Emma 1996 BBC

The other 1996 version done by the BBC and starring Kate Beckinsale with screenplay by Andrew Davies. The poor BBC had the bad luck to bring this out the same year as the above Hollywood version. This is also a lovely version of Emma. We are spoilt for choice with Emma.  Kate Beckinsale does a great job of bringing Emma to life. This version is a bit darker looking and perhaps then more realistic version.  Mark Strong is a yummy Mr. Knightly.  Any of these Mr. Knightlys could scold me any day.  

I am not so fond of Lucy Robinson as Mrs. Elton. She sounds positively American at times (I suppose this is how Brits try to sound annoying!).  And Prunella Scales was too old to play Miss Bates at 63, I thought, although she did a fairly good job of it. Samantha Morton was cute as Harriet Smith.

Overall, another great job of adapting Emma.  I will continue to watch all three adaptations as they are all satisfying in a different way.  I do love the new 2009 longer miniseries version the best, partly from the casting and partly from the extra length allowing plot development.

Now, we must not have any more Emmas for a while but perhaps instead, try a stab at Mansfield Park by the BBC in a longer miniseries with a real Fanny Price. There’s a thought.