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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-10-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.com
Similar to the equally excellent Valmont, this version of Jane Austen's classic novel had the misfortune of following a sumptuous big-star version with Gwyneth Paltrow, which was released the summer before. And, just as 1989's Valmont suffered comparisons with Dangerous Liaisons, inevitably these Emmas were held up next to one another.

This delicious Emma concerns a young woman of financial substance (Kate Beckinsale), who fancies herself a matchmaker, especially with shy Miss Harriet Smith (Samantha Morton, who also appears in A&E's Jane Eyre). In Emma's swirling world of social activity and social consciousness, one's position and stature is a constant preoccupation. But to her credit, Emma, albeit a busybody, has compassion for all classes, and for her kindly but hypochondriacal father (Bernard Hepton).

This miniseries is more subtle than the grand theatrical release, is truer to the novel, and gives a richer explanation of the relationship between Emma associates Jane Fairfax (beautiful Olivia Williams of Rushmore) and the duplicitous Frank Churchill (Raymond Coulthard). Of course, at the center, as in all Austen stories, is the romance between the unsuspecting leading lady and an unlikely, but wholly suitable gentleman. In this case, it's Emma and her brother-in-law, the righteous (as played here) Mr. Knightley (Mark Strong). Strong's Mr. Knightley is more reserved, less coy than Jeremy Northam's; he plays Knightley more like Mr. Darcy (the leading man in Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which A&E also offers in a wonderful miniseries). Beckinsale proves to be utterly delightful and in no way should this excellent adaptation be ignored. --N.F. Mendoza

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Customer Reviews

True to novel, but awful quality
Kate Beckinsale made a lovely Emma, much better than Gwen Paltrow, however, I still prefer the theatrical film better. It just seemed less stiff and less formal. Emma is not as serious as some of the other novels and I though the A&E version was heading more in that direction. The actual picture quality is very poor and grainy, very dark looking. Again, its hard not to compare the 2 versions. I did like the portrayal of Jane Fairfax in this version better than in the other version. She just seemed more interesting and mysterious here. I barely noticed the musical score, it didn't stand out at all. The costumes were nice to look at and the locations were pretty. Also, as a side note, it was nice to notice that Emma's house is the same mansion they used as Mr Jennings's house in Sense and Sensibility, my favorite Jane Austen film.

fabulous
i love jane austen and the period she lived in. i admit i have not seen paltrows version but i cannot imagine she could even come close to such a consummate pro as kate beckinsale. i loved the subtlety of her portrayal of emma and the chemistry between her and knightley (the gorgeous Mark Strong). in fact all the chemistry between characters seems so real--beautiful direction here. A very romantic and gorgeous movie with superb acting all round. I have watched it many times. oh i can't much take pride and prejudice with keira knightly who seems to talk with a mouth full of marbles her diction is so poor.

Good adaptation
I was pleased when I purchased this adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. A long-time fan of Clueless, I was overjoyed to find a good translation in video form.

I rated this higher than the 1996 version (starring Gwyneth Paltrow). I think it is a better version overall, and Kate Beckinsale does a great job portraying Emma.

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