MovieChat Forums > Emma (1997) Discussion > Gloomy

Gloomy

posted 14 years ago by Flippitygibbit
2 replies | jump to latest

Lighting, not mood! I watched the first half hour of this version on YouTube, to get a taste and decide if it's worth renting the DVD, but all the scenes were so incredibly gloomy! The interior scenes look to be filmed in a cave, and the exterior scenes have a sort of 'sepia' cast. Is this just because I was watching a knock-off on YouTube, or is the whole production very 'nineteenth century' re: lighting effects? The 2009 Emma is like one long summer's day compared to the earlier Beckinsale series.

"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy

[–] randommovies2002 14 years ago

This film was made by the same team that did P&P95, which was also very poorly lit, plus they used a lot of candlelight without set lighting (a la Barry Lyndon). I imagine youtube makes all this even worse.

Until recently, all editions of the P&P dvds have been really dark with lifeless color. But thanks to new technology there is now a restored version available which is brighter and more vibrant. If Emma ever gets the same treatment, it is a long way off, I suspect.

[–] Flippitygibbit 14 years ago

Thank you! I've been persevering on YouTube - some kind person has uploaded the whole thing in ten minute videos - but Emma 2009 is definitely my favourite.

"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy