Jul 12 2009

Emma 2009

In case you didn’t catch the last fifteen Austen adaptations on the BBC, they’re tackling Emma later this year.

Good news: Romola Garai, Johnny Lee Miller, Jodhi May, Michael Gambon, Blake Ritson (poached from Mansfield Park!), Rupert Evans, and Head Bitch in Charge (Except in Hex Where She Died) Christina Cole means that place is Awesome British Actor Camp. Plus, Emma wears a collar during the day! Progress!

Bad news: Johnny is much too young and cute to really capture the ridiculous WHEN YOU WERE NINE skeeve of Mr. Knightley. The adaptation with Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong comes closest to the age differential, where she’s seventeen and he’s SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD. Not that I don’t love Mark Strong – he’s quite foxy! – but Austen really highlighted the fact that he decided to express his romantic feelings for her, which he’s had since she was LESS THAN THIRTEEN, by acting like her dad and telling her that’s what he’s doing. Ah, romance!

Preview! Spoilers for people who haven’t read the book; though, let’s be fair, you’ve had since 1811 to get on that.