Emma - Film Review
Mar. 7th, 2020 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatEmma - it was okay. I laughed during it. And the actors were appealing as was the film by Autumn de Wilde. It was in some respects more feminist than the previous version in the 1980s? The Gwenyth Paltrow film. I never saw the BBC adaptation with Johnny Lee Miller. May have to find it some day or maybe not. I'd forgotten the story, then it came back to me - and I thought, oh yeah, that's why I didn't love Emma - I forgot.
The story or central plot is Emma, who is a tad full of herself, decides to interfer in other's romantic entanglements. Costing her friend Harriet a decidedly good match, and lots of heart-ache. It's part farce and part social satire. De Wilde plays up the farciacal aspects along with the satire.
I found it rather funny in places. Particularly the physical comedy. Bill Nighy is hilarious as Emma's Dad who keeps thinking there is a draft and has to surround himself with screens. I also found Knightly and Emma's brother in law hilarious at times.
Harriet was less annoying, as was the Emma's dullish friend, portrayed by the actress from Call the Midwife (who I adore). In the previous version I saw, I struggled with those characters a bit more -- here they are played a little less broadly.
Knightly is not as attractive as the actor in the Paltrow version (sigh, few are). But he got the job done. He has a nude scene -- that is decisively female gaze and I was waiting for, because I'd read about it. No one sees him. It's somewhat amusing in a way, and gets across how much clothing men wore during that period -- far more than women. Emma's wearing relatively little in comparison. Knightly's naked bum and torso - I did not find physically attractive, but I guess other people do?
The costume design and setting was well done. What was jarring, however, was the use of music. They'd have these musical passages that would jump into the movie from seemingly nowhere. The first one, which was an Irish Ditty, I thought might have come from another movie theater - say next door. But somehow I doubt "Onward" would do that musical number. Since they did it again, and then again - I decided okay, it is from this movie and there's clearly a disconnect between the music editor and the director. Or someone doesn't know how to score a film correctly? The whole audience kind of jumped when they did it, so it wasn't just me.
In addition why these British costume dramas feel inclined to have actors who can't play instruments or sing, do so, is beyond me. Knightly and Fairfax sing a duet that made me cringe. Yes, it is realistic and somewhat amusing, but really?
Overall it was a fun film, if a tad slow in places and well the inappropriately place musical notes. I found it funny and oddly comforting. But mileage it varies - my movie partner walked out after about twenty minutes of it, found it too painful. No clue why. Haven't asked. Don't want to know.
The story or central plot is Emma, who is a tad full of herself, decides to interfer in other's romantic entanglements. Costing her friend Harriet a decidedly good match, and lots of heart-ache. It's part farce and part social satire. De Wilde plays up the farciacal aspects along with the satire.
I found it rather funny in places. Particularly the physical comedy. Bill Nighy is hilarious as Emma's Dad who keeps thinking there is a draft and has to surround himself with screens. I also found Knightly and Emma's brother in law hilarious at times.
Harriet was less annoying, as was the Emma's dullish friend, portrayed by the actress from Call the Midwife (who I adore). In the previous version I saw, I struggled with those characters a bit more -- here they are played a little less broadly.
Knightly is not as attractive as the actor in the Paltrow version (sigh, few are). But he got the job done. He has a nude scene -- that is decisively female gaze and I was waiting for, because I'd read about it. No one sees him. It's somewhat amusing in a way, and gets across how much clothing men wore during that period -- far more than women. Emma's wearing relatively little in comparison. Knightly's naked bum and torso - I did not find physically attractive, but I guess other people do?
The costume design and setting was well done. What was jarring, however, was the use of music. They'd have these musical passages that would jump into the movie from seemingly nowhere. The first one, which was an Irish Ditty, I thought might have come from another movie theater - say next door. But somehow I doubt "Onward" would do that musical number. Since they did it again, and then again - I decided okay, it is from this movie and there's clearly a disconnect between the music editor and the director. Or someone doesn't know how to score a film correctly? The whole audience kind of jumped when they did it, so it wasn't just me.
In addition why these British costume dramas feel inclined to have actors who can't play instruments or sing, do so, is beyond me. Knightly and Fairfax sing a duet that made me cringe. Yes, it is realistic and somewhat amusing, but really?
Overall it was a fun film, if a tad slow in places and well the inappropriately place musical notes. I found it funny and oddly comforting. But mileage it varies - my movie partner walked out after about twenty minutes of it, found it too painful. No clue why. Haven't asked. Don't want to know.