place myself in any situation where I might inadvertently catch even five minutes of it . . . 😶

delighted that they showed us his bare backside

Whoa! 😮

Ladies, please . . . this is a family site 😂

I think I like a mix of them from the various adaptations. From the 60s (?) Emma I like the actors who plays Emma's father, and from the same production I think Knightley is most like book' Knightley.

My favourite Emma would be Kate Beckinsale and Harriet from the same (Samantha Morton). Though as an overall adaptation I'd choose the Emma starting Romona Garai - not perfect but the chemistry between the actors, the dances! Lovely.

Waffled a bit there...

I didn't enjoy it. I thought the main person was miscast.
I also agree with pp about the sound, the conversation was indistinct, the music too loud. Miranda Hart was good, though.

I actually loved this and was surprisingly enthralled by Mr Knightly.

I started persuasion and I can’t even finish it/

I thought it was the worst cast I've seen. The actor who played Mr Knightley would have been better cast as Robert Martin. Bill Nighy, no, never Mr Woodhouse. I'm sure Mrs Bates wasn't supposed to be as dead as portrayed. The other Knightleys, ugh and the Westons, including Frank were insipid. Miss Bates and the Eltons were good and saved the day.