Emma, part two
Thoughts on the second installment of Emma!
My hunch proved correct: PBS did cut out some scenes! No wonder the beginning felt so jarringly cut and paste. One minute Frank is in town, the next he back--and what do you know, time to dance. I hope the DVD will restore those scenes--and a sense of continuity--where they belong. Despite such hiccups though, I loved this episode, for it fully delves into where no other version has gone before: Mr. Knightley's dawning realization about Emma, as well as his sinking hopes. Some highlights:
Though highly amusing, this dance made me raise an eyebrow: did the gentry perform dances in which the ladies go "whoo"?
One of my favorite lines from this scene in the book is when Mr. Knightley says, "Brother and sister? No indeed." Too bad that didn't make it in!
This made me laugh out loud - Harriet was ready to jump into that dance! One of the best period dance blunders, second only to that scene in the 1995 Pride & Prejudice when Mr. Collins collides with another dancer.
I am not sure I am 100% convinced that Mrs. Elton is a snarky, uppity queen bee who's trying to rival Emma. The actress does Mrs. Elton's snide glances very well, but I think the screenplay didn't let her and Romola's Emma trade enough barbs - only toss smirky looks between one another (or behind one another's back).
Are there more unexplored sides to Emma? I like this added scene when Mr. Knightley gives Emma a book with a picture of Box Hill, because it actually shows a hint of yearning within Emma to expand her horizons.
Sandy Welch's screenplay uses so little of Austen's original text (for better or for worse), but I loved that she at least included Mr. Knightley's classic line about Mrs. Knightley being the only mistress of Donwell Abbey!
Poor Knightley, to be called an older brother! Mr. Knightley doesn't talk much in this episode (relatively), but his pensive, brooding looks convey volumes.
I have been reading more and more into the Jane Austen blogosphere, and I have found quite intriguing posts about this version of Emma. (I wish America got BBC productions the same as the rest of the world - then we wouldn't have to be six months behind the conversation!) For fellow Austen geeks, I've collected the following:
My hunch proved correct: PBS did cut out some scenes! No wonder the beginning felt so jarringly cut and paste. One minute Frank is in town, the next he back--and what do you know, time to dance. I hope the DVD will restore those scenes--and a sense of continuity--where they belong. Despite such hiccups though, I loved this episode, for it fully delves into where no other version has gone before: Mr. Knightley's dawning realization about Emma, as well as his sinking hopes. Some highlights:
Though highly amusing, this dance made me raise an eyebrow: did the gentry perform dances in which the ladies go "whoo"?
One of my favorite lines from this scene in the book is when Mr. Knightley says, "Brother and sister? No indeed." Too bad that didn't make it in!
This made me laugh out loud - Harriet was ready to jump into that dance! One of the best period dance blunders, second only to that scene in the 1995 Pride & Prejudice when Mr. Collins collides with another dancer.
I am not sure I am 100% convinced that Mrs. Elton is a snarky, uppity queen bee who's trying to rival Emma. The actress does Mrs. Elton's snide glances very well, but I think the screenplay didn't let her and Romola's Emma trade enough barbs - only toss smirky looks between one another (or behind one another's back).
Are there more unexplored sides to Emma? I like this added scene when Mr. Knightley gives Emma a book with a picture of Box Hill, because it actually shows a hint of yearning within Emma to expand her horizons.
Sandy Welch's screenplay uses so little of Austen's original text (for better or for worse), but I loved that she at least included Mr. Knightley's classic line about Mrs. Knightley being the only mistress of Donwell Abbey!
Poor Knightley, to be called an older brother! Mr. Knightley doesn't talk much in this episode (relatively), but his pensive, brooding looks convey volumes.
I have been reading more and more into the Jane Austen blogosphere, and I have found quite intriguing posts about this version of Emma. (I wish America got BBC productions the same as the rest of the world - then we wouldn't have to be six months behind the conversation!) For fellow Austen geeks, I've collected the following: