Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29339 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-11-07
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 256 minutes

Synopsis
BBC drama based on the Jane Austen novel 'Emma', which tells the story of a rich and clever woman, Emma Woodhouse, who enjoys arranging the lives of her friends. An admirer, Mr Knightly, watches with amusement.

Customer Reviews

The best of the three
This isn't perfect. As others have noted, the actors are too old and Mr Knightley appears too much of a paternal figure to be a hero. However somehow you get used to it forget their appearance as the acting is so good. It is like watching talented actors in a play - you get so absorbed by their great performance that you can overlook the fact they are too old/ unattractive.
There are a few stupid changes like the one about Mr Dixon mentioned by another reviewer and the pointless omission of Mr Elton at Box Hill which makes Emma's snubbing of Miss Bates less effective, lacking a full audience. The ending is also changed or, rather, curtailed, as though they ran out of money, as is so often the case in otherwise good BBC productions of this period, such as Pride and Prejudice (1980).
Also, I prefer Samantha Morton's Harriet (ITV) to the gushing actress in this one and Frank Churchill could have been more dashing but overall it is faithful adaptation with a much superior cast and performances (including Emma and Mr Knightley) to any of the later versions.

Delicious Austen - Glorious Emma
This delightful offering was made in 1972 - right in the middle of what plenty of people remember as a golden age for Classic Drama on telly. This adaptation of EMMA is no exception. It's one of the finest pieces of work of its kind. Yes, it's studio-based - but it's none the worse for that. For a start, the sound is better! Please remember that television drama was described at the time as 'electronic theatre, not poor man's cinema'. Technical resources have changed in 30 years, but think of the resources on offer here: stunning costume, well-designed and beautifully lit sets, superb actors who not only look but sound good, delicious writing that captures so well the essence of this lovely book - I'd rather see this a dozen times than an overpolished piece of slick location filming where all you end up with is pretty pictures of a supposedly 'all star cast'. The problem for some people of course is the fact that the series is six whole episodes that are allowed to breathe - it's given time to develop. Be glad. Take the Woodhouses and the Knightlys and the Bateses and the Westons to your family bosom and let them take root and grow. There isn't a dull moment in this little gem.

Funny and Charming
Emma [1972]
This is probably the best available version of Emma on DVD. It comes on 2 discs with six 40 minutes episodes. There are no extras just a menu. Its a BBC production from 1972, mainly shot in a TV studio with a few short exterior 16mm film scenes. The colour and general picture quality is fine except for the film scenes which are less sharp and the dialogue in the Box Hill sequence seems forced due to the dubbing after the scene was filmed.

The adaption by Denis Constanduros is reasonably faithful to the book and he has enough time to develop the story without rushing it.

The handling by the director is very precise and each actor is well-cast and give excellent performances. John Carson is a little too old. Mr Knightley is 37 while John Carson was 45 (not 50 as claimed by another reviewer). Doran Godwin (later played Erica Bayliss in "Shoestring") was 22 which is nearly right. Godwin and Carson's scenes together have great wit and charm which is what counts. The other actors are uniformly excellent. You need to allow for slightly posh old fashioned diction. The playing of Donald Eccles as Mr Wodehouse and the actress who plays Harriet Smith is brilliant.

For a shorter version with more modern casting and production the Kate Beckinsale version is probably the best.