Directed by Autumn de Wilde best known for her work on music videos and based on the beloved novel of the same name written by Jane Austen and published in 1815, Emma. is a terrific and entertaining adaptation of a story that has been made into movies and television series many times, and it stands out with its sumptuous settings and costumes as well as the mischievous performance given by Anya Taylor-Joy. The plot follows the wealthy young lady Emma Woodhouse, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who lives a spoiled life with her English aristocratic older father Mr. Woodhouse, played by the perfectly cast Bill Nighy, in a lavish mansion on the fictitious Hartford estate in the English countryside outside of the stereotypically charming village of Highbury. Emma has everything going wonderfully in her life as a young, beautiful, and smart woman of means and loves to play the matchmaker for all of the single gentlemen and ladies on the surrounding estates and in Highbury. She is very much preoccupied with finding a proper husband for her orphaned friend Harriet Smith, played by the innocent Mia Goth, but Emma’s burgeoning desire for her own husband complicates things in her normally ordered life. The rather controlling Emma sometimes viciously tries to get her way by hoping to arrange Harriet with the young minister Mr. Elton, played by the terrific Josh O’Connor, even if it is against the wishes of both parties involved. The movie shows Emma attending over-the-top country parties and balls where she gossips and tries to work her magic to set up Harriet and others with suitable bachelors. However, her perfectly arranged plans are led astray by the arrival of another handsome young man named Frank Churchill, played by Callum Turner, and the mysterious beautiful woman Jane Fairfax, played by Amber Anderson. As she does throughout the film, she talks about the issues that come about by confiding in the wealthy bachelor George Knightley, played by Johnny Flynn, who lives on the estate next to Hartford. Meant to be a comedy, the story is full of rather awkward and funny events that poke fun at the wealthy aristocrats and their frivolous lives and lifestyles. For instance, one of the more interesting and unintentionally hilarious characters is the poorer Miss Bates, played by the very funny Miranda Hart, who tries to ingratiate herself with the Woodhouses but often ends up talking too much, which bothers the oblivious and callous Emma. Overall, I found it to be a very clever and visually stunning adaptation of the classic Jane Austen comedy of manners that will definitely please fans of British period pieces and broaden the appeal of Jane Austen beyond devotees of her timeless writings.
KEITH on Reels 