My Dearest Emma. For That is What You Will Always Be.

Goodness, I love Mr. Knightley. I might even like him better than Mr. Darcy (blasphemy!). But anyways, I have kept to my word and watched all 3 Emma adaptations. I will analyze them below. This is kind of a fun project, it kind of makes me want to be back in high school taking English class. If only I had been able to read whatever I had wanted in English class, I hardly ever read anything I liked.

I know Hayley and Rachel will care about this post, but whatever. Maybe it will inspire someone to read more Jane Austen!

Movie 1: 1996, starring Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, anyone?) and Mark Strong

Ah, aren't they cute?

While Kate Beckinsale makes an excellent Emma (she's really the only one that looked 21 years old), I didn't really like this version. I think the reason is because they underused a lot of the other characters. Mr. Woodhouse is a comic relief character and you don't nearly get the sense that that is what he is, he's just kind of there. Mrs. Elton, who is supposed to be a complete, well, jerk, is definitely annoying, but not nearly enough. I also don't like how the movie hints the whole time and Miss Fairfax and Mr. Churchill are secretly engaged. I know when I read the book it threw me for a loop, but maybe by that time I should have guessed that. Anyways, it's an ok adaptation, I don't really like Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley, he's kind of blah. However, the actress that plays Harriet Smith was outstanding, I think she was the best cast in all three adaptions. They finally cast someone in that role who is pretty. It always says in the book how pretty Harriet is, which is good for her because that's all she has going. The other two adaptations not only make their Harriet rather ugly, but incredibly stupid. My take on Harriet is that she is "stupid" because she's poor and hasn't had nearly the education that Emma did. I think she's more easily persuaded than stupid, which is why I like this Harriet better than the others.

Overall, it's a good adaptation, but not my favorite.

Movie 2: Also 1996, staring Gwenyth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam

Definitely my least favorite adaptation. Mostly because of Gwenyth Paltrow. I find her and her voice SO irritating. Emma is supposed to be irritating, but Gwenyth just rubs me the wrong way. This movie was also a little more modern, which I generally don't take too. And Mr. Elton was just creepy looking. I think the chemistry between the heroine and hero were good, but that's about it. This movie also hints at the Miss Fairfax-Mr. Churchill romance, argh, and Miss Smith is just so awkward to watch this time, she acts like she has Down Syndrome (I don't mean this to sound rude, but she does).

I'm probably just bias and was determined to not like this one because of Gwenyth Paltrow, but I think they did do a pretty good job of the plot with it being shortened. They at least kept true to the book for the most part. It's just not my favorite.

Movie 3: 2009, starring Romala Garai and Jonny Lee Miller

Ah, perfection! I LOVE this version. First off, Romola is just an awesome Emma, and second, Jonny Lee Miller is of the swooning type. Now we have that out of the way.

Why do I love this version so much? I think the characters are all generally exactly as they should be, even the lesser ones, like Mr. Knightley's brother, Miss Bates, and Mr. Woodhouse especially. I LOVE Mr. Woodhouse in this version (played by none other than Dumbledore himself). With the exception of Harriet Smith, who's almost too dumb, everyone is great. And because this movie is about 3 or 4 hours (it's hard to tell when you're watching it on youtube), it is able to tell a lot more of the story, which doesn't go unnoticed. The previous 2 adaptations cut A LOT out and skip over a lot of stuff that should be explained. I also like how this movies keeps the Mr. Churchill- Miss Fairfax romance on the down low so you are completely surprised in the end (unless who've read the book, that is).

I cannot give enough praises for this movie, so I'll keep it to what I wrote above. Everyone should watch or read Emma, I think it's Jane Austen's second masterpiece.