BBC's Emma- Thoughts on Episode One
Emma episode 1 has just finished here in the UK. I've got to say I loved it.
My mini review of the episode is behind the spoiler cut in case anyone is sensitive.
The very best thing about this is the cast. Romola Garai has done something that no other Emma has managed to pull off- she's actually likeable from beginning to end. I really really liked her (shock! horror! actually liked her a little bit more than book!Emma). She's very pretty but also intelligent, charming and not smug. Emma, in my opinion, is often portrayed as smug, which is a problem for me. I loved Romola as Emma and can't wait to see more.
Jonny Lee Miller as Mr Knightley was excellent. I think Knightley suits him much better than Edmund (in Mansfield Park, 1999). He suits Romola's Emma perfectly. Both Jonny and Romola have quite modern body language and ways of expressing things, which I really like. It draws you into the characters and makes them more relatable. They spark off of each other wonderfully and there is a great parallel between the two characters- Emma is influencing and advising Harriet, while Mr Knightley is influencing and advising Robert Martin. At the end of the episode Emma and Mr Knightley have a great confrontation where they argue about Harriet and Mr Martin. Unlike most adaptations of Emma, where the audience knows from the off that Emma is wrong and too manipulating, this version of Emma had a very good argument about Harriet and actually managed to convince me that she was right.
Michael Gambon managed to steal every scene he was in (especially a bit about cake!). Whathisface as Mr Elton was very slimy, more like a seductive Mr Collins (odd as it might sound), but well cast I thought. The rest of the actors were very good and I suppose we will see more of them later on in the series, but none stood out in comparison to the leads.
I also loved the narration. I'm sure its Jonny Lee Miller doing the narration, telling us some of Emma's inner most thoughts and feelings. The way it began was wonderful too- telling us the origins of three children- Emma, Jane Fairfax, and Frank Churchill. This was interesting as it set out the characters before we are anywhere near meeting Jane or Frank. (And, while I'm at it, they totally sold to me how tedious it must be hearing about JAne Fairfax. I'm totally with Emma on this one!).
All in all, I loved it. I actually think that so far its shaping up to be the best Austen adaptation of this generation (although that might be a bit too soon to start declaring it!)
My mini review of the episode is behind the spoiler cut in case anyone is sensitive.
The very best thing about this is the cast. Romola Garai has done something that no other Emma has managed to pull off- she's actually likeable from beginning to end. I really really liked her (shock! horror! actually liked her a little bit more than book!Emma). She's very pretty but also intelligent, charming and not smug. Emma, in my opinion, is often portrayed as smug, which is a problem for me. I loved Romola as Emma and can't wait to see more.
Jonny Lee Miller as Mr Knightley was excellent. I think Knightley suits him much better than Edmund (in Mansfield Park, 1999). He suits Romola's Emma perfectly. Both Jonny and Romola have quite modern body language and ways of expressing things, which I really like. It draws you into the characters and makes them more relatable. They spark off of each other wonderfully and there is a great parallel between the two characters- Emma is influencing and advising Harriet, while Mr Knightley is influencing and advising Robert Martin. At the end of the episode Emma and Mr Knightley have a great confrontation where they argue about Harriet and Mr Martin. Unlike most adaptations of Emma, where the audience knows from the off that Emma is wrong and too manipulating, this version of Emma had a very good argument about Harriet and actually managed to convince me that she was right.
Michael Gambon managed to steal every scene he was in (especially a bit about cake!). Whathisface as Mr Elton was very slimy, more like a seductive Mr Collins (odd as it might sound), but well cast I thought. The rest of the actors were very good and I suppose we will see more of them later on in the series, but none stood out in comparison to the leads.
I also loved the narration. I'm sure its Jonny Lee Miller doing the narration, telling us some of Emma's inner most thoughts and feelings. The way it began was wonderful too- telling us the origins of three children- Emma, Jane Fairfax, and Frank Churchill. This was interesting as it set out the characters before we are anywhere near meeting Jane or Frank. (And, while I'm at it, they totally sold to me how tedious it must be hearing about JAne Fairfax. I'm totally with Emma on this one!).
All in all, I loved it. I actually think that so far its shaping up to be the best Austen adaptation of this generation (although that might be a bit too soon to start declaring it!)