Emma Adaptation Review

Some of you may remember that for Dream Cast Thursday a little while ago, I recast an Emma Adaptation (click here to see the post). I recently saw the latest in the long line of adaptations. Emma was a miniseries in the UK this past October. It aired in four parts. I was really interested to see some of the casting choices given my past recasting.

Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller were cast as Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley.

Blake Ritson and Christina Cole were cast and Mr. and Mrs. Elton.

Louise Dylan, Tamsin Greig and Rupert Evans were cast as Harriet Smith, Miss Bates and Frank Churchill.

There were things about this particular adaptation that I enjoyed. I really liked the way in which Frank Churchill, Emma and Jane Fairfax (played by Laura Pyper) were connected through the loss of their mothers at such a young age and the way in which Frank and Jane were connected once again by the fact that they had to leave home at such young ages.

I also really liked some of the casting choices. Christina Cole and Tamsin Greig were especially good in their parts. That said, I really didn't like this adaptation. I did not feel any real chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightly. Although I knew the ending, I found myself feeling actual surprise that they would end up together. The notion seemed ridiculous. I found Romola Garai to be especially annoying. I spent the entire film being really annoyed with Emma. If you are a big fan of the novel, I would recommend this film, but if there is already an adaptation that you enjoy, stick with it. My personal favorite is the 1996 adaptation. If you don't have a chance to catch this film (I believe that it is currently only available for sale in the UK), do not worry. This film is NOT a must-see.

Dream Cast Thursday! (actually Friday) Emma

This week, I will be recasting Emma. It was originally a book by Jane Austen. There have been many adaptations. The two adaptations that I am familiar with were each done in 1996. The first Emma was made for television. The second Emma was a feature film.

First, I recast Emma Woodhouse. In the two original films, Kate Beckingsale and Gwyneth Paltrow were cast. I decided to cast Emily Blunt.

The second character that I cast was Mr. Knightley. The two original films cast Mark Strong and Jeremy Northam. I cast Toby Stephens.

The third character that I recast was Harriet Smith. The two original films cast Samantha Morton and Toni Collette. I recast Billie Piper.

The fourth character that I recast was Mr. Elton. The two original films cast were Dominic Rowan and Alan Cumming. I reacast David Tennant.

The fifth character that I recast was Mrs. Elton. The two original films cast Lucy Robinson and Juliet Stevenson. I recast Alex Kingston.

The sixth character that I recast was Frank Churchill. The two original films cast Raymond Coulthard and Ewan McGregor. I recast Rupert Penry-Jones.

The seventh and last character that I recast was Miss Bates. The two original films cast Prunella Scales and Sophie Thompson. I recast Sally Hawkins.

What do you all think? Who would you cast in a new adaptation of Emma?