There is Delight in a Girl Named EMMA

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from director Autumn de Wilde and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a story of the flights of fancy with EMMA.

Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a young woman growing up in Regency England. Searching out for a friend she finds Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), a young woman who is thrilled to have a friend like Emma but that is short lived when she discovers Harriet has been proposed to. Through a bit of emotional manipulation, Harriet declines Mr. Martin’s (Connor Swindells) offer.

Then Emma believes that their vicar Mr. Elton (Josh O’Connor) has feelings for Harriet and does what she can to encourage the match. Watching all of this happen is Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn) who Emma isn’t too keen on. Now things are about to get complicated as Emma learns that the vicar actually likes her and the young Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson) who brings out a jealous streak.

Emma is thrilled to have a friend in Frank Churchill (Callum Turner) who she believes Harriet has fallen for. Then things get even more confusing as Emma sets everyone’s back hair up being rude at a picnic, discovering she does not know anything about Harriet’s feelings and extraordinarily little about her own.

Now Emma must learn what it is to take a moment and think about her actions because her group of friends is growing smaller with every word she speaks!

Taylor-Joy is sweet, filled with angst and childish mixed together as she tries to maneuver love, relationships and people. Not very good at any of it, the character of Emma must go through the maze that she has created and come out the other side a better person than when she started. Taylor-Joy is fun to watch make all of this happen in the film.

Goth as Smith doesn’t realize she is a pawn in the relationship game that Emma has created. She is as simple about life and love as her young friend and it shows with the ease in which she can fall in and out of ‘love’. Goth is also very entertaining to watch and brought a lot of charm to her role.

Flynn as Mr. Knightley isn’t amused by Emma yet can’t understand why he still wants to see what she will do next. Irritated by her most of the time, Flynn slowly breaks down his characters walls when Knightley’s own brand of jealousy rears up. He knows there is something about how Emma does things and never expected to become mixed up in it all.

Turner as Frank seems to be more like Emma in the way he flits about watching all the relationships pop about. He makes Emma smile and, in a way, boosts her ego just a little more not that it needs any help. O’Connor as Mr. Elton is a strange vicar who also gives off the wrong signals about his emotions, a running theme in the film. Not able to hide his emotional embarrassment, O’Connor is brilliant in dealing with the vicars’ life.

Anderson as Jane brings something to the story that none of them intended and they aren’t quite sure how to deal with it. Society goes into high gear in their guesswork when Jane received an extravagant gift from a stranger – or is it a stranger?

Shout out to Bill Nighy who I adore as Emma’s father who is sees what his daughter is going through and in one scene does what fathers do – just be there. The scene at the end is also quiet touching but I expect that from this fine actor.

Other cast include, Miranda Hart as Miss Bates, Rupert Graves as Mr. Weston, Gemma Whelan as Mrs. Weston, Tanya Reynolds as Mrs. Elton, Oliver Chris as John Knightley, Chloe Pirrie as Isabella Knightley, Myra McFadyen as Mrs. Bates, Esther Coles as Mrs. Cox, Suzy Bloom as Miss Gilbert, and Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

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EMMA is a sweet film based on the beloved classic by Jane Austen. The writer is also known for her works including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. My favorite coffee mug has a pencil drawing of Jane Austen and below it says, “What would Jane do?”

The film is endearing, charming and fun even with its moments of heartbreak. If you, like myself, are a fan of costuming then EMMA will give you an eye full of beautiful gowns along with pomp in all its forms. The cast is stellar and brought a wonderful book to the screen.

In the end – love knows best!