Emma

So far this is proving to be a great series - up there with BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Jonny Lee Miller plays a very good Mr Knightley. He comes across as a slightly softer character than when Mark Strong played Mr. Knightley - but it's done well. The interaction between him and Emma is very enjoyable to watch - I love all the dialogue. I must say, although I like Jonny as an actor, I wasn't sure how he'd come across in this role but he's doing it very well. I will buy this on DVD when it comes out as it's one to keep. It has a very romantic feel to it and the filming is excellent. I love it when they do a great adaption and put the right actors in the right roles. If you haven't seen this - I would highly recommend it.

I was kind of dreading this, but it is now my favorite Emma adaptation. Much better than either the Paltrow or the Beckinsale version.

Romola Garai was as close to perfect an Emma as I could imagine. Jonny Lee Miller was an excellent Mr. Knightley. I adore Jeremy Northam but really he was almost too dishy to be a credible Knightley. With Northam around how could Emma ever think herself in love with anyone else? With Miller, Knightley became a more credible character -- that pleasant, cultivated, somewhat older man from next door that Emma had known all her life and never realized she loved because she was so used to him.

Michael Gambon was wonderful as Emma's father. He is easy to overplay to comic effect for his idiosyncrasies -- a foolish, fussy hypochondriac. With Gambon, he was more nuanced -- his fear of illness and accident was understandable (people did die of such things a lot in the 18th century, and he had lost his wife in tragic circumstances). He seemed genuinely loving of Emma, not just exploiting her as a dutiful daughter. You could understand why Emma was genuinely fond of him.

The rest of the cast was also excellent and the English countryside never looked so gorgeous.

There were some smallish glitches. I am quite sure, for example, that Frank Churchill would never have sprawled on the ground with his head on Emma's lap, as he did in the Box Hill scene. All Highbury would have been shocked.

Brilliant! Everything from the acting, the costumes, storyline, and music was just so superbly done. This version of Emma far surpasses its predecessors. Romola, actress staring as Emma, puts Pultrow to shame.

This movie sets itself apart from other versions of Emma. The storyline is very much dictated by the actual book. The actors and actresses really captured the characters in the story; it made all the difference in being able to identify and understand the characters.

Also, the setting and costumes they chose really captured the times. The color palate was sensational.

If you are a true Jane Austen fan, you will love this film. It is a must for your Austen collection!! WELL DONE!!

With the enduring interest in the novels of Jane Austen, an author eons ahead of her time as far as writing stories that dealt with women's view of the world, it is not unexpected that the film makers repeat versions of these rollicking tales. This may be the fourth or so version of EMMA and for this viewer it is the most successful. A large part of the success of this version of the novel is both the screenplay by Sandy Welch and the direction by Jim O'Hanlon who elect to open the graphic gates of Highbury with a sequence that shares with the audience the background of the diaspora of the children whose parents have died and whose lives will eventually come together as adults. It works very well in setting the scene and the mood of class distinction so prevalent in England of the period.

Emma is brought fully to life by Romola Garai and this role further establishes her as one of the more important character actresses on film. The remainder of the cast is perfectly balanced, with Michael Gambon as Emma's ever needy father, Jonny Lee Miller as the perfect Mr. Knightley, Lousie Dylan as the ditsy Harriet Smith, Tamsin Grieg as the hilariously boring and mouthy Miss Bates, the striking Blake Ritson as the vicar Mr. Elton, talented Laura Pyper as Jane Fairfax, and Jodhi May as the governess turned neighbor Anne Taylor. The ensemble casting is as fine as any of the Austen transitions to the visual and the cinematography and costumes are first class.

The words may not all belong to Jane Austen (Sandy Welch has introduced some very apropos new lines), but the feel of the novel would likely please the author as much as it pleases the audience. The 4 episode BBC production comes in two CDs and the quality of production is superb. In every way, this EMMA is a joy.

Grady Harp

I was surprised to see the new Emma. It's back to the way Jane Austen wrote it. It's a slowly unfolding story about a not too pretty girl with character flaws. She has a temper, she gossips, she hurts peoples feelings, and she can't keep her promise to stop matchmaking. But she grows on you.

The plot is close to Austens novel. The only funny aspect comes from Gambon, although everybody's acting is good. I like it, when actors act with their eyes, in stead of rambling on about it. I think you'll notice more subtle hints if you know the story.

The first two episodes are not romantic. But then, you know Jane Austen pays a lot of attention to describing how to behave when you're a rich civilian in the country.