Having been a fan of Jane Austen and of Emma since GCSEs, I was eager overtime to see as many adaptations as possible. Aside from the loose, contemporary spin of the story in Clueless, a fun film full of energy, I've seen four versions. My least favourite is the Gwyneth Paltrow film, though I still like it very much for the beautiful cinematography and witty screenplay. I also love the 1972 and 2009 mini-series, the 1972 series had the best Frank Churchill and 2009 the best Mr Woodhouse, but after re-visiting it after years of just having fond memories of it I consider this 1996 TV film the best version. It is beautifully photographed, with some of the loveliest costumes and scenery of any period adaptation I've seen recently. And I loved the emphasis on the classes after seeing adaptations like 2007's Mansfield Park where they don't get enough attention, and didn't actually find it too heavy-handed. The music is effective in how simple in melody and orchestration it, the story is charming and evenly-paced and the writing is controlled and has wit and charm throughout. Kate Beckinsale looks absolutely radiant as Emma, just as much as she did in 1993's Much Ado About Nothing, it helps that she's young and she leaves room for her character Emma, a flawed and multifaceted character, to grow. Mark Strong is a perfect Knightley, not as dashing as Jeremy Northam or Jonny Lee Miller, but still gentlemanly, handsome and compassionate. Bernard Hepton is perfect as the funny if tiring Mr Woodhouse, Samantha Morton is a firm Harriet and Raymond Coulthart is very magnetic as Frank Churchill. Olivia Williams, Prunella Scales, Samantha Bond and Lucy Robinson are also excellent. All in all, my favourite Emma, I agree the ending is a little too friendly, but other than that this is great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Emma
