Review of Emma. (2020) by Gloone — 26 Sep 2020

I have watched many Austen adaptations, but I think the only truly successful ones have been the BBC's hallowed Pride and Prejudice miniseries, and Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility. I've yet to watch an "Emma" which hits the mark, which is a shame because the original novel is wonderful. This film is a nearer hit than most, but still a miss.

It's a shame, because Anya Taylor-Joy's performance of the central character is by far the best to date. And the rest of the cast is good, particularly Mr Knightley. The production values are also quite good.

I think it's the screenplay which lets everything down. Everything moves too fast and the story is quite jumbled. Dialogue is perfunctory and does not effectively capture Austen's characters, nor her ample wit. The film has no spirit, because it does not take time to breathe.