EMMA
UK, 2020, 125 minutes, Colour.
Anya Taylor- Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Bill Nighy, Miranda Hart, Josh O' Connor, Tanya Reynolds, Gemma Whelan, Rupert Graves, Amber Anderson.
Directed by Autumn de Wilde.
With this entertaining revisit to England at the time of the Regency, just over 200 years ago, we become very conscious that life in that era was so very different in style and manners from our own. What does a young, contemporary audience make of this immersion in the world of Emma Woodhouse, her father, her friends, the contained society of the village she lived in?
With that said, Emma could be very helpful introduction to the world created by Jane Austen as well as to Jane Austen’s insights into human nature and the edge of her wit and humour.
Watching this film, a thought comes to mind: a subtitle for the story, An Expose of Self-Deception?. Perhaps expose is too much a 21st-century word, but that is what Jane Austen did in her 19th century writing, creating characters who are self-absorbed, deceiving themselves, assuming that they were better than others, interfering in others’ relationships. Of course, that’s what Emma has been famous for 200 years.
It is not so long ago since the previous version of Emma, with Gwyneth Paltrow and with Toni Collette wonderful as Harriet Smith. That was 1996. The year before, moviegoers may well remember how the basic plot and characters were taken from Jane Austen and incorporated into a contemporary American high school situation, Alicia Silverstone presuming to control everyone else’s lives. Rather 20th century condemnation of Emma’s behaviour: Clueless.
But, back to this 2020 version. As with any recreation of the Regency period, costumes and decor are generally exquisite. And the outside sequences, the hills and open green space, the facades of the mansions (with sheep grazing), the local church, the hall for the dance, the haberdashery shop, all create this particular world.
And everything happens in the village. There is no reference to what was happening in British politics. There is no reference to Napoleon and the wars that took place during Jane Austen’s writing career. This is a self-contained world.
Emma is played by Anya Taylor Joy, the opening quotation mentioning that nothing so far in her life had caused any vexation for her. While her mother has died, and her older sister has married, Emma stays at home with her reserved and eccentric father – and, since he is played by Bill Nighy, something most of us enjoy, with all his tics, jerks, facial mannerisms, he is quite eccentric.
The wealthy Emma decides to take on educating one of the young ladies at the local refined school. She is Harriet Smith, played with the right blend of innocence and shrewdness by Mia Goth. Emma thinks Harriet should marry the local parson played by Josh, (as if, seeing him in action, piety and pretension, anybody should marry him but he does get his comeuppance in a very hoity-toity dominating wife). More interesting is the local landowner, longtime friend of Emma Johnny Flynn’s Mr Knightly who continually corrects her, monitors her, which will eventually have to evaporate true love.
There is quite a collection of Jane Austen characters, wealthy, poor, farmers. Miss Bates is a Jane Austen ‘character’ character, impoverished, ungainly, something of a chatterbox, assuming everyone is nice and shattered when Emma, in a key sequence at a picnic, is unthinkingly rude to her. She is played by the excellent English comic, Miranda Hart.
So, Jane Austen’s world was one of the quirks of human nature, funny and irritating on the surface, but Jane Austen often slyly suggesting, even tongue in cheek, that we need to go deeper, that we can identify with the characters – and that this expose of self-deception also targets us, the audience.
1. Audience interest in the world of Jane Austen? A pleasure to meet her characters? To be immersed in this world?
2. The period, English society, the Regency years? (And the background, not mentioned, of British politics and the Napoleonic wars?)
3. The various versions of Emma, from the 1990s, to the adaptation for Clueless? 21st-century version?
4. The strength of the cast, young, old, capturing the atmosphere of Austen characters?
5. The settings, the South of England, the estate mansion, homes, costumes and decor? The range of the score, operatic, light, old shanties, English and Irish songs?
6. The portrait of Emma, at the centre of the story, her age, her family background, death of her mother, living with her father, his eccentricities, the married sister (and the visit with the baby and the exasperated husband)? Emma sure of herself, have experienced having experienced no vexations? Her life and prospects? Not interested in marriage? Intervening in and arranging people’s lives?
7. Mr Woodhouse, Bill Nighy and his eccentricities, diction and mannerisms, sad about the marriages, at home, love for his daughter, reading, experiencing the cold, his disgust at Mrs Weston’s wedding? Yet his shrewdness?
8. Emma, self-deception, her interventions, choosing Harriet, having her at home, influencing the life and manners, interested in her prospects, persuading her not to accept Robert Martin’s proposal, her eyeing the pastor, trying to set up a romance, the painting and the elaborate frame, Emma and the outings with Harriet?
9. Harriet, her age, in the school, the other young ladies, with Emma at home, the Reverend and the set up, her so easily influenced by Emma about Robert Martin, her regrets, her being in love with him? Her innocence and shrewdness? Delight in the experiences? The girls, cutting of the cake, eating the calling? At the dance, the pastor and his neglect of her, Mr Knightley to the rescue, her falling in love, the rescue from the gypsies by Frank Churchill and Emma’s misinterpretation? The effect of Emma on Harriet and her devoted admiration?
10. Knightley, alone in his house, walking to the Woodheads, his wealth, friendship with Emma, yet correcting and monitoring her? His observing situations? The issue of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax? Having the reception at his house with the pastor’s wife? The picnic, Emma’s behaviour with Miss Bates, his reprimanding her? His courtesy with offering the dance to Harriet? Emma’s blindness to his charm?
11. Miss Bates, with her mother, her disappointed life, chattering, the letters from Jane, reading them, the behaviour in the shops, reading the letters to Emma, Emma and her disdain but courtesy? Jane’s visit, the piano recital, Jane and the secret with Frank Churchill? Some rivalry with Emma?
12. The Westons, Miss Taylor and her getting married, Mr Woodhouse’s disapproval, the wedding, Mr Weston, his son taking a family name, Frank Churchill? Frank and his arrival, looking after his aunt? Helping Harriet? Charming with Emma? Her misinterpreting him? The secret of his relationship with Jane?
13. The parson, officiating at the weddings, the touches of satire and sardonic sending up of the parson? His manner, encountering Harriet, the issue of the portrait, the doors for the framing? His infatuation with Emma, her not even noticing? His leaving, getting a wife in six weeks, her return, her dominating and superior manner, Mr Weston at the dance? The parson and his rudeness to Harriet?
14. Robert Martin, the farmer, his family, the proposal, Harriet and her devotion, influenced by Emma? The refusal? The consequences? The second chance, Emma seeing the error of her ways, encouraging Harriet? The proposal, the happiness in the open fields?
15. The picnic incident, Miss Bates, chattering, the setting up of the game, Emma’s rudeness, insensitive? The group taken aback? Miss Bates being hurt, controlling herself, excusing Emma?
16. Emma, Knightley and his making her realise what it happened, the basket, visiting Miss Bates, Miss Bates and her excuses, happy with the apology?
17. Knightley, his visits, the discussions with Harriet, their realising that they loved each other? Mr Woodhead, the reading, getting the servants put up the screens?
18. Jane Austen, human nature, surface, deeper, eccentricities and quirks, dramatising them, sly satire? And expose of self-deception?
