Emma [DVD]

nice story well acted

Jane Austen's stories have always been a rich source of material for both film makers and those who produce period drama for television and these productions have varied, of course in quality. So what makes one production of the same story better than another? We all have our own opinions on this but I ask that firstly, the story 'sticks to' the original book and that secondly, the characters are well cast and believable - that they reproduce the people Jane Austen invented. I could talk about many other things that make a production exceptional - details of the period, ambiance and so on but those first two are the most important to me.The most successful production of Emma - with no exception - is the one starring Kate Beckinsale. She portrays Jane's Emma to perfection; in fact she IS Emma! Not a giggly airhead (as depicted on a more recent television serial) but a privileged young woman who is kind-hearted and caring but impetuous and rather too self-confident. Space cannot allow me to praise each actor, separately here because everyone's performance was so good but it would be wrong to not mention Mark Strong as a totally believable Mr Knightly and Samantha Morton as the pretty and indecisive Harriet. Of course, it would be impossible to avoid mentioning such a gifted actress as Prunella Scales (whatever part she undertakes); what a wonderful performance as the garrulous Miss Bates!Disregard all other productions of Emma. Let Kate Beckinsale transport you to Jane Austen's world!

Purchased as a present

Having just sat through the latest (2009) BBC adaptation of Emma, despite its excellent HD presentation we both spontaneously felt the need to revisit this DVD - and were delighted to watch it again. Indeed, after watching it we immediately ordered another copy!Essentially, the script is first-rate, performances convincing (especially Bernard Hepton, as the definitive Mr Woodhouse) and the overall production is really excellent, easily bearing repeated watching... if you have yet to see this version, don't hesitate to buy; it is by far the best available - and certainly don't wait for the HD 2009 attempt!

One of the closest adaptations in terms of being true to the text that I have seen in a film based on a Jane Austen novel. The film rushes through the story at break neck speed and when it does deviate from the original text you really have to ask "what were they thinking when adding that?" Sadly the low budget was evident and the picture quality is quite poor being very grainy. However it is an enjoyable film to watch.I must say straight away that I am no historian. I have no idea how accurate the costumes and sets are for the period. With that out of the way I can safely go on to say that I am a big fan of Jane Austen's novels and have read them many times. As a result I feel I have a good understanding of the plot and characters and am in a position to give a balanced review of the film in relation to the book as well as on its own merit.Even though I have read the book several times I still cannot decide if I like the character Emma or not. In some ways she is very annoying but underneath she does have a good heart and this sweetness comes through making it hard to totally dislike her. In this adaptation Kate Beckinsale does quite a good job of being annoying but the kind heartedness does not always come through.When the script was almost word for word from the book it was fantastic and really bought the novel to life. However at times the film went off on its own tangent and at those points everything went rapidly downhill. The majority of the additional dialogue being quite jarring and completely out of keeping with what you would expect the characters to say. The dream sequences were simply horrendous and spoiled the film by dragging you out of the story and making you feel like you were watching a very amateur production. Finally the awful harvest festival ending, what were the writers thinking?The low budget was obvious, the picture quality was dreadful and the sets and costumes not as good as you would have expected. It definitely lacked the professional Hollywood polish of the Gwyneth Paltrow version. It always felt like you were watching a TV show rather than a professional film with A-list actors. At some points the cast managed to draw you into the story however sadly at other times they seemed like they were simply reading aloud. I do believe that although the actors are perhaps not as good as those in the Paltrow version they were better cast and seemed truer to their characters' personality and traits.I can only assume that running time was an issue because although they were obviously trying to keep very close to the book the whole story was delivered at breakneck speed. Causing many scenes to be rushed and then abruptly into another that appeared completely unconnected and left you wondering how you got there. If you were not very familiar with the story I think it would be hard to keep up and follow what was going on.If you could take the polished performances and high quality sets and costumes from the Paltrow version and mix it with the better script and casting of this adaptation, slowing the pace a little and cutting out the random ITV added amateur craziness you would have a very good film. For the moment it is probably the best version but it is nowhere near as good a film as it should be given that the great script already exists. Hopefully the next version will be "the one".

Although all the main character are not quite exemplary the overall telling of the story and presenting the life and drama of the time is better than all the other versions I have viewed.

For me this is the perfect Emma. It is truthful to the story, no big egos to get in the way of credibility and very well acted. And of course a plot designed by a master storyteller!I’ve watched it many times.

Perfect adaptation, adorable and faithful to the novel. I'm not fond of Kate Beckinsale, but here she's a very good Emma, and Marc Strong-Mr Knightley is handsome and great as usual. I really can't decide if the best Mr Knightley is Marc Strong or Jeremy Northam (in the Hollywood adaptation starring Gwyneth Paltrow), try to judge for yourself. Enjoy!

I do enjoy this version of Emma, but I don't like the actress they chose for Mrs Augusta Elton. Her accent was terrible. She has a Southern American accent and she is trying to hide it terribly. You can hear it in how she says her "R's".I like that Jane Fairfax has more lines compared to other versions of this movie. I like the actress they chose for her as well. Oh and her singing voice was very impressive.Everyone looks so young in this movie. I like how this version does not feel rushed and the feel of it is more authentic compared to the later versions of Emma that I have seen.

Sonido deficiente

I purchased this for a retired stage producer friend who sadly is suffering from dementia. This version of Emma is in his estimation one of the best and still craves to see it repeatedly. It has brought him joy so that's the important thing at his time of declining awareness.

E' la versione che amo di più e più fedele al libro. Guardarlo in lingua originale è piacevolissimo. Consigliato a tutti coloro che amano Jane Austen.

la version emma l'entremeteuse est bien mais je la trouve assez differente du ivre.dans cette adaptation on sens bien le vrai caractère d'emma qui se croit parfaite et pense tout connaitre, le personnage de george est aussi très developpé il oscille entre des moments ou il joue les grands freres, en repoussant ses sentiments car il se trouve trop vieux pour elle et d'autre moment ou ses yeux et ses attitudes parlent et montre ce qu'il cache derriere se faut rôle de grand frere. dans l'autre adaptation des la première scene on voit tt de suite qu'il l'aime, on a pas la surprise ou plutot le combat interieur qu'il mene tout au long du film.cette adaptation est la plus fidele et est pour moi de loin la meilleure, miss bates n'est pas surjouée, le role de mme elton est bien exploitée, elle est pénible et dans un sens je la trouve plus naturelle que dans l'adaptation de 2008.le beau frere est cynique a souhait, son role est bien plus mis en avant, et cette remarque vaut pour tous les personnage.très fidele au livre que soit dans l'intrigue, les scenes, mais aussi les emotions des personnages.et contrairement à ce que bcp disent pas besoin d'avoir lu le livre pour comprendre, je ne connaissait rien à l'histoire et en voyant ce film j'ai eu envie de lire le livre.je la conseille à tous les amoureux d'austen et à ceu qui ne sauraient tolérer que l'on s'eloignent trop du livre et enfin à tous ceu qui veulent voir un grand film