I found that they followed the book quite well, the actors were excellent, and the scenery gorgeous. The house that was used to portray Hartfield was especially beautiful. From the moment it first appeared on screen, I was in love. I have a thing for stately red brick homes, large gardens, and surrounding woods.
It was interesting that in this version, Emma was portrayed as very much a home-body - not just the high society girl she is usually shown as, though she is that, too. As such, they showed many shots of her beloved home both inside and out. So much so that by the end of the film, you felt that you had been an intimate visitor the entire time and knew the colors of the walls, the fabrics of the furniture, and could point out the different paintings hung about the rooms. I have never quite had that sensation while watching a movie before and was impressed at the director's ability to make me feel comfortable in the home that Emma loved so much.
My only qualm with the movie was that the characters exhibited some modern mannerisms. The dialogue seemed fairly accurate as far as the time period goes, but often the way they interacted with each other, their gestures, or poses indicated that they were not quite comfortable in their period roles. But I think this was done on purpose as I recall reading an article awhile back as to the producers' intention of doing just that, though I don't know that it added anything to the movie except distraction.
If you have seen it or you watch it soon, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion.
4 comments:
Is just the first episode available on YouTube or did you find the whole thing? I'm having trouble finding episodes 2-4. Loved the first one, though, thanks!!
The whole thing is there - at least it was last night! It's a little tricky finding it, though. We had to type it into the search box several different ways.
I found it all and just finished it. Loved it. Mr. Elton was the highlight for me; I've never seen him done so well. I think Jane Austen was meant to be put to life; I love every film version I've seen. I also found the modern expressions distracting, but thought it was a fun interpretation, doing something new. Maybe it will resonate with contemporary audiences more than a standard interpretation?
You've inspired me Heather. I watched the clip and got super excited and just spent entirely too much time watching 80% of the movie and now can't wait for it to come to the states. I have also decided I'm gonna re-read the book just so I'll be ready to compare/contrast. I'm already a third of the way through the book and you are so right...they are much more true to the book in this version and I'm loving it! Mr. Elton was so perfectly portrayed and I even preferred Jane Fairfax in this version than the old BBC...THanks for pointint it out!
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