MovieChat Forums > Emma (1996) Discussion > Emma helping the needy - yeah right!

Emma helping the needy - yeah right!

posted 16 years ago by Charlotte_720
4 replies | jump to latest

Film makers can be forgiven for their tendency to stray from the character's true personality in an Austen adaptation. For example, in all the versions of Mansfield Park that I have ever seen, the character of Fanny is a very spirited young girl who seems to run about and skip a lot. In the actual book Austen wrote Fanny as a painfully shy girl who rarely spoke or even stood up, let alone skipped! But then a boring Fanny wouldnt make very good viewing! (insert rude joke)

Anyhoo, I thought Gwenyth Paltrow portrayed Emma exactly the way she was in the book - a bit up herself, very aware of her fortune and status and snobby. However I thought one trait (not Gwynnies fault but writer/director) was unforgiveable - helping the needy!! Hahaha as if! She never once helped anyone but herself in the book, she was far too much of a princess, it is something more like the gentle Harriet would do, but in the film Harriet stood and watched her in awe as she was so very nice to the mad old biddy!

Did this annoy anyone else?? Austen never intended to make Emma a perfect being, but the film makers obviously did! The way I see it is its the modern day equivalent of Paris Hilton wiping pensioner's bums!

[–] weaselfrance 16 years ago

From chapter 10:

Emma was very compassionate; and the distresses of the poor were as sure of relief from her personal attention and kindness, her counsel and her patience, as from her purse. She understood their ways, could allow for their ignorance and their temptations, had no romantic expectations of extraordinary virtue from those, for whom education had done so little; entered into their troubles with ready sympathy, and always gave her assistance with as much intelligence as good-will.

Emma wasn't much help as a matchmaker, but she did do a lot to help the poor of Highbury, that wasn't an invention for the adaptation.

Have you ever seen the '83 BBC adaptation of 'Mansfield Park'? It's a mini-series of four or five hours, so includes almost everything from the book and Fanny Price is just as she ought to be. By far it's the best of the MP adaptations to date.

[url]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085052/[url]

I lost my job
What? Why?... Not the Phantom Menace?

[–] iamweaver 16 years ago

This can get lost in an adaptation. There was much good in Emma's character. After all, Mr. Knightly as a mature and intelligent man would be quite unlikely to fall in love with such a young woman unless she had many sterling qualities. It was these qualities that allowed for such easy banter between the two of them. It's why this pairing bothers me (as an older man) much less than that between Col. Brandon and Marianne.

[–] weaselfrance 16 years ago

I know what you mean. None of the adaptations have captured this yet, and the viewer may be left with the impression than Mr Knightley just fell for Emma because she's young and lovely. She'd had a huge amount of responsibility thrust on her at a very young age and managed admirably.

We'll have to wait and see how the new adaptation deals with portraying a personality like Emma.

I lost my job
What? Why?... Not the Phantom Menace?

[–] randommovies2002 16 years ago

Not only is it directly from the book, but the 1972 BBC miniseries also has scenes of Emma helping the poor.