Perfection comes at a price in latest adaptation of Austen’s ‘Emma’
The latest film adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic “Emma” is a visual feast of color, pattern and texture.
Emma up front and center in new adaptation of classic novel.
Focus Features
It’s also a bit too perfect.
The colors are too vibrant, the skin too clear, the homes too opulent, the landscapes too gorgeous, the fabrics without any stain or wear. Every frame of director Autumn de Wilde’s version feels like a still-life painting or Instagram-ready photograph.
Perfection features explicitly in both de Wilde’s film, which has been given an early digital release as theaters close due to coronavirus concerns, and Austen’s novel. In making Emma too perfect, the film becomes Emma’s fantasy of her own life rather than Austen’s more balanced portrayal of her heroine’s many faults.
As an Aust...