Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightley.
Rated 3.0 / 5 from 1 log on Katalog
I’ve always had a preference for Emma in Jane Austen’s repertoire of stories, and this is the fourth version of it that I’ve seen. In general, I mostly like every version I’ve seen, and I found the characters that Austen created for this story to be so memorable and quirky. It might be strange to do this in my review of what is arguably the least known retelling, but if I had to rank them all I’d do it as so: 1. Emma 2009, with Romola Garai - a gorgeous and fleshed out miniseries that gives everything so much breathing room, and plenty of precious time to spend with the amazing supporting characters. Everyone was perfectly cast and perfectly played, especially Garai in the lead, and ESPECIALLY Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse. Johnny Lee Miller is also my favourite Mr Knightley hands down. 2. Emma 2020, with Anya Taylor-Joy - the most visually stunning version, not just of Emma, but of any film set in the regency era. With its gorgeous pastel palette and costumes that weren’t just plain white dresses. Special shoutout to Mia Goth for being the perfect Harriet Smith. 3. Emma 1996, with Kate Beckinsale - Beckinsale was a great and natural choice to play Emma Woodhouse. She finds a fine balance between witty with a hint of conceit. However, at a scant 90 minutes and some lacking romantic chemistry with Mark Strong, I was left wanting more. 4. Emma 1996, with Gwyneth Paltrow - it’s also been years since I’ve seen it, but I distinctly remember being underwhelmed by everything. (Though I probably owe this version a rewatch)
