Welch’s four hour miniseries aired on BBC One in October and November of 2009. To the delight of Austen fans across the water, PBS agreed to broadcast the period drama in the States early in 2010.
Since its debut the new miniseries has met with mixed reviews. Some criticize Welch for modernizing Jane Austen. Others appreciate her innovative touches on a well-worn theme. Whether a professed Janeite, or simply fond of period drama, this adaptation merits a closer look.
Storyline
Sheltered, spoiled and wealthy, Emma Woodhouse, (played with charming naivety by Romola Garai) turns her mind to match-making after the happy marriage of her former governess. Determined to read the secrets of everybody’s hearts and pair up her young protégé, Harriet Smith, with an appropriate suitor, Emma commences a career which leaves her and all the other inhabitants of Highbury tangled in a web of relationships.
Welch’s Adaptation of Austen
Sandy Welch’s version stands out from the spate of recent adaptations. The most striking characteristic is her approach to the story. Welch presents the characters from a psychological angle rather than a satirical one.
In a move that feels much like her adaptation of Jane Eyre, Welch begins with backstory. She introduces Emma, Frank Churchill, and Jane Fairfax as children. The three share the similar fate of losing a parent at a young age. This common bond and the different consequences that it produces for each lay the foundation for later parallels and distinctions between the trio.
While Welch takes liberties with the dialogue (beware Austen purists!) there are also some previously unadapted scenes straight out of the novel.
The leads are the highlight of this fresh adaptation. Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller deliver the best on-screen relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley in years. Their chemistry is comfortable and authentic. It captures the playful banter, trust, and affection that Austen designed between these close friends…even if the dialogue is peppered with modern expressions. Miller achieves a good balance of gentleness and integrity. The joyful sparring between he and Emma is pure delight.
Cast
Garai gives Emma more spontaneity and liveliness than her counterparts in previous adaptations. In consequence her misguided heroine seems younger. She is more lovable in her folly, more credible in her regret. This is an Emma who possesses the “happy open temper” praised in the novel, rather than the thin-lipped manipulative snob that some readers associate with the character. Garai spoke in an interview of her desire to express Emma’s joyful nature. She has certainly succeeded well. Ebullient is perhaps the most descriptive word for Garai’s blond bouncing Emma.
Supporting Garai is Sir Michael Gambon (Cranford, Wives & Daughters) who plays the hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse with gentle gravity. Jodhi May (perhaps too young for this role?), portrays Emma’s indulgent former governess, Mrs. Weston.
Mr. Elton (Blake Ritson), Harriet Smith (Louise Dylan), Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper), and Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans) bring the appropriate vanity, vapidity, secrecy, and roguishness to their parts. Nor should one forget (or maybe one should?) the obnoxious Mrs. Elton (Christina Cole). The only drawback is that each one seems more like a caricature than a real person. One would hope for more depth from a four hour drama.
Tamsin Grieg, cast as Miss Bates, is more disappointing. Grieg’s somewhat forced chatter comes nowhere close to the comic prattling figure in Austen’s novel: a change attributable to the director and screenwriter rather than the actor.
Release Dates
Despite the loss of Austen's dialogue and subtle wit, this version has touches of cinematic magic. Costuming is lovely. Garai and Miller offer fresh scope to their respective characters and the relationship between them. And the storybook houses in sunlit vistas make this four hour idyll in English countryside a visual pleasure.
DVD release is scheduled for November 30, 2009 in the U.K.
For television premiere and release dates in the States, visit PBS Masterpiece Theater.
Josanna Simpson - Josanna Simpson, who holds a BA in Literature, is an aspiring novelist in her late twenties with a passion for British literature and the ...
