Mia Goth and Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘Emma’. Photo courtesy of Box Hill Films
Directed by: Autumn de Wilde
Screenplay by: Eleanor Catton
Based on “Emma” by: Jane Austen
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Bill Nighy
Walking out of Autumn de Wilde’s “Emma,” a smile on my face, I couldn’t help but reflect fondly on my first experience with Jane Austen’s classic story of manners, matchmaking and tomfoolery.
Despite the differences between de Wilde’s film and the now-classic, modern interpretation, “Clueless,” the pieces of Austen’s story are there. The humor of Austen’s beguiling matchmaker, whose self-absorbed nature prohibits her from seeing beyond the bridge of her own nose is well-suited in this witty retelling.
Set in Victorian England, “Emma” follows the exploits of Emma Woodhouse, played wistfully by Anya Taylor-Joy. There is an elegance about Emma as she seeks to mate everyone but herself. She is loyal to her ailing father (Bill Nighy) and her friend, Harriet Smith (Mia Goth).
Eleanor Catton, a novelist herself imbues the story with an intricate layer of classic, regal dialogue while the goings-on of their day to day lives are splendidly captured through the eyes of de Wilde, a photographer herself, aided by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt. Great care is given to the look and feel of the film enhancing the humor in the story. Bill Nighy’s performance benefits from de Wilde’s fantastic staging.
Through thick and thin, Emma is blissfully unaware that her efforts to match her friend Harriet are met with mixed signals and utter confusion. She is also unaware of an attraction to George Knightly (Johnny Flynn), whom de Wilde captures in such a striking way.
Emma is not without her foibles, silently admonishing Miss Bates, beautifully overplayed by Miranda Hart, while Mr. Elton (Josh O’Connor), the priest secretly wishes to be with Emma. There’s a hilarious misunderstanding involving Elton, a still painter, Harriet and Emma.
The farcical nature of “Emma” is such that the story eventually gives way to a breakdown in Emma’s defenses as she continues to deny herself the love that wills her name. It leads to some of the more awkward moments of the film with the vibrant look of the film outpacing the story’s own nature, especially during a key scene toward the end of the second act, as Emma’s true nature makes its presence known.
The style and characters of the time are perhaps better expressed in “Downton Abbey,” where the stakes for the characters were much greater. Here, love is the greatest reward, but “Emma” doesn’t capture the essence of love perhaps as well as it could have. De Wilde certainly has a visual style that serves the film, while Catton tries to take the higher literary world, this being her first screenplay.
Anya Taylor-Joy is a breath of fresh air to watch, her graceful stature matched with her calculating eyes is a perfect match for George Knightley. The story meanders just a bit getting there, but it is such a beautiful meander that one doesn’t mind getting lost for a couple of hours in the splendor that is “Emma.”
2.75 out of 4
