Wonderful character development!

The greatest movie ever made..!

Excellent but underrated film

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is my favorite adaption of Emma (and trust me, I've seen them all)! I love the soundtrack, the scenery, and the characters.This miniseries is also family friendly (which is nice), so don't hesitate to watch it with your kids if they're interested. I watched it again with my thirteen year old sister (who claims she hates period dramas) and she sat through the whole thing and awkwardly admitted she liked it at the end. I found this adaption stayed true enough to Jane Austen's book to satisfy. There might have been a few minor tweaks, but nothing major that could ruin it.Mr. Woodhouse is hilarious without trying to be, and just like Mrs. Bennet from the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, I don't think anyone could out do his performance.Emma is meddlesome, spoiled, rich, and pretty. But the strange thing is, you can't help but love her! I found this Emma to be more spirited than the (what I thought) dull Gwyneth Paltrov. She laughs, smiles, and is a believable twenty-one year old girl. She's a matchmaker out of habit, and gets in all sorts of trouble because of it.Now onto Mr. Knightley! He's extremely sweet, and I love him for it. He is supposed to be sixteen years older than Emma, and in all fairness the actor doesn't look much older than she does; But I thought his manner was very mature in contrast to hers, so I thought it worked out really well.Overall I loved this miniseries, and I'm always up to rewatching it! If you like period dramas, Jane Austen, or happy endings, definitely give Emma a go! You won't regret it. :)

Other viewers have commented this title much more competently; I come to merely express outrage. "Modern adaptation"? The modern thing about it is the characters yelling at each other; being not just mannerless but plainly rude to each other and thus violating (not adapting) the author. It is below Gambon to ever have been in this. I had to shut it off after a few minutes, because it hurt my ears more than the action film on the next channel. I have acquired the English language to some degree by watching screen adaptations of English literature - which made me fall in love with the language. This 'Emma' is not just a violation of Austen: it is a crippling of language AND culture. It is about as much a carrier of culture as your next Legally Blonde.

This is by far my favorite video adaptation of Emma. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and am often very disappointed with movies made of her novels, but this one is just beautiful. Like all movies (or in this case mini series) made from a book, there are some differences, but it does Emma justice. I love Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller! They were amazing as Emma and Knightley. And the rest of the cast were great as their roles. Emma is brought to life by the superb acting talent, directing, and scenery. The 4 episodes, each one hour long, allow the story to flow gracefully. If you are an Austen or Romance fan or you just enjoy a good movie, Don't miss BBC's Emma.

Romola Garai portrays Emma to near perfection: youthful, smiling, vain, open-tempered and playful. The natural relationship between her and Mr. Knightley was so well done I cannot help but admire the actors' unabashed characterisation of two people who I don't believe were ever meant to be glamorous - but real and flawed and nevertheless endearing.For those who argue that Romola Garai's Emma is too expressive, casual, unladylike etc. I'm afraid you should do a little more research into the times. Firstly, as an independent woman of ample means, her behaviour would have been regarded as unusual - at most - but not unacceptable or scandalous. Even 'eccentric' behaviour in rich people was accepted in Victorian England - BECAUSE they were rich! The middle classes did not have as much wealth, and therefore had to concentrate more on correct manners as a way to gain notice and status in society. It was not unheard of for some wealthy ladies to behave 'as they liked' e.g. have a frank and forthright manner, ride/walk alone, wear unfashionable dresses (compare Emma's over-simple dress to Mrs. Elton's Wedding Cake and lace confections!). And I would recommend that in any time period the diversity of personalities should allow for an Emma such as the one of Romola Garai's portrayal.This version of Emma discards cardboard cut-out stiff upper lip acting for vibrancy, life and authenticity. It remains true to the spirit of the book so lovers of Emma should be well satisfied that their favourite scenes from the book are adapted smoothly and enjoyably. I was highly gratified to see natural people on screen with real reasons for what they did (forgive me, but Gwyneth Paltrow's 1996 Emma I recently viewed again and was nearly put off by the stiff jointed stiff paced affected script and acting).I really felt keenly for Miss Bates and for Emma's father, as opposed to finding them (as they have been interpreted in the past) one dimensional, annoying and almost superfluous characters.And I was very taken, I who have read Emma more times than I can remember, that this version highlighted something that was new even to me. The Loneliness of the characters. There was a running theme of loneliness that was deftly threaded through the script: Miss Bates' loneliness as she cares for a silent mother in increasing poverty; Emma's loneliness after Miss Taylor leaves her to marry Mr Western, that drives her to seek Harriet as a friend; not to mention the more obvious loneliness of Jane Fairfax, who must remain reserved in the presence of Frank Churchill, and who could easily have been friends with Emma, but cannot bring herself to share her secret to a woman who is so apparently a rival for his affections.This version is by far the best I have ever seen. I am always partial to Mark Strong's Mr Knightley in the Kate Beckinsale version, but overall the script, casting, characterisation and pacing of this Emma surpasses all.