Our film of Jane Austen's novel Emma was a well produced British version worth watching as it summarises the love triangles of this group of middle class country residents. No minor nobility in this novel - the rich arrivistes are here occupying some of the large old estates and concerned about potential marriage partners.
The action is muddied by 17 year old Emma, who fancies herself as a matchmaker and gets all her attempted matches wrong due to her juvenile attitude and self centred ways.
Emma dissuades Harriet Smith from marrying Robert Martin, a successful farmer but "not a gentleman" and instead tries to match her with the local parson, who wants to marry Emma - or any woman with a large dowry. Emma falls for Frank Churchill, a wealthy young man under the thumb of his rich aunt. He is secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax, a talented musician and young lady without a dowry of whom his aunt would disapprove. After being rebuffed by Churchill, Emma finally falls for Mt Knightly, a rich landowner in the district who has known Emma since she was a baby, is around 20 years her senior and throughout the novel tries to give her advice about how she should behave in a more mature way.
Eventually Harriet, Emma and Jane marry their appropriate partners.
Witty dialogue, gorgeous costumes and historical settings make this film a pleasure to watch.
Next session: We will be watching films of one of the last of Austen’s books, Northanger Abbey, on Tuesday 12th September at 2pm. An excellent British production of under 2 hours length, it will fit into one session. Anyone who is not enrolled in the course is also invited to join us to watch Northanger Abbey on the big screen in the U3A room.
Meg Dillon
The action is muddied by 17 year old Emma, who fancies herself as a matchmaker and gets all her attempted matches wrong due to her juvenile attitude and self centred ways.
Emma dissuades Harriet Smith from marrying Robert Martin, a successful farmer but "not a gentleman" and instead tries to match her with the local parson, who wants to marry Emma - or any woman with a large dowry. Emma falls for Frank Churchill, a wealthy young man under the thumb of his rich aunt. He is secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax, a talented musician and young lady without a dowry of whom his aunt would disapprove. After being rebuffed by Churchill, Emma finally falls for Mt Knightly, a rich landowner in the district who has known Emma since she was a baby, is around 20 years her senior and throughout the novel tries to give her advice about how she should behave in a more mature way.
Eventually Harriet, Emma and Jane marry their appropriate partners.
Witty dialogue, gorgeous costumes and historical settings make this film a pleasure to watch.
Next session: We will be watching films of one of the last of Austen’s books, Northanger Abbey, on Tuesday 12th September at 2pm. An excellent British production of under 2 hours length, it will fit into one session. Anyone who is not enrolled in the course is also invited to join us to watch Northanger Abbey on the big screen in the U3A room.
Meg Dillon
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