Hello and welcome back to this month’s pick for the Christian film club. Last time, I wrote about one my husband’s favourite films, Master and Commander. This week, I’m writing about one of my favourite films, the most recent adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde. I first watched Emma. on its release day, which happened to be my husband and I’s first Valentine’s Day together, 14th February 2020. I think we only had about a month left before the whole country went into lockdown during the pandemic, but of course we had no idea, and were then completely carefree. I have the fondest memories of that first time watching this in the cinema! Since then, I’ve seen Emma. once more in the cinema, and three or four times at home.
While it didn’t entirely win me over after the first watch, Emma. has since become (somewhat controversially) my favourite Austen adaptation ever! By this I don’t necessarily mean that it’s the single best film based on an Austen novel, although it is up there for me. As works of art in their own right, I think Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice (2005) certainly rival it. What all three films have in common is that they’re visually stunning, have an amazing cast and a fantastic soundtrack, and period-appropriate costumes; they are not always 100% faithful to the books, but they are masterful works of cinema. Nor is Emma. always the most ‘accurate’ Austen adaptation. While it is very faithful to the book, there certainly aren’t any random nosebleed scenes in Austen’s novel (if you haven’t seen the film yet, I won’t spoil what I’m referring to for you). The 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, when it comes to historical accuracy and faithfulness to the novel, has to come out on top. But it occasionally looks a little dated. Rather, Emma. has become my favourite adaptation because, overall, I think it does the best job of respecting Austen purists while simultaneously being utterly delightful to watch.
First of all, there is the use of colour. Hartfield, the Woodhouse estate, is a pastel dream, full of duck egg blues and blush pinks. The interior of Hartfield looks like a meticulously frosted wedding cake, which, along with Mr. Woodhouse’s many fire screens, conveys a sense of how safe and spotless the Woodhouses want to keep their lives. All must be under control: no drafts must threaten Mr. Woodhouse’s health, no mess must threaten Emma’s desire for utter control, both of her own life, and of others’.
Then there are costumes and hairstyles. These serve a storytelling function, too. The more unassuming characters have simpler hairstyles and clothing. Emma always wears very tight ringlets around her face, and always looks pristine. She also often wears black and mustard yellow (like Mr. Knightley) which, to me, makes her look like a bumblebee, always alert and always busy.
By contrast, the fashionable but vulgar Mrs. Augusta Elton wears over-the-top clothes, and hairstyles which only became popular in the 1830s, a few years after Emma was written and set, signaling to the people of Highbury that she is ahead of them, and thus more important. This perfectly fits with her prideful character, and is a great example of visual storytelling.
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