Review of Emma
midlandsmovies • June 6, 2020
Review of Emma
Review of Emma (2020) Directed by Autumn de Wilde
Based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel, Emma stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the meddlesome protagonist in the Regency era whose involvement in the romantic misunderstandings of several families is cause for much drama.
The wealthy Emma befriends the young and “person of no consequence” Harriet who despite these apparent societal blemishes is offered a hand in marriage by farmer Mr. Robert Martin. Emma feels the local vicar Elton a more appropriate match, so dissuades Harriet from the proposal but soon finds herself at the whim of his affections herself.
With the arrival of Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn) Emma finds her matchmaking taken to task, but later on her admiration for Frank Churchill drives a wedge between them.
Mia Goth as Harriet Smith is wonderful, providing an innocence to the proceedings whilst others involve themselves in melodramatic tit-for-tats. And Bill Nighy as Emma’s father is also fantastic as he reigns in his regular over-the-top performance and is all the funnier because of it.
The real surprise though is Miranda Hart as Miss Bates. A support character who gives real sensitivity to the soap opera antics of much of the film. An amazingly emotional scene when one of Emma’s flagrant offhand comments brings the happy hijinks to a halt really pulls the heart strings.
Great cinematography captures the sumptuous costumes and grand locations and the soundtrack includes suitable jaunty ditties that add even more comedy to the proceedings (The score strangely echoes the same musical notes as BBC’s Birds of a Feather TV theme tune which was a little distracting however).
As the games of marriage go back-and-forth, the film’s biggest failure is adding anything new or contemporary to the proceedings. Although I’m not asking for a complete re-imagining, the film sticks with the standard beats and themes of the novel.
Emma’s mean-streak and petty-mindedness is delivered with depth by Taylor-Joy. Her jealousy and selfishness hide just below the surface as she attempts to meddle in other people’s affairs. Again, the film doesn’t provide a revolution of ideas - even a passing fan of Austen’s work will recognise the who-marries-who and love-conquers-status clichés present in all the books.
That said, although a tad too whimsical at times, the whole cast deliver likeable roles and I can’t say it wasn’t a fun trip to the past with lots of laughs in a lavish location.
With Anya Taylor-Joy’s entertaining performance and Mr. Knightley exclaiming “I came to wish you joy”, the film’s delightful attributes really do provide a jolly abundance of joy throughout.
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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