Jane Austen's Emma

    Hello dear Reader! I am exceedingly happy that you have found my small corner of the broad Online World. Prop up your feet, put on a kettle, and enjoy yourself. :)

    As you, Reader, might have been able to guess, I am a huge fan of Jane Austen. My library contains multiple copies of her books. I have read all her novels, and even her unfinished stories (I don't know why I torture myself...). And so, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a blog called "The Collected Thoughts of Thea Knightley" must begin with a post about Emma. Shall we jump in?

    So, Emma was one of the later novels of Jane Austen that I read. I had begun, of course, with Pride and Prejudice (never fear, Reader, that book will be appreciated in a later post). I started Emma, gave up, and read something else. But! In the end, I read it. And I should have read it sooner. It's one of the best Austens. 

    And so we come to Emma. Emma Woodhouse is born into a rich family, and is basically given the throne. Her mother is dead, and her sister is married, and her father is a lovable hypochondriac. Emma is the center of her world. She begins to matchmake, and I am sure, Reader, that you are clever enough to guess what happens next. After many, many faux pas, Emma develops as a character, and finds love for herself.

    But anyway, the whole reason I'm talking about this is so I can talk about the movie. AND OH MAN THE MOVIE. To clarify, the version I'm talking about is the one that came out in 2020, creatively called: EMMA.. With a period. Because it is a period drama. I think that's clever. 

    To start, it's just gorgeously done. So so aesthetic. All the rooms in Emma's house are a different pastel color. And the outfits are so over-the-top, which is because this version of the movie is supposed to feel like a fairy tale.

    The music is also just so fun. Great mix of opera, violin dancing ballroom music, and folky-village-country-town-sheep music (?). A+ score. Great for studying. Nothing else to say except I love it.

    The cast is also pretty great. Anya Taylor-Joy is Emma, and she does a great job being a know-it-all, condescending lady of the house. Starring opposite her is Johnny Flynn! He does a great job as Mr. Knightley. No complaints with any of the cast. A+ there too. 

    How it is filmed is just brilliant. Emma is usually in the dead center of her frames. Like if there are two windows and a space between them, she'll be in the space. And I love how that pounds in the fact that she is the center of her little world. Beautifully done yet again. 

    The script is fairly faithful. Of course, it wasn't possible to include everything in the book in a two hour movie. Usually I am a stickler about having ALL the parts in the book included in the movie, but this one was so well done that I was forced to pardon that transgression.

    In conclusion, Reader, go find yourself a way to watch this lovely Regency delight. I recently watched it for the third or fourth time (no, I am not crazy, how dare you suggest the fact?!) with a group of friends (for some of them it was a first foray into the world of Jane Austen), and it went swimmingly. They are all hooked, and we all are going to marry Mr. Knightley. I am exceedingly proud of myself for making the introduction.

Let me know your opinions on this movie and book in the comments, and until next time, work on your many accomplishments.

*Disclaimer 1: This is my first experiment with blogging, so if things are weirdly formatted, do pardon the mistakes of this beginner. 

*Disclaimer 2: Everything expressed here is merely the opinion of Thea Knightley, nothing is meant to offend. She just wishes to provide her audience with a small bit of niche entertainment. As Puck says in A Midsummer Night's Dream, "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear." :)