Emma, part 3

Bet you thought this write-up was never coming, right? :) Goodness knows I am completely incapable of leaving a series on British film unfinished, never mind the blogs are weeks off schedule. Oh well. *wink*

I'm actually glad I left off writing about the final episode of Emma until I could watch it on DVD. To start with, here's the episode summary from the Masterpiece website:

What was intended as a day of fun turns into a day of agony for everyone on the Box Hill excursion. Things come to a head when, egged on by Frank, Emma behaves very badly, insulting Miss Bates. Emma is berated by Knightley and realizes that her behavior was shameful. She tries to repair things with Jane and Miss Bates, but Jane will not see her. Miss Bates tells her that Jane has cried all night and decided to accept a job as a governess. Meanwhile, Knightley goes to stay with his brother in London — he will be away for a while. When Frank's aunt dies, the Westons expect him to propose to Emma — but his actions set in motion a chain of events that both shock Emma and make her realize something that has been in plain sight all along.

This is the "payoff" episode of the Emma story, when Emma begins to realize that her machinations may have cost her the love of her life. Don't you love it? :) The episode opens with the strawberry picking expedition at Donwell Abbey. Knightley (Jonny Lee Miller) has pulled out all of the stops to ensure Mr. Woodhouse's (Michael Gambon) comfort, since he is always so loathe to leave his own home. It was a sweet moment, as you can see that Knightley's practically begging Emma to see that he's doing this all for her, and Emma, while appreciative, is happily oblivious to that fact. This portion of the program also has a very funny scene with Mr. Elton (Blake Ritson) leading his new bride (Christina Cole) to Donwell on the back of a donkey. The look on Ritson's face is comic gold. :)

I think this production of Emma does the best job, that I've seen anyway, of showing real growth and transformation in Emma's character. Romola Garai has completely exceeded my expectations with her performance. She starts off so sure of herself, so superficial in so many, many ways, and by the conclusion of this film version we see her become kinder, more understanding, more considerate. The scenes between Garai and Gambon and father and daughter do an excellent job of highlighting the kind, patient side of Emma's character. Garai's Emma expresses such a love and patience for her father that's wonderful to see. And I love Gambon's take on Mr. Woodhouse - the way he plays the character really seems to indicate that he really struggles with - well, I'm not sure - senility? social anxiety disorder? Sandy Welch's screenplay and Gambon's acting make Mr. Woodhouse much more than a high-maintenence presence on the pages of Austen's novel.

This episode covers the Box Hill excursion, which has to be one of the most painful episodes to read or see enacted on-screen, thanks to Emma's thoughtless set-down of Miss Bates (Tamsin Greig). I really appreciated the way this scene played out, showing Emma as she realizes she's gone too far, and how she graduall becomes fed up with Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans). Garai plays the scene by having Emma realize that she doesn't like the woman she's become when she's with Frank - but, since he's the type of gentleman she's always dreamed of, it's a hard realization to come to terms with. Speaking of Churchill, this adaptation left me feeling more than ever that poor Jane Fairfax, played with an almost elfin-like quality by Laura Pyper, is DOOMED. I always marvel at Jane's ability to put up with Frank's little games, but Pyper's take on Jane makes the character seem more vulnerable, somehow, than what's been shown in previous Emma films.

After the Box Hill debacle, Emma clearly has endured, perhaps for the first time, a painful dose of cold, hard reality. The following day her costumes even undergo a transformation, as she wears black and gray to visit Miss Bates in an attempt to make amends. She handles the revelation of Frank and Jane's secret engagement with a lot of maturity - balanced, of course, by a humorous moment when she berates Frank for daring to lead her on. Emma's changed a lot over the course of this series, but it's moments like that which remind you that some things never change. :)

The BEST part of this installment is, of course, getting to see Emma and Mr. Knightley finally, finally declare their love for each other. This moment is made even sweeter by all of the emotional turmoil Emma must endure first; one, by worrying that her propensity for thoughtlessness has cost her Knightley's esteem and two, that he may actually prefer her friend Harriet (Louise Dylan). By this point Emma actually considers Harriet a friend, so the possibility that she could lose Knightley to her is even more painful. I loved the way Miller played Knightley during these scenes. The combination of uncertainty, hope, and nerves is really quite adorable. :) And I loved the way Garai expressed Emma's joy and relief at realizing her love for Mr. Knightley will not go unrequited. This brings me to an important point - if you only watched the broadcast version of Emma, for goodness' sake track down the DVD. PBS inexplicably made the call to cut a short but wonderful scene between Emma and Mr. Knightley, where they discuss when each first realized they were in love with the other. The moment when Emma confesses that when she looked into her heart, she found Mr. Knightley - well, it's a sweet little moment to savor. :) I also absolutely LOVED Emma's freak-out scene when reality has set in and she fears that she can't marry because that would require her to leave her father. Seeing a rattled Emma juxtaposed with a very calm Knightley is quite funny (and I loved the shot of them going in to tell Mr. Woodhouse their plans, and Knightley reaches behind Emma to grasp her hand - so sweet!).

This adaptation of Emma has proven to be a superb addition to the long list of Jane Austen-related films. The pacing and acting are superb across the board, as are the costumes and sets. Welch's script hits all of the necessary story beats (to my mind, anyway) while providing a fresh perspective and look at the story that's so familiar to fans of Gwyneth Paltrow or Kate Beckinsale versions. Of course a major highlight of this production for me was getting to see Jonny Lee Miller play another Austen hero, and he did not disappoint. :) I also have a greater appreciation for Romola Garai as an actress. She balances Emma's self-centeredness with her growing compassion and, dare I say it, a touch of humility as well. I also must comment on Samuel Sim's gorgeous score, it was absolutely beautiful. Very, very well done all around BBC. :)

*Oh, I almost forgot - I LOVED the mention of Mr. Woodhouse's chickens at the end of this show - too funny!

Emma, part 2

Well, in case ya'll couldn't tell last week, I was a little busy with reading and book reviewing, so the final two Emma reviews never happened. I mean to rectify that situation directly. :) Here is the episode two summary from the PBS website:

Emma teases Mr. Knightley about Jane, but he remains tight-lipped. Meanwhile, Frank and Emma plan a ball, and Emma wonders whether she might be in love with him. With her matchmaking officially abandoned, Emma feels cooped up and bored. Mr. Knightley suggests a day trip to Box Hill for a change of scene. He also tells Emma that he suspects Frank and Jane are secretly in love. Emma rebuffs the suggestion — she can personally vouch for Frank's indifference to Jane.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of how PBS divided this program so it would cover three weeks' worth of Masterpiece Classic time. To get two hours the first week, and then only a hour the next (really, only 45-50 minutes) just left me feeling a little ripped off. The show is too good to watch in such "tiny" segments, LOL! Needless to say, this program will be enjoyed many times over when my DVDs arrive from Amazon (currently it's only $21.99!).

This segment of Emma explores our heroine's misconception that she's in love with Frank Churchill (played by Rupert Evans). How this plays out on-screen is a great example, I think, of how well Sandy Welch's script and Romola Garai's performance work well to give this incarnation of Emma a little more depth, spending a little more time exploring why she acts the way she does, and how she perceives the circumstances playing out in her sphere of influence. I love how Garai dances between Emma's propensity for self-centeredness and her slowly awakening care and compassion for those around her, such as Harriet (Louise Dylan). Speaking of Harriet, I've been pretty pleased with Dylan's performance. She's a relative newcomer (see her IMDB page), but with appearances in Merlin and Lewis, and now this, she could be well on her way to building a solid resume.

My favorite introduction in this episode is the infamous Mrs. Elton - I actually think I screamed when she walked on-screen. Mrs. Elton is played by Christina Cole. Not only is she a fantastic actress in my opinion, but she has the market cornered in playing classic shrews. In addition to the role of Mrs. Elton, she's played Caroline Bingley in Lost in Austen and Blanche Ingram in Jane Eyre (not to mention noticable guest spots in shows like Doctor Who and Poirot). Cole is a perfect match to Blake Ritson's icy and pretentious Mr. Elton, and her take on Mrs. Elton provides an excellent foil to Emma, who is left positively stuttering with rage and frustration at her impudence. When Mrs. Elton first appears in church, Mr. E.'s introduction of her was hilarious - I loved how Ritson deadpanned his delivery of expounding on one of his favorite scriptures, "let deceitful lips be made dumb." That was just so unexpected, but so appropriate, I loved it!

I mentioned earlier the whole Emma/Frank Churchill dynamic - I think it plays out really, really well in this adaptation. I loved Emma's rather dewy-eyed infatuation with Frank. Garai plays it in a way that strikes me as very honest, and I think underscores the fact that while Emma thinks she can run everyone else's lives, she is completely clueless when it comes to knowing her own heart. Churchill completely takes her for a ride, but I have just the tiniest bit of sympathy for her because Garai lets one see that Emma's affections could be in peril. She's a control freak, yes, but I like her. :)

Of course the highlight of this program is the way the Knightley/Emma relationship develops. There's more time to see events unfold here, versus in the 90 minute or so feature films that have been Austen-film staples for the last ten-plus years. Jonny Lee Miller's take on Mr. Knightley has been absolutely FANTASTIC. My favorite moment in this episode comes at the Highbury ball. Not only does Emma get to witness Knightley's chivalry (when he rescues Harriet from being snubbed by Elton), but she acknowledges that where Mr. Elton was concerned, Knightley was 100% correct. That's major progress, right people?! :) And then there's the dance. Excuse me while a swoon for a second. ;) To my knowledge, this is the first Emma adaptation that doesn't preface the dance with the exchange that Emma and Knightley aren't "so like brother and sister that dancing would be improper" (or something like that, just quoting from memory here). THANK YOU, Sandy Welch, for skipping that quote. It serves to "freshen" the moment, since all the story beats are so well-known, plus it doesn't throw up in one's face that Knightley is like twice Emma's age (or close to it). I have no problem with age differences in romantic pairings, don't get me wrong - I'm just tired of having it mentioned in Emma films because it always seems to come off rather awkwardly to my ears.

All that to say - the look Knightley gives Emma when she says she'll dance with him, if only he'll ask - that pause, that look, is to die for. Well played, Jonny Lee Miller, well played. In that moment, Miller lets you see just how much Knightley cares for Emma. There's no frustration with immaturity, there's only love, affection, and a belief in their possible future that's lovely to see. This Knightley is intense and determined, and I love it!! I just have to point out, though, the hilarity to be found in one of his solo scenes (after the ball, when he visualizes dancing with Emma). That moment is such a rip-off of the Darcy-watching-Elizabeth-play-the-piano-scene-and-then-daydreaming-about-it moment from Pride and Prejudice that it's not even funny. Well, it is funny, especially when you consider that he's imagining watching Emma dance when he was dancing with her...the total disregard to perspective cracked me up. ;)

I could go on and on, and mention Knightley's smack-down of Mrs. Elton regarding the as-yet-undetermined Mrs. Knightley being the only woman who would manage his social affairs, or Knightley's thinly veiled jealousy and concern about Frank's relationship with Emma, but I suppose I'll stop now. :) So tell me, at what point did Jonnny Lee Miller win you over? Because I refuse to entertain the possibility that he didn't. ;)

Emma, part 1

Spoilers...

This new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma is, by many, the most anticipated title of the 2010 Masterpiece Classics season. Packed with well-known British acting talent, and with a script by Sandy Welch (who also adapted North & South and Jane Eyre), this new Emma has lots of potential - and I, for one, did not come away disappointed. :) Here's the summary of episode 1 from the PBS website:

Rich, independent and kind spirited, Emma Woodhouse has no interest in marriage herself, but is inspired by matchmaking for those around her. Once she has married off her close companions, she settles on the pretty Harriet Smith to fashion into her new playmate and ally. She persuades Harriet that she is too good for her suitor, the farmer Robert Martin, and encourages her to set her sights higher. But close family friend Mr. Knightley warns Emma that her meddling will cause great pain. Undaunted, Emma continues her efforts on Harriet's behalf.

Meanwhile, Emma is intrigued by the mysterious and elusive Frank Churchill, whom she hopes to meet at a party. Frank does not arrive, but instead Emma becomes the subject of unwanted attention from the vicar, Mr. Elton.

A few weeks later, village gossip focuses on the arrival of young Jane Fairfax and a large piano that she has been sent by a mystery admirer. Emma refuses to believe that Mr. Knightley could be the secret admirer.

When I heard another version of Emma was in the works, I confess to feeling less than excited - after all, Emma has been done many times before, and done well (I'm referring to the Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale versions). However, with a runtime of nearly four hours, we're happily treated to much more expansive treatment of Austen's story. The first portion of this miniseries opens with a prologue revealing the childhood of three of the principle players - Emma, Jane Fairfax, and Frank Churchill - and how the events that occurred during their respective childhoods set each person on the path towards becoming the character seen in the novel.

Of course the star of the piece is Emma and all her machinations, played here by Romola Garai. I've been a fan of Garai's work since she played Gwendolen Harleth in Daniel Deronda. She just looks like an Emma, know what I mean? Garai's got the looks, personality, and vivaciousness to pull off the role, and her performance is full of energy and life. I liked the way this presentation balances Emma's busybody qualities with quieter moments, little hints of self-reflection that make you think that perhaps Emma is not quite as self-satisfied and assured as she would like the world to believe. She's a bit more sympathetically portrayed than she has been in previous films, methinks.

Michael Gambon plays Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father, and I think his take on the character has got to be the finest that I've ever seen. Mr. Woodhouse is such a fussy, needy character that it's easy for him to be portrayed strictly as comic relief. Here, Mr. Woodhouse is fussy and needy and constantly worried, but Gambon's performance adds some depth and real, almost tragic poignancy to the role. I also enjoyed seeing the interaction between Mr. Woodhouse and Emma, who I've always thought was a rather surprising caretaker. Garai's Emma may get a bit frustrated with her father, but her genuine regard and care for her anxiety-prone parent is abundantly apparent. Emma's never quite so self-absorbed that she loses patience with her father, and perhaps that is Austen's hidden saving grace that she imbued such duty and regard in a character she described as a "heroine whom no one but myself will much like."

I was quite pleased to see Jodhi May again, playing Emma's beloved Miss Taylor, her greatest matchmaking "success." May is probably best known for her performance as Alice Munro in The Last of the Mohicans, but she also made noteworthy appearances in films like Daniel Deronda and Defiance. Her quiet and elegant screen presence is the perfect foil to balance out Emma's energy and feverish matchmaking schemes. Blake Ritson is ideally cast as the pretentious curate, Mr. Elton. No stranger to Masterpiece viewers, he played Edmund in the 2007 version of Mansfield Park (a production that left MUCH to be desired, LOL) and one of the prisoners in the supberb film God on Trial. Ritson has this remote, aloof presence that's well suited to play a curate with aspirations to marry very, very well. The scene between Elton and Emma when he proposes, and all her schemes for marrying him and Harriet, is really quite funny. Another familiar face plays Highbury's most mysterious bachelor, Frank Churchill - actor Rupert Evans. Evans played Frederick Hale in the absolutely fantastic North & South, and Zander in ShakespeaRe-Told's modern take on A Midsummer Night's Dream. He's got the looks and personality in spades to carry off the rakish Frank Churchill role, and it's abundantly easy to see how Emma so quickly falls under his spell. :)

Now I've saved my favorite part for last - Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley. :) I absolutely fell in love with Miller after seeing his take on the character of Edmund Bertram in the much-debated 1999 version of Mansfield Park. I for one love that movie, and the last five minutes or so - sheer romantic heaven. :) Anyway, I don't think one can argue that it beats the 2007 version of Mansfield by a mile. Miller's casting was the first thing to really interest me in this production of Emma, and thankfully so far he's not disappointed me. This production of Emma really plays up the sparring between Knightley and Emma, and in this episode, during their scenes together, the sparks really fly. As much as I love Jeremy Northam and Mark Strong's takes on the Knightley character, I've got to say Miller probably gives the most intense, energetic performance of the three. I think one gets a better sense of Knightley's battle over his feelings for Emma and frustrations with her superficial pasttimes. This Knightley clearly not only wants better for Emma because he's known her basically since birth, but because he believes in her potential - and he also struggles with his attraction to her. And I'm all for more romantic tension, don't you know. :)

This epsiode of ends when Emma is faced with the horrifying realization that Mr. Knightley may have romantic intentions towards Jane Fairfax - and that would be an incomprehensible reality. So far I'm thoroughly pleased with the pacing, scripting, and acting that fills this latest adaptation of Emma. Definitely looking forward to seeing how the rest of this version unfolds. So, what did everyone else think? Part two airs Sunday night! :)