I’m sorry to be so late in saying anything about the second episode of the new BBC Emma, but I’ve had a frantically busy week at work and haven’t had time to string two words together! However, I have now managed to see the episode twice and, to be honest, have slightly mixed feelings about it. This will really just be a few disjointed thoughts rather than a proper review, as the time I have available is still quite short – I feel a bit like Miss Bates going over her latest letter from Jane, and will have to bring my thoughts into some sort of order at the end of the series.
Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller
I am still enjoying the series and impressed by the beauty of the scenery and the whole world which has been created. I’m also impressed by the actors’ performances – especially Michael Gambon as Mr Woodhouse and Jodhi May and Robert Bathurst as the Westons – yet I feel increasingly that perhaps too much of Austen’s satiric bite has been lost, that the story has been softened too much round the edges. And yes, I do still miss the language of the novel. However, while feeling slightly disappointed at the moment, I remember having doubts about previous Sandy Welch adaptations and being won over in the end – her version of Jane Eyre is one of my favourite costume dramas of recent years, for all its departures from the book – so it may well be that her Emma will grow on me just as much.
I’d been looking forward to the arrival of Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper) and Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans) in this episode, but so far neither of them has made a very strong impression. This Jane certainly is reserved, hardly having spoken a word so far – though that was understandable, as Miss Bates (Tamsin Greig) gave her little opportunity! I’d like to see the character given more scope in the last two episodes, and hope/expect she will be. So far Frank has seemed charming and cheerful, but not much more than that.
Where the first episode was full of sunshine, this one had snow – very pretty snow, largely seen through windows falling softly. It struck me as being more like a Christmas card or a glass snowstorm than the real thing, with no slush or mess to clean up. However, the general alarm at the first flakes and the determination to set off home immediately is very true not only to Austen’s day, but also to the reaction when we get a hint of snow in the air in Britain nowadays! Apart from the general rush to carriages, Harriet’s streaming cold was about the only suggestion of winter being a nuisance rather than picturesque – Louise Dylan made her misery all too realistic, and you could almost see Emma (Romola Garai) take a step backwards to avoid her sneezes.
Blake Ritson and Louise Dylan as Mr Elton and Harriet Smith
Amid the picturesque snow, I enjoyed the scene of Mr Elton’s proposal in the carriage and Emma’s angry response when she realises that she has been wrong about his intentions. Several people have commented to me that Blake Ritson is “too handsome” to play Mr Elton – and I do think it takes some getting used to to see an actor who at first sight looks like a costume drama hero (and indeed played one in the most recent Mansfield Park) cast as such a smarmy character. However, there is surely no reason why an unpleasant character shouldn’t be good-looking. I think Ritson does a good job of reciting all his supposedly lovelorn lines in hammy style (“I adore you, I shall die if you refuse me!”), while by contrast, he speaks about the things he actually cares about – like his own dignity and importance – in a more coldly matter-of-fact style.
Romola Garai made Emma’s bewilderment and indignation at the proposal very believable. It seems to me that she is playing Emma as very young (this could just be a sign of my own middle age!) and rather more emotional than I’d imagined the character – she quite often seems to be on the verge of tears, for instance when she has to break the news to Harriet of Mr Elton’s defection. She also sometimes bursts into nervous laughter, for instance at the table when she is revealing to her nieces and nephews that she has never been to the sea, in order to distract attention from her father’s fussing over the superiority of Cromer to Southend.
I was slightly puzzled by the insistence on Emma never having been to the seaside, something which has been mentioned several times but which I don’t remember from the book, and indeed a statement that she has never been to London either, with the line: “I have never travelled outside Highbury.” I may be wrong, but I don’t think this lack of travel is stated in so many words in the novel – I suppose it is again to help build the picture of Emma as still a child, someone who has always led a sheltered life in a very small world. To me this seems to be just one side of the character – in the novel she seems to have a greater assurance than Garai portrays. We are also quite often being shown Emma’s imaginings/daydreams – for instance, highly-coloured portrayals of Jane’s rescue by Mr Dixon – suggesting that she has a romantic imagination and this is a reason for her match-making. I’d always seen her more as someone who wants to be in control.
Jonny Lee Miller’s portrayal of Mr Knightley is growing on me after a slow start. He does a lot with his eyes – I noticed a brief glimpse of jealousy when Emma was talking to Frank Churchill – and he brings a welcome note of sarcasm at times. I liked the whole way that he and Emma work together to defuse the arguments between John Knightley (Dan Fredenburgh, giving a comically grumpy performance) and Mr Woodhouse. There is starting to be a feeling of a little more chemistry between the couple.
So, all in all, I’m still not sure what I think of this adaptation – but I’m certainly finding it interesting to watch, and it has also taken me back to the book.
“Come, come,” cried Emma, feeling this to be an unsafe subject, “I must beg you not to talk of the sea. It makes me envious and miserable; I who have never seen it!” Chapter 12
“Emma had never been to Box Hill.” Chapter 42
I don’t know if never having travelled outside Highbury is explicitly mentioned, but I think the second of my quotations implies it strongly. As for never having seen the sea, that one I was actually really excited to hear in this version, since it’s been omitted from all the previous ones.
I agree that Frank and Jane are not very strong elements of this episode – I am especially underwhelmed by Jane, who I think should be a rival to Emma in looks, as Olivia Williams was. Additionally, I caught a note of resentment towards her aunt, something I don’t think Jane would ever voice. However, at least she’s present, as opposed to Polly Walker’s underscripted performance, which (not her fault) might as well have been a cutout for all she had to do.
Since I’m a fan of the 96 TV Emma, I was disposed to like the daydream side of Emma – and I do think she is at least strongly, if not solely, motivated by a romantic imagination rather than a desire for control – after all, she calls herself an “imaginist.”
I’m not actually sure if Romola is trying to play young – I view it as more a side-effect of the “modern body language” the director has imposed. And though she is not a traveller (as I note above), I think her confidence is shown very strongly in the invented first meeting with Frank Churchill.
I’m afraid John Knightley was too grumpy for me to find him comic – if it had just been his outburst at the table, I would have been fine, but his snapping at Elton was very disturbing to me. Additionally, his treatment of Emma really felt rather cruel – first his declaration of “I am always right” putting Emma’s own arrogance to shame, then deliberately leaving Emma alone with Elton in the carriage, when he himself expected a proposal, just left me feeling that he was a meanspirited, small-minded, bad-tempered character, not fit to be affable Johnny Lee Miller’s brother.
If an adaptation takes one back to the book (which this film has done for me as well – I reread it over the last two weeks), I think it’s doing a very good thing.
(I made a rather longer evaluation of pros and cons at my livejournal (linked in my username), some of which addresses some of the concerns noted here.)
Thank you for these thoughts, Ian – and for your reply to the negative comment on episode one, you said it beautifully. In between rereading, I’d been looking through the book to see if I could find any mention of Emma having been to the sea or outside Highbury, so am very pleased to have this answered. I found John Knightley quite funny, I must admit, but I hadn’t really thought enough about him leaving Emma alone with Elton.
From rereading the book, I’m getting the feeling that Welch is actually sticking quite close to scenes and incidents in the novel a lot of the time, but changing the language and, as you point out, the body language. I will go over to your livejournal a bit later and have a look at your further points there. Thanks again.
Thanks! I think if they’d just left out his hostility in the scene with Emma and Elton, John Knightley wouldn’t have bothered me so much – but his unmotivated rudeness to Elton and his arrogance towards Emma just left a sour taste in my mouth (exacerbated by his alternatingly too harsh and too lenient behavior too his children).
And I’m tired of the vicious negativism on Austenblog, and was glad this was a place where the negatives and positives are explored in a sympathetic manner. So I wanted to try to keep the tone the same when that same venom came here.
And thanks for commenting on my blog as well! It’s always nice to have people talking on my LJ. Oh, and I’m curious about the script – I’ve read (linked here http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/4.php, but it wasn’t working when I typed this comment) that Welch originally wrote an Emma script in 96 which the BBC bought, but because of the two Emmas that year, they passed on making it. I am really wondering if that script was just dusted off, or if Welch rewrote it, or what. I’m thinking of asking the contacts on C19 who broke the news of Emma’s production (since they supposedly know Welch), or emailing Sue Parrill and seeing if she can find out.
Though I think making the body language “modern” is the director’s choice, rather than the script’s. I do wonder if directors read the books they make into films. I know some don’t (and I usually don’t like those), but I don’t know if the guys who do Austen for the BBC do – John Alexander, Jim O’Halleran, Adrian Shergold, Jon Jones (yeah, I know those last two were ITV).
I have just watched episode 2, I liked it but I’m still not sure about it.
Emma seems to have trouble controlling her emotions / spirits when around Mr Knightley and seems flustered or vexed. I understand that Mr Knightley can be vexing, I always thought that Emma was too polite and educated to remonstrate so openly.
I really like the scene between her and Harriet when visiting after Mr Eliot’s proposal. I felt that Emma was truly sorry for having encouraged the affection on Harriet’s part. Emma is far too clever to realise that Harriet wouldn’t have thought of Elton if she hadn’t been encouraged.
Another great scene and one that is almost the same as the book is when Emma is holding Baby Emma and Mr Knightley joins them. They look charming together and the friendly banter is a hint of what their relationship will be in the future.
What about Knightley’s brother? I was a bit annoyed by him, he comes across a bit rude at times. I’m re reading the book to see if I find Mr. John Knightley so rude. I’ve been reading the novel, and he does seem rude at times, but the scene with Mr Elton (outside of Ford’s) felt a bit too much.
Frank Churchill is played by Rupert Evans (Frederick Hale in North & South 2003) and I thought he’s handsome and would be a perfect match for Emma.
I like Laura Pyper as Jane Fairfax, she seems sweet and reserved, with a melancholy and fragility about her.
Also, I enjoyed the change in costumes, the first instalment has many print dresses while this one has thicker clothes.
Sorry for the long post, it’s just that I enjoy your posts a lot, and I wanted to add my take.
Thank you very much for your encouraging comments, Ailatan – I do appreciate it. I also liked the scene between Emma and Harriet after Mr Elton’s proposal – there was a feeling of real friendship between the two women there. I mainly found John Knightley amusing, but will bear in mind your comments about his rudeness while watching the next episodes.
Interesting that you have been rereading the novel too – this adaptation seems to be having the effect of sending a lot of us back to the book!
I love your very accurate and detailed reviews of Emma episodes so much that I linked them to my blog. I hope you don’t mind. Waiting for your next one soon!
Thank you very much for the kind words, Maria, and it is fine to link to my reviews. I hope to review the next episode in the next few days!
I’ve not seen either the new Emma 1 or 2 so really have to wait before commenting further. Ian (and now Judy sees this) is right: in the book we are told Emma has never seen the sea, and there are passages and a subtextual feel that she has been hemmed in, not allowed to see more of the world because of her father’s age, anxiety, valetudinarian physique, not to omit his tenacity in making others bend to his will, no matter how apparently kindly put.
The 72 Emma has a moving and erotic scene between Mr Knightley and Emma over the new baby up in the nursery.
John Knightley is meant to be an anti-social person; in the book we are meant to feel as sympathetic to this point of view as to Mr Weston’s, but also see if Isabelle Knightley were not such a dunderhead she might not be a happy woman.
Lastly, the 96 Miramax McGrath Emma falls into this candybox approach. It’s a danger as it robs the book of its rootedness in a village that is meant to be seen as real even if Emma, our narrator, lives such a sheltered privileged life. I find revealing that this is an old script (thank you whoever said this), left over from the mid-1990s, before our present economic crisis hit home.
I am grateful for the citation of the Emma blog with all its resources.
Ellen
Dear Ellen, I’ve reread several more chapters of ‘Emma’ now, past the part where Emma talks about never having seen the sea and see the force of your comments about her upbringing, and also about John and Isabella Knightley – I was amused by Isabella’s comment about how she feels sympathy for Frank Churchill because it must be so difficult to live with an ill-tempered person!
Rereading the book is making me realise that Sandy Welch has stuck much closer to the scenes and conversations in Austen than I had realised, although with the modernised language. I was also interested to hear that the script may be an older one – it would be interesting to know how much reworking Welch has done.
I hope you get to see this adaptation soon.
I adored episode 3 – I am not ashamed to say that seeing Mr. Knightley and Emma dancing brought tears to my eyes – in the middle of my school’s computer lab!
I really liked it too, especially that dance scene – have now seen it twice. Hope to write some thoughts about it tomorrow…
Looking forward to it!
Dear Judy,
Just to say (I’ll write a note too) the DVD arrived! I have not had a chance to watch it tonight but hope to try it out tomorrow night (after teaching).
I remember that after I saw the 2005 P&P and then began rereading the novel I realized much of the scenes and some of the language did come from the novel. What the filmmakers did was change the tone of the work. Perhaps that’s what Welch has done here?
Dear Ian, I love the scene of Mr Knightley and Emma dancing. Austen is good at dancing scenes and she does use them against snubbing. One that resembles _Emma_ in this respect is _The Watsons_ (so-called, she probably didn’t give it that title) where the heroine’s name is Emma Watson and she rescues a young boy who has been hurt by someone who promised to dance with him and then ignored him.
Ellen
Mr. Knightley and Emma dancing is such a wonderfully subtle scene – showing the best (and worst, in the case of the Eltons) of the characters involved. Jane Austen’s moral sense is strongly at play without being overbearing, and her wonderful use of both light humor and poignant dramatic irony is powerful.
I might be in the minority, but I really enjoyed the performance of Dan Fredenburgh as John Knightley. I think he managed to show how John lacks the tolerance of his brother, George, for boasters, whiners and vacuous people, but also his genuine and deep affection (if somewhat exasperated at times!) for his family that is often hidden beneath an exterior of reserve and an occasional short temper.
I liked how Welch gave Isabella and John some screen time whereas the Paltrow one, for example, has them as mere wraiths that flicker across the screen a few times without much impact.
I’m curious as to where you see the deep affection. I see perhaps a flicker at the very end, but in almost every other scene he seems to me either angry or uncaring. Though I am biased towards Guy Henry’s John in the Kate Beckinsale version, who has a script that adheres similarly to the book in giving him his crotchety lines, but delivered with much less vehemance and much more dryness – allowing them to be funny and grumpy at the same time. Though you are completely right about McGrath’s complete waste of the characters.
Thanks very much for visiting and commenting, Ness. I agree it was good to see Welch giving some screen time to Isabella and John, and I agree with you that I liked Dan Fredenburgh’s performance, although I didn’t say much about him in my reviews. I also appreciate the way you describe his character – exasperated affection seems just right to me.
I can’t find a single fault in any of it from beginning to end, I really can’t. Though not a Jonny Lee Miller fan prior to this, I am a huge one now I feel he pulled off the most perfect Knightly to date. Before this adaptation I always found Knightly stuffy and boring but Mr Miller brings humour cheekiness and naughtiness to him! Gromola IS Emma unlike ever before and the two characters bounced off of each other perfectly. I haven’t seen a costume drama so perfectly cast since the 1995 Pride And Prejudice.
Many thanks for commenting, Jules – glad to hear that you loved this adaptation too. I agree that Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller were perfectly cast as Emma and Mr Knightley – the casting of Miller surprised me at first but his interpretation really grew on me.