Kate's version Vs. Gwyneth

Definitely prefer the A&E version (Beckinsale), although the other one is amusing. The latter version is "fluff", with cardboard-thick characters. The character of Harriet is "read" as a nincompoop, rather than gentle and naive (Morton's reading, as well as the original text).

Mr. Northam is witty, of course. (Who can resist the remark about not shooting his dogs?!) Mr. Strong, however, displays both the attractive personality (and yes, he is quite handsome), AND the moral rectitude and depth of the novel's Mr. Knightley. His rebuke of Emma following the debacle at Box Hill rings true. So does his eventual marriage proposal.

I always assumed that Emma was fair (i.e. blonde) because of the reference to her hazel eyes.

Mr. Woodhouse (A&E) captures the fearfulness and childishness of advancing senility very well. His counterpart (Miramax) simply chuckles and smiles his way through the film.

I shall "award the palm" to Miss Paltrow on one count, nonetheless. Her perpetual smugness and superciliousness toward everybody other than her father, Mr. and Mrs. Weston, and Mr. Knightley, grate on my nerves, just as I imagine the "real" Emma would have done. Yet having said that, I must amend my opinion to say that Miss Paltrow "overplayed" Emma's conceit. Miss Beckinsale underplayed it by comparable degree.

At Box Hill, Miss Beckinsale's delivery of the insult to Miss Bates struck me as more genuine. She looked around at her audience, nervously awaiting a supportive laugh from at least one person.

In both versions, Mr. Elton was "so-so." The actor in the Miramax version "read" the character as rather silly. The actor in the A&E version better displays Mr. Elton's underlying smallness and malice.

Juliet Stevenson (name correct?) steals scenes as Mrs. Elton! Go watch her in "Nicholas Nickleby" for scenes of potent fury.

A&E's Jane Fairfax is a beautiful actress. Miramax cast a woman who was twenty years too old, at least.

Could write still more, but my son needs the computer.

I've only seen Kate's, not Gwyneth's, but suspect that I wouldn't be very impressed by the Hollywood version from the picture shown of Gwyneth shooting her cupid's arrow! I never saw Gwyneth's Great Expectations either but from her sexy photo shown on the DVD cover, suspect it would be best if I never did and that Charles Dickens is probably rolling over in his grave! I don't have an axe to grind with Gwyneth herself and find her very pretty.

Kate's! It was much better and closer to the book. I usually love Gwyneth but her version was just....I don't know. It did nothing for me.

I absolutely prefer Kate's. Not only is Gwyneth's absurdly Hollywood-ized (that SHOULD be a word, haha), but the characters all seem so bland to me... idk, they just didn't seem to have as much personality. I know people don't like Kate's Emma because she was "too unlikeable", etc., but if you read the book she's even worse. Gwyneth's Emma hardly seemed to change from the beginning of the movie to the end. Maybe GwEmma learns a lesson or two, but you can actually see KEmma's whole personality changing. Another argument against KP's version is that Mark Strong's Knightley is "too angry". Once again, I refer you to the book - JN's Knightley seems almost weak in comparison.
But all of that is nothing compared to the way they shove things in your face and blow them out of proportion in the GP version, presumably in an attempt to make the movie more enjoyable: Ms. Bates is flamboyantly silly, Emma's father is a total prig, Mr. Elton is so blatantly obvious about his intentions concerning Emma that she seems a simpleton for not seeing them. I felt rather patronized by it, to sum up. It seemed an attempt to appeal to the masses, and there's nothing special about that.
And that's not even mentioning Frank Churchill's hair... :)


"I fancy you forgot to pedal."

Kate's all the way

When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

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