Emma. Parent Guide

While writing Emma, Jane Austen stated that she was going to create “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like”. It is a mark of her genius that Emma Woodhouse, despite her snobbishness, arrogance, and inveterate meddling in the lives of those around her, has become a much beloved character in the pantheon of English fiction.

It is a daunting task for any director to adapt an iconic novel and as a lifelong Jane Austen fanatic, I was afraid that this film wouldn’t live up to previous versions. Fortunately, director Autumn de Wilde rises to the challenge and brings a “light, bright, and sparkling” touch to this production, and the story leans heavily into the comic aspects of the plot. In fact, de Wilde seems to be laughing at her characters as often as she laughs with them, delighting in their moments of folly, absurdity, and self-delusion. That lighthearted comic sensibility spills over into every aspect of the production, including the visual design and even the soundtrack. Emma’s interior sets come into two color palettes: the pastel tones of trays filled with macarons and the rich warm tones of autumn foods seen by golden firelight. The entire film looks good enough to eat - its scenes are filled with one decadent dessert after another, telling us that the story is an outsized sweet confection. The soundtrack, too, floats along on a bubbly tide, mixing period folk songs with buoyant classical-sounding choral music, designed to underscore the film’s comic moments.

Fortunately, Emma’s cast are all capable of punching up the wit and humor intrinsic to the plot. Anya Taylor-Joy is a brilliant Miss Woodhouse, all smug self-assurance as she plans to find a husband for her illegitimate friend, Harriet (Mia Goth), because it will be “amusing’. Veteran actor Bill Nighy is sadly underutilized as the hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse, managing to avoid the easy trap of turning Emma’s father into a mere caricature. Josh O’Connor and Gemma Whelan as the smarmy vicar and his pretentious wife are enormous fun to watch as they ham up their roles, playing right on the edge of parody. The only real letdown in the cast is Johnny Flynn, who makes a very scruffy, and often unappealing, George Knightley. The movie’s other weakness comes down to time: the plotline involving Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson) is poorly developed and might be confusing to viewers who aren’t familiar with the story.

There’s always a risk that a sweet production can become cloying, but this film balances its farcical moments with touches of reality. There is real feeling when Emma recognizes the emotional cost of toying with people’s lives and her abuse of her social privilege. The movie also takes a penetrating look at the wealth of the major characters, bringing an army of servants on screen, all seen but not heard as they dress, clean, and serve their ludicrously pampered employers. Nothing is said about the social cleavages of Regency England, but these images are worth a thousand words.

In the novel, Emma is described as “faultless in spite of all her faults” and that’s the judgment I will give to this adaptation. Is it perfect? No. Will I buy the DVD the day it comes out and put on the shelf with the three other versions I already own? You bet I will. And I’ll enjoy laughing at this farcical confection all over again.