Emma vs. Emma

I was beginning to think I was the only one who was bothered by certain hairstyles in BBC dramas, but apparently, I'm not!
I found this website while looking for pictures of Little Dorrit to put on my sidebar:
http://www.democraticwings.com/democraticwings/archives/womens_rights/3772.php
And while I haven't seen all the movies she mentions, the pictures prove her point, and I'm right with her on Lizzy Bennett and Amy Dorrit!
At the bottom, there's a link for The Men of Masterpiece Theatre, which I also looked at. I don't know a lot of the films mentioned, mostly have just heard of them. I do have a hard time choosing between adaptions of Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.
My favorite men--no particular order, you must understand--are Mr Darcy; Mr Thornton; Mr Tilney, Capt. Wentworth (although I'll have to compare the two favorite versions of Persuasion, too); and Daniel Deronda, aka Ella Enchanted's Prince Charmont. Oh, and I can't forget Arthur Clenham! I like him a lot.

I almost forgot about Daniel Deronda.

Our favorite version of Emma was the one with Gywneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam.

Megan and I have watched it so many times, we can recite the lines along with each character. :)
It was definitely well done, and I'm realizing that it's been a while since I've seen it!

I love Jeremy Northam's expression of Mr. Knightley, maybe even more than Jonny Lee Miller's in the latest. His facial expressions, quips, and overall personality, and attraction to Emma make him my favorite, I think.

Romola Garai comes off as a bit. . . overdone, I guess, in some parts, especially towards the beginning as she's more 'immature'. And only a bit.  But, in the older Emma, you don't see as much of Emma's overall youth, per se, or tendency's toward slight immaturity at first. So, I guess it's six of one, half-dozen of another.

I seriously cannot choose which one I'd rather watch. Right now, I'm leaning towards the Gywneth Paltrow version, just because I recently saw the newer version. Favorites are impossible between these two, I think.

Of course, there's also the Kate Beckinsdale version, the BBC make of Emma in 1995, around the same time as my favorite Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. The Kiera Knightley\Matthew MacFayden version simply does not come close, in my estimation, in all accounts.

I've only seen this version (with Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley, which I still think is utterly hilarious, having seen him as a villian so many times. Sherlock Holmes and The Young Victoria as examples) once, and was a little prejudiced since I has my favorite Gywneth Paltrow version, I have to admit. As far as I remember, it was a good watch. I remember Kate's expression of Emma coming across as more spoiled and snobbish than in any other version. Not that I'm complaining; in the book, Emma was rather selfish in the regard of social standing.

One point I'll make about the 1996 version is Emma's hair. Half the time, it's so slicked back, it looks painful to her forehead and eyes. It tends to drive me crazy, but it's a tiny detail I can forget about. Especially since mostly, her other styles make up for it.  Something I think is hilarious is that Ewan McGregor, aka Obi-Wan Kenobi, is Frank Churchill. I don't know why, but it makes me laugh out loud.

Meanwhile, Harriet's hair in the newer BBC version is rather ridiculous. It coincides with her personality in some ways, but sometimes it's a bit much. All those curls in her face. Perhaps they were trying to re-do the Lizzy Bennett, BBC 2005, look. But they did not succeed. Lizzy's hair was not ridiculous. It was the perfect Regency-era style. Unlike Anne Elliot's in the latest Persuasion.

Don't get me started.

lol

You'll find I'm quite picky about costumes and hairstyles in period dramas. *guilty grin*

Neither one beats the other with a good score, either, since they both have perfect soundtracks. I absolutely love the theme in the new Emma, especially when Emma and Knightley dance to it. Ohh my gosh, I love that scene! And Rachel Portman did a lovely score for the Gywneth Paltrow Emma.

Anyways, now that you know more than you wanted to about my views of both Emma's and overall Jane Austen movies. . . . I'm gonna go help Megan in the kitchen.

'Night!