Emma Review by Violet Olszyk, Guest Reviewer

Emma and her air-phobic father

Disclaimer: This is guest review by Violet Olszyk, my wife

Emma (2020)

Written by Eleanor Catton (Screenplay), Jane Austen (based on the novel by)

Directed By Autumn de Wilde

A few months ago, my mother and I attended the movie theater during our precious Christmas vacation together to watch the woman directed film Little Women. Mom and I left continuing a discussion of the film several days later. When snubbed at the Oscars for best director, which I ceased to take seriously after the LaLaLand fiasco, I did not notice much because an organization full of men will have a hard time acknowledging a woman’s film directed by a woman no matter how good it is. I was even more infuriated to learn that half the men voting did not even bother to see the film before voting. This became no longer a matter of lack of taste or bias but rather a blatant lack of professionalism. I have higher hopes however for the new woman directed Emma by Autumn de Wilde.

As a means of dealing with my depression the last few months, I became interested in films and mini series based on novels by classic women authors. On my last trip to the library, one of the only two of Jane Austen’s books available was Emma. I checked it out, brought it home, and fell in love. Such style! Such richness of character! Such humor! Halfway through the book, my husband showed me the trailer and within two weeks we attended the theater at the precipice of the Pandemic knowing this may be the last date night we have out for a while. What an evening!

I found each character on screen to be very close to my imaginings of them in the novel, much how I felt about each Harry Potter character upon first viewing twenty years ago. When Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy) first appears and speaks of drafts, I burst out laughing and was immediately charmed by Bill’s portrayal of an endearing and anxious man. Even the servants who are not mentioned in the novel but come to life in Autumn’s envisioning have personalities and are funny themselves without any lines. Their presence moves the story forward and reflects Jane’s sense of irony. Along with the writing and directing of the characters, they are finely acted. 

I cannot write of Emma without mentioning the art directing. Autumn is a fashion photographer, and it shows. Each shot is perfectly placed, each vase is specifically perched, and each costume is beautifully designed. The film was worth viewing in the theaters in order to soak in every beautiful inch of the screen.

To prepare for the review, I refreshed my memory of the 1996 Emma with Gwenyth Paltrow. I wondered why I had a tough time remembering it until I rewatched it. The characters were uninteresting, lines funny in the book fall flat, and even Emma’s character arc is weaker. Each version of Emma has a different ending, and the best is in Autumn de Wilde’s version. The worst is in Douglas McGrath’s version. The 1996 film feels insulting after reading the book and watching the newest iteration. Much of the humor in the book is lost, and Douglas McGrath can’t have just two people walk and talk together. They have to be “doing” something whereas Autumn de Wilde can direct two characters walking and talking in a way that more deeply expresses the feelings and changes within the scene. It became very plain to me that a book written by a woman, about a woman and woman topics is best directed by a woman.

Emma in 2020 by Autumn de Wilde is a presentation of the Jane Austin novel as it should be. I laughed out loud, had so much fun, and was moved by the characters. The visual and audible beauty was enchanting. As most movie theaters across the country close, I highly recommend the $20.00 rental fee to watch Emma at home. Or just wait and buy the movie later, so you can watch it over again. I will be adding this to my DVD collection right beside A League of Their Own and Waitress.