I first published this review in October of 2009 when Emma aired on the BBC, so some of the links and broadcast references will be out of date.
I don’t even know where to start with this. Quel surreal, as Holly Golightly might have said. There are spoilers here, so proceed with caution.
First off, if you have a UK ip address (hint hint proxy hint), you can stream each episode of Emma as it airs. Episode one is located here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00n7pk1/Emma_Episode_1/
Episode 2 airs on Sunday, October 11 on BBC 1 and should be posted to the site just after. Here’s the schedule, for handy reference.
First, a disclaimer: I wrote this in haste, late sunday night. Since, I’ve been adding thoughts and clarifications as I remember them or as they strike me. So. Bear with me as this thing grows and changes.
Having seen episode one, I want to say that this is gonna be good. So far, it IS good – much better than I expected. Every frame is beautifully composed and shot. The colors and textures are amazing. The writing is solid and the story hangs together well without sacrificing important plot elements from the novel (though some of these elements are somewhat scattered). In fact, at four hours long, this could be the definitive Emma adaptation we’ve all be wishing for (alphabet puzzles, please! So far, only E3 has provided those).
Continue reading “Emma 4, Episode 1 preliminary review and general thoughts…”