The Emmas of Yore: ITV's "Emma"
Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 12:54PM 
The character of Emma Woodhouse is a tricky one to play. At least, if the actress is trying to reproduce the personality Jane Austen wrote in her famous novel. She's a daughter of privilege who has grown to believe she's much cleverer than what is true. A matchmaker by vocation, Emma is a busybody who's always interfering in other people's lives, presumptuous and terminally judgmental of all that surrounds her. She can also be a bit of a mean girl when indulged. Still, these character flaws are nothing but the folly of youth and the consequence of a provincial upbringing. Emma Woodhouse is naïve to a fault and desperately romantic. More importantly, she's not intentionally cruel or callous, just foolish.
This mix of a meddler's instinct and a daydreamer's heart is a difficult one to represent without skewing the balance of the characterization. In that regard, Kate Beckinsale might be the best Emma of them all…
The Jane Austen fever of the 1990s didn't just manifest itself on the big screen. TV-wise there were many, if not more, adaptations of the author's beloved work being produced. In 1996, the same year the Gwyneth Paltrow-starring Emma hit theaters, ITV aired their version of Austen's longest novel. Curiously enough, despite being 15 minutes shorter than the Miramax theatrical feature, this TV movie manages to present more of the original text's intricate plotting and character work. It's an intelligent screenplay altogether, generous and economical. The inclusion of dream scenes to show the protagonist's naïve fantasies of successful matchmaking is a particularly brilliant touch.
That said, ITV's Emma makes some heavy sacrifices when it comes to the novel's humor. More than a comedy of manners, this adaptation is a costume drama with some funny elements here and there. Accordingly, the visuals and performance style of the cast also skew more serious and dramatic than is necessary. The bucolic pastels of the Miramax movie are thus substituted by a naturalistic approach to the novel's setting, full of muddy browns and lacey whites. The historically accurate garb designed by Jenny Beavan is impressive, the excesses of period millenary are of particular delight, though its overall effect is not very entertaining or spectacular.
Apart from a sturdy script, plot-wise, this Emma brings with it a rather perfect interpretation of the main character. As previously mentioned, young Kate Beckinsale is a startlingly good Emma Woodhouse. She gives life to the aristocratic arrogance of this meddlesome girl without allowing any shades of malice to come through. Hers is a loveable Emma, foolish but well-intentioned. Her manipulations are done with an open expression and sweet tone rather than a more forceful approach. It's a delicate acting, not showy but crucial to the film's success as well as the emotional impact of its conclusion. We are genuinely happy that Ms. Woodhouse gets a happy ending, smiling at her joy instead of rolling our eyes at her antics.
Previously
Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma
1995's Clueless
Reader Comments (4)
Did not like Paltrow. This version was much better. I taught the novel in a Humanities class.
I think Kate Beckinsale’s work the year before “Emma” might have helped her with the role of Emma.
The year before, she played the lead in “Cold Comfort Farm”, a filmed version of the classic comic novel, directed by the great John Schlesinger (Darling, Midnight Cowboy, Sunday Bloody Sunday). Schlesinger directed movies had some great actor performances, and he championed this story. It was made for British tv, but Schlesinger himself paid for it to get it put into movie screen ratio, because he believed it could be popular in the US.
The Cold Comfort heroine, played by Beckinsale, can be tricky to get the right tone. She is interfering and an arranger of other people’s lives. Left without money after her parent’s death, she retreats to a farm where various relatives live, unhappy, quarreling, and stuck in a rut.
She re-arranges each relative’s life, finding them alternate lives they love as they happily disperse. You are delighted and satisfied by the heroine’s cleverness.
Using that role as a foundation, add some naive dreaming, and Emma is coming right along.
I love this series! I hope you guys cover the Emma miniseries from 2009 with Romola Garai and Michael Gambon.
Beckinsale's turn in the Austen-based Love and Friendship (2016) should have been a contender that awards season. Was probably too unsympathetic a character, but a few groups did honor her work.