Movie Review // Emma (2020) with Anya Taylor-Joy & Johnny Flynn

Right in the opening moments

(including this little gem)

I knew this version wasn’t taking itself too seriously, while at the same time being very serious indeed.

I’ve now seen it three times. I know that sounds excessive, but especially if I’m reviewing something I like to have a proper handle on the facts of the case and as y'all know, I'm going to be very picky about this particular story anyway. 

Setting, costumes, score, and content concerns 

Much has been made of its sugar pane setting, but after you get used to it I think it’s rather charming.

It makes you feel like you’re looking directly in on one of those gilded Georgian portraits or landscapes. Flowing out of/contributing to that is how every frame is shot with a perfect balance and composition. The score, with its sprightliness and its chorales and its old English songs, plays into this too.

There are a couple minutes where I’m still figuring out how they fit into the bigger picture (like the use of one of my favorite hymns as the Martins theme song – which is interesting), but it’s like an ornate bit of theater, where all throughout everything is perfectly choreographed, with gestures and expressions in perfect time. I especially started noticing it with Mrs. Goddard’s pupils who come popping in like a perfect, recurring chorus or punctuation mark. So the music itself becomes almost another character, or rather, an orchestral commentary on the entire thing. I find that unusual and love it. 

The costumes are outrageously fun. I’m still a bit dazzled with the colors everywhere, but when I stop and look at them (apart from Emma’s one horrifying dog-cone-collar thing, which is thankfully just in one scene xD), there are some very pretty ensembles (such as her plum jacket above).

I’m not a big fan of the confetti curls, but they might grow on me. And Mr. Knightley’s cravats at first seemed a bit out of character, but the effect kind of all comes together by the end. 

 

(a nod to the '09 in this scene? ;))

At the same time, it’s very realistic. The actors aren’t all models and they left in freckles and imperfections. It actually feels very un-airbrushed and regular life-ish if you will. 

The script stays pretty close to the original, but they do play up the satire. As I mentioned with the music up above, because the characters are so sharply drawn, it's like the whole thing is played out on a glittering stage, casting the themes into high relief yet in the end still feeling very real and bringing them close to home. 

I do very much like how they chose to put a spin on it by showing the presence of the servants more and how it was a very different world -- personal and societal privacy was very different in prior centuries from what we’re accustomed to in this day and age.

Annnnd discussing this also brings us to the Objectionable Content. 

People of Knightley and Emma’s station would have had servants helping with all that elaborate attire and it would’ve been normal. I get that. I also know underpinnings and garments in the Regency Era were vastly different/nonexistent to what we’re used to, but that’s of separate historical interest. In short, when it comes to nude dressing scenes being filmed, I could very much do without them -- which brings us to specifics in this case lest anyone else would appreciate time stamps etc. 

Both scenes come near the beginning. The first comes right after Mr. Knightley first rides up to his house, it then jumps to taking his boots off at 7:40 before going into the whole strip-down-get-dressed-again sequence which ends right about 8:10. 

The other moment is in Emma’s dressing room the next day. She’s standing already fully dressed in front of the fire in her room and then decides to warm her backside. It’s not right away/gives you plenty of warning, the skippable moment starting at 11:42 and ending with the start of the next scene at 11:49.

There! Hopefully someone will find that useful. Now let’s get back to the rest of it.

Casting 

Don't get me wrong, they are very different, but appearance and mannerism-wise (except perhaps in being more tightly controlled) Anya Taylor-Joy reminds me a lot of Gwyneth Paltrow, so I still find it interesting why they would make that casting choice.

I’ve read they were specifically daring to make Emma unlikable and yes, definitely for the first third (possibly half of the film), she’s pretty much an unadulterated snob. 

It's like she’s viewing herself as a model of perfect behavior, graciously (her personal interpretation of graciously that is) dispensing her wisdom from on high. 

And then she finally gets humanized:

falling from her frozen pinnacle into tremulous, warm, fearful emotion. 

It’s brilliantly done.

Johnny Flynn does an excellent job as Knightley and I didn’t necessarily feel he was too young for the part. 

Not that the other Mr. Knightleys don’t have it, but while still showing Knightley’s strength of character and sense of justice, he brought an overt, particular vulnerability to the part, which was thought provoking. 

Mrs. Weston is very soft and sweet – but you can see how Emma would have easily gotten out of hand. Rupert Graves is an excellent actor and I like him fairly well as Mr Weston, but we don't get to see much of him. I think the Westons altogether just got short shrift on the screen time, which is a little disappointing. I recently rewatched the ‘96 to compare since they’re similar in length and scope. In that one I feel like they allocated more time to the Westons whereas in here there’s more development of the Martins and Mr. Woodhouse -- including a couple more sweet father-daughter moments.

Harriet is very good -- young and sweet and naïve and girlishly romantic. She maaaaay very well be my favorite Harriet. I like too how (similar to the ’96) underneath you know she always likes Robert Martin best. 

 

 (awww....)

 

Speaking of Robert Martin: he is very well done. I know I keep using the word sweet a lot (particularly for such a sharply edged production, or maybe because of it?), but he really is very sweet too and quite hopelessly in love. 

Mr. Woodhouse is fantastic. I’ve heard some confusion out there about the portrayal of his character -- but in short, he’s playing the part as a hypochondriac, always worried while being in fairly ruddy good health and vigor. 

If taking his character seriously, I do very much like Mr. Woodhouse in the ’09, but I love the spin they put on his role here and when in the mood for hilarity, this is my favorite rendition. 

I can’t say I’m a fan of the John Knightleys in this version, definitely not of Isabella.

It’s an entirely different thing so I won’t even compare them to the ‘09. I’m very certain they use Isabella as a foil for our heroine though (which does stem from the book) and it’s true that right at the time of their visit you definitely start liking Emma and noticing her genuine kindness.

Finally... it's been a long time since I've seen it, but I thiiink I like this Jane (& Frank, but Jane particularly) almost as much as the Jane and Frank in this one. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s a tie. 

I like her wardrobe and hairdo’s -- they’re almost like a forerunner of the Gibson girl style, which is fascinating. Very accurate to book Jane, she’s beautiful + quiet and gentle with perfect poise and elegance, and also with that underlying uncertainty and mysterious charisma. Very well done.  

   

 

General stuff 

The duet. I know they were trying to add credence to the whole Knightley-possibly-being-interested-in-Jane-thing, but WHAT is with converting Frank's ostentatious behavior in the second pianoforte scene into a shared duet with Knightley and Jane?!? It's okay. I can put up with it. It’s just that I’m still of two minds whether to think it ingenious or just start giggling uncontrollably. 

Fortunately, it’s shortly succeeded by the ridiculous Eltons, where you’re supposed to be laughing, and which does make me laugh outright. It is really very, very funny. xD 

The Eltons being perfectly Elton-ish. 

(I found it particularly diverting when Mrs. Elton is going on with her line about her fear of being over trimmed with Jane at the ball. Such a perfect contrast.)

As for Mr. Knightley’s sprint round the lanes of Highbury after the ball… oh dear. *collecting my thoughts* Against the obvious initial absurdity, it does show the strength of his feelings and perfectly sets up their ridiculously funny spin on the whole Harriet rescue and fainting thing. While not accurate on a number of fronts, the dynamics in the sitting room are just poured on to be as hilarious as possible.

I did notice that we don't have as much of the Frank-Emma flirtation till Box Hill itself. The end result is that it does seem like Frank and Jane were quarreling about something else and then he flirts afterwards, almost in revenge (rather than their first arguing about his behavior). I don’t feel it too drastically altered anything, but there did seem to be some little gaps. Of necessity, though, it does truncate Frank’s role in the overarching plot a bit.

It’s subtle/almost in the background and I didn’t catch it the first time, but on rewatches I noticed they do show some glances between Frank and Jane. So the only reason I can think why they might have chosen to downplay his whole involvement is to highlight Emma’s self-delusion and oblivion. Also, by downplaying the flirtation a tad earlier, it makes Jane a bigger puzzle. 

The final proposal scene is perfectly, ridiculously awkward. And against all odds, romantic. (I read an interview with Anya Taylor-Joy and the nosebleed and subsequent shock on both parties faces was entirely genuine.) 

Theme-wise, they nailed it. Which makes me very happy.

(You can read more of what I think on all that here.)

To conclude these massive ramblings

Despite alternately being like 

this 

and this

I don’t know when I’ve laughed more during an Austen adaptation. Absolutely delightful. 

I don’t think it will ever replace moi dear ’09, but (skippable bits aside) I’ve ended up unexpectedly liking it way more than I thought I would and think it might well tie with the ’96 among my favorites. In the end it’s a faithful, striking rendition: bright, sparkling, enjoyable, and delightfully funny.

I’d love to hear if you’ve seen it and your thoughts on it!