Also checked out the latest film version of the book Emma. This one is called Emma. with a period. There’s a period in the title of the film Emma…. that’s not a period or ellipses in my sentence. The film Emma. is, I guess, meant to be the definitive version of Emma, period and full stop. Or say something about her character… she’s just… Emma.
Emma is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen novel in one of the most traditional of senses. This is not a modern-day adaptation like Clueless or even a re-invention of a classic story set in its time but modernized like the recent Little Women. This film is a classic costume drama with all the usual mannerisms expected in a faithful adaptation. Which isn’t to say they don’t do anything to spruce things up a hair. It has a couple of bare asses and a fart joke… I guess that’s a change from a classical retelling. There’s also a lot – and I mean A LOT – of whimsical comedy. So much cutsey elfin charm… they positively cram it in. It sometimes feels like a less-arch Wes Anderson feel… and that’s both a compliment and a criticism.
This movie was made for the Jane Austen fan clubs out there… and the students who have to read the book or the teachers who want to show a film version. This is about as good as you can probably get with the source material while remaining 95% accurate to the plot, tone, and spirit. That means there’s a lot of pausing and pontificating while rich and eloquent English men and women orate everything except their actual feelings. They dress in overly fine and elaborate clothes while they discuss, in round-about ways, ideas of romance and attraction.
This all sounds like I’m being negative about the film and all I can do about that is throw up my hands and say, “yeah, a little…” I certainly give all the credit to them for making a film that’s faithful in spirit (if not always in plot) to the book. That’s what they set out to make and they did a great job at it. But I can’t help but think they missed the mark on making it for anyone but those Jane Austen fan club members. This isn’t a movie for a “modern” audience… and maybe it shouldn’t be. But I still had to sit through it and it’s highly mannered abundance of pauses and things unsaid in scenes that should be shorter but go on for a long time, full of pregnant, unsaid things.
But it is an excellent version of what it wants to be… and I haven’t written a more confusing review. Because the movie isn’t really for me… though I know I could enjoy a period version of Emma if the tone or story elements were shifted more. But that’s not the movie they set out to make so fair enough. Good on them and I’m not even being sarcastic.
So… you probably know if you want to see this movie already. Fans of the book and quality adaptations should see it. If you aren’t a Jane Austen (or Emma) fan though, I’m not sure this deliberately paced, kind of stuffy movie will appeal to you.
Score: 74