Emma [DVD]

A superb 2009 BBC production of this classic Jane Austen, illuminated throughout by the fragrant Romola Garai, an excellent cast (incl Michael Gambon) and a really great Mr Knightly (Johnny Lee Miller). Believe I prefer it to the very good 2020 version.

All the films of Emma (including the latest one) do not come CLOSE to portraying the story or the characters as much as this sublime version made for TV. Superb.

Garai makes it.

Lovely dvd great acting by all

Jonny Lee Miller is the closest Mr Knightly yet. Shame he isn't a bit taller.Romola Garai is good for the most part but at times a little too Cameron Diaz!Costumes, scenery excellent and stays mostly faithful to the book.

The book is one of the most important books of my childhood and I have been critical of all adaptations in the past - though I usually learn to love them! I had my reservations about this series when it was announced and felt a bit defensive of the book, for fear it would be misrepresented by yet another adaptation. I was wrong!Even now, 2020, we have another stylised film adaptation enticing young audiences to the work. That film, though charming in its way does not match this adaptation. When watching the new film in the cinema all I wanted to do was go home and re-watch this. This adaptation is home for me.I appreciated all the other adaptations for their own original merit and vigour. I was used to the stylised, lively interpretations. I particularly loved Mark Strong's and Jeremy Northam's Knightleys and found the ensemble casts down through the years to be lovable and on point in so many respects. Emma, herself, is difficult to embrace for an actor and an audience and Paltrow and Beckinsale commanded certain attributes and flairs to her spirit and made her endearing in their own ways.But those adaptations were missing a heart, an energy and a faithfulness to the book which I longed to see.I was beyond surprised to see this series master all elements and I fell in love with it instantly.Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller were up against everyone's previous experience of the other screen interpretations. But they were exquisite.Garai's Emma combined the spoiled pomp of Paltrow's Emma with the self-righteousness depicted by Beckinsale and created a character caught between her almost-perfect existence and the unforeseen tribulations of living entirely in her own comfort zone. Her Emma is softer on all accounts and more faithful to Austen's vision. The ensemble had greater screen time than their predecessors and their character arcs and nuances could be enjoyed at greater depth by the viewers. The arc of Churchill/Fairfax was more realistically portrayed when compared to other adaptations.But the winning casting choice was Jonny Lee Miller. His Knightley in many ways outplayed the Knightley's of the past by remaining his contemplative, reserved self throughout the series and commanding an exquisite presence in each of his scenes. He honoured Knightley's character arc with subtlety and heart and provided a beautiful balance to Garai's Emma. They were credible together and lovable to the very end - what Austen wanted all along.Stylised adaptations and quirky re-tellings are wonderful at times yet series like this one are to be treasured for their simplicity and command of the literature and respect for the characters and the audience.I should mention that the music, costumes and locations are also beautiful. I could re-watch this 1,000 times and love it more and more. It is definitely to be seen by anyone who wants a faithful, unassuming and heartfelt adaptation of great literature. I applaud the team behind it.

I don't normally write Amazon reviews but after watching this adaptation of Emma (and pre-ordering the DVD as soon as it appeared here) I felt compelled to encourage others to do the same. I read Emma over ten years ago, in my teens, and enjoyed the book, but since then have seen the Gwyneth Paltrow film and the Kate Beckinsale TV adaptation and had to admit, they left me cold. I thought that I must just be destined not to enjoy this Austen novel as much as the others. This adaptation has proven me wrong - I have loved every minute of it! It even encouraged me to dig the novel out and reread it again, and I was surprised how, despite the clear modernisations and dramatic licence, much of the dialogue originates in the text and is merely shortened to fit the time limitations. Other additions work very well, giving us more of an insight into the respective characters.The lead characters are perfect for me - others have complained about their respective ages but I think Romola Garai plays a twenty year old very convincingly. While others have complained about her 'smarminess', it is worth remembering that Emma is supposed to be a snobbish, manipulative, spoiled young woman who comes of age during the novel, to understand herself and her own feelings towards Mr Knightley. Garai portrays this beautifully - her Emma is manipulative and a little vain about her social standing, but she is also very caring, open and artless (directly opposed to Mrs Elton) and in my opinion eminently likeable. Emma is, after all, very young, and it is her youth that leads her into so many mistakes and misjudgements. As for Miller, he plays Mr Knightley as a slightly eccentric but extremely intelligent and caring mentor who spars beautifully with Emma on many occassions, providing some of the best scenes. He is able to show his realisation of the feelings he has for Emma wonderfully with his facial expressions, especially in the gorgeous dance scene (in which Emma, against social conventions, asks Mr Knightley to dance, just as she does in the book, showing the friendly familiarity of the two characters and also Austen's happiness to allow her characters to flount some of the rules of Regency society, something which so many modern day 'purists' seem unable to do).All of the supporting characters are also beautifully cast - I particularly like John and Isabella Knightley and the portrayal of their loving though sometimes flawed relationship. The sets and costumes are gorgeous - I'm sure there are anachronisms but you would have to be a Regency Period specialist to spot them and allow them to mar your enjoyment.All in all, one of the best costume dramas the BBC has produced in a while - the last one that gave me this much enjoyment was North and South, and it is no surprise to me they were produced by the same writer. Sandy Welch seems to have the ability to update a novel while still taking the innate sentiments and meaning of the dialogue to transcribe a classic story into a fresh and enjoyable modern television drama. Thoroughly recommended.

Jane Austin is so watchable all the time, this adaptation is 2nd to none , so relaxed viewing for a night on the sofa. delivery fast thanks

Micheal Gambon, Johnny Lee Miller and Ramola Garai star in this 2009 British TV mini-series,approximately 4 hours complete in this dvd. The sets are gorgeous, and the costumes perfectlyrealized. This 2009 version of Jane Austen's 1815 novel is sympathetically written for TV for all its characters. The central plot of the story is of a well-meaning matchmaker, Emma Woodhouse, whose 'hubris of youth' is sometimes painfully exposed...as she strives to ensure everyone's happiness. Even the sub plots are devised to entertain providing a most satisfying whole. Despite the twists and turns of plot and romantic misadventures...rest assured... happy endings abound. Zed

Jane Austens Romane sind lesenswert und vielfach verfilmt worden. Ich habe die vierteilige Serie zu ‚Emma‘ gesehen, während ich den Roman in der Originalsprache las. Sie ist dessen vorzügliche Illustration. Das Drehbuch folgt der ursprünglichen Vorlage eng und die Darsteller*innen verleihen den Romangestalten eine glaubwürdige Realität. Dass die Dialoge dabei weitgehend auf die ausufernden Nichtigkeiten des platten Geschwafels im Roman verzichten und verkürzt bei den wesentlichen Aussagen bleiben, ist für den Augenblick zwar eine Erleichterung, verstellt aber doch bis zu einem gewissen Grade den Einblick in die tatsächliche Geisteslage der damaligen Gesellschaft, die im Roman zum Teil bedrückte Stimmung hervorruft. Die kommt im Film nicht auf. Die lebhafte und heitere Darstellung der Protagonist*innen sorgt eher für herzliche Anteilnahme und Zustimmung. Dazu trägt auch der Verzicht auf alle möglichen Starallüren bei. Die Landschaftsaufnahmen, vor allem aber auch die aufwändigen Kulissen vermitteln ein eindrückliches Bild von den Zuständen der damaligen Zeit in England. Eine angenehme und froh stimmende Unterhaltung.

Tenía mucho tiempo que quería comprarla, lo malo es que solo son subtitulos en inglés y aunque yo no necesito el subtitulo en español...mis padres si, espero encontrar forma de subtitularla para que ellos puedan verla.

I love the quaint dialogue of Jane Austin stories and there were some brilliant and clever scenes between Emma and Mr Knightley - these two actors played so brilliantly off each other. It's a series I know I will watch again and again

Anche se non è blu-ray, il dvd ha splendidi colori nei costumi e negli interni delle splendide residenze in cui si muovono i personaggi. Quattro interessanti extra su costumi, locations, musiche e su Michael Gambon che interpreta il padre della protagonista. La versione solo inglese con sottotitoli in inglese è meravigliosa, tanto che nonostante abbia acquistato il dvd avendone visto la versione in italiano su una tv del digitale terrestre, la versione doppiata rivista, dopo aver sentito quella in lingua originale, non regge in confronto. Peccato perché di solito i nostri doppiatori sono bravi. Le musiche sono stupende e tutto il cast veramente eccezionale.