Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Gemma Whelan, Bill Nighy, Rupert Graves, Miranda Hart, Angus Imrie, Letty Thomas, Aiden White, Edward Davis, Myra McFadyen, Esther Coles, Suzy Bloom, Suzanne Toase, Nicholas Burns, Josh O’Connor, Johnny Flynn, Connor Dalton, Lucy Briers, Mia Goth, Anna Francolini, Connor Swinells, Christopher Godwin, Vanessa M. Owen, Isis Hainsworth, Hannah Stokely, Charlotte Weston, Max Toovey, Cecelia Jacob, Cody Gipson, Tabitha Coop, Juno Coop, Chloe Pirrie, Oliver Chris, Rose Shaloo, Amber Anderson, Callum Turner, Tanya Reynolds.

You know what you are about to receive when the story has been told so many times, not so much of a repeat, but a slightly different slant to a tale which gives it the same gravitas as attending the same play but with a twist on the characterisation and surrounding unspoken narrative which keeps you going every time.

The sensation of sitting down to watch an adaption of an admittedly much loved book in a different form is such that it can come across as obsessive, and in the eyes of those who keep a check on the film studio output, it can, at best, be seen as not having faith in an unknown quarter, a new novel; after all why take a chance on the unknown when a classic in any viable form will sell and create reward and headlines.

Such is the persuasive power of Jane Austen’s Emma that it sits in both those realms, the much loved and overdone and too often produced. There is no doubting the brilliance of the original work, of just how insightful and clever the writing is, but to have cinema continually turn to the classic, the remake, the alternative version and the straight-laced adjustment for fans to devour is not a panacea, it arguably leaves the cinema and the studio with a greater problem to face as not enough money is then placed into highlighting new work.

If you know what to expect then is there any point in immersing yourself once more into the story? In the case and perspective of the Autumn de Wilde directed and Eleanor Catton scripted 2020 version, the simple answer would be yes, the more complex response would be, why wouldn’t you, for even if you know what to expect, there is still the belief, the humour, the subtly of text that makes Emma an event worth being part of.

From the scene stealing Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse, the stern dourness of Chloe Pirrie as Isabella Knightley, the engaging Miranda Hart as Miss Bates and the delight of Ana Taylor-Joy in the lead role, the sumptuous dedication to the arrangement of the setting and the costumes, the whole film is one that has a way of worming its way into your heart and leaving you prepared to eat humble pie at your stance on continual remakes.

A delightful adaptation of much-loved classic, perhaps not surprising, but still one that gets to the point of the story perfectly.

Ian D. Hall 2