Editorial Review:
Product Description
From the greatest romantic novelist of all time comes a delightfully wicked comedy of love and matchmaking. Jane Austen's sly and vivacious heroines have enchanted readers for more than 200 years. Now, for the first time on DVD, this acclaimed production from the creators of A&E s bestselling PRIDE AND PREJUDICE brings to life one of the most fascinating Austen characters of all -- the charming and mischievous Emma Woodhouse.Starring Kate Beckinsale (The Last Days Of Disco), EMMA is the story of a rich, clever and beautiful young woman who can't resist orchestrating other people's love lives. As her romantic plans go ridiculously wrong, however, it's Emma herself who risks missing out on her perfect match! Join A&E for a wry visit to the drawing rooms and country manors of 19th century England -- a visit to the enchanting world of Jane Austen's EMMA now in the crystal clear digital clarity of DVD.
Format: DVD MOVIE
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Similar to the equally excellent Valmont, this version of Jane Austen's classic novel had the misfortune of following a sumptuous big-star version with Gwyneth Paltrow, which was released the summer before. And, just as 1989's Valmont suffered comparisons with Dangerous Liaisons, inevitably these Emmas were held up next to one another.
This delicious Emma concerns a young woman of financial substance (Kate Beckinsale), who fancies herself a matchmaker, especially with shy Miss Harriet Smith (Samantha Morton, who also appears in A&E's Jane Eyre). In Emma's swirling world of social activity and social consciousness, one's position and stature is a constant preoccupation. But to her credit, Emma, albeit a busybody, has compassion for all classes, and for her kindly but hypochondriacal father (Bernard Hepton).
This miniseries is more subtle than the grand theatrical release, is truer to the novel, and gives a richer explanation of the relationship between Emma associates Jane Fairfax (beautiful Olivia Williams of Rushmore) and the duplicitous Frank Churchill (Raymond Coulthard). Of course, at the center, as in all Austen stories, is the romance between the unsuspecting leading lady and an unlikely, but wholly suitable gentleman. In this case, it's Emma and her brother-in-law, the righteous (as played here) Mr. Knightley (Mark Strong). Strong's Mr. Knightley is more reserved, less coy than Jeremy Northam's; he plays Knightley more like Mr. Darcy (the leading man in Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which A&E also offers in a wonderful miniseries). Beckinsale proves to be utterly delightful and in no way should this excellent adaptation be ignored. --N.F. Mendoza
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Jane Austen Collection (Sense & Sensibility / Emma / Persuasion / Mansfield Park / Pride & Prejudice / Northanger Abbey)
Starring: Irene Richard , Tracey Childs , Diana Fairfax , Peter Woodward , and Bosco Hogan Director: Rodney Bennett , John Glenister , and Howard Baker Manufacturer: BBC Warner ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD  General
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ASIN: B000244FFU Release Date: 2004-08-24 |
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The socially restricted lives of 18th-century women hardly seems like a subject that would inspire dozens of 20th (and 21st) century adaptations--but the brilliant novels of Jane Austen are flush with sparkling dialogue, razor-sharp wit, marvelously realized characters that range from adorably sympathetic to grotesquely comic, and--above all--ingeniously intricate plots, which arrive at a seemingly inevitable happy conclusion yet keep you seized with suspense every inch of the way. The Jane Austen Collection pulls together six BBC miniseries from 1971 through 1987, one for each of Austen's much-beloved books.Unsurprisingly, the gems of the lot are also the best of the novels: Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Pride and Prejudice, expertly translated to the screen by novelist Fay Weldon, skillfully chronicles the ups and downs of the sensible but quick to judge Elizabeth Bennet (the adorable Elizabeth Garvie) and the snooty Mr. Darcy (played with an imperious scowl by David Rintoul). Any adaptation of Emma rests firmly on its central character, and Doran Godwin wonderfully captures Emma Woodhouse's resilience, determination, and exasperating self-satisfaction. Definitely the funniest of Austen's novels, Emma's satirical humor is perfectly balanced with romantic yearning, and this 1972 version succeeds delightfully.
Persuasion, though more melancholy in tone, has a wonderfully sympathetic heroine in Anne Elliot (played by the graceful Ann Fairbanks), who once turned away the man she loved but is given the chance, seven years later, to set things right. Sense and Sensibility suffers from comparison to the star firepower and cinematic sweep of the 1995 movie with Emma Thompson (a must-see for any Austen fan), but the dueling characters of gracious Elinore and headstrong Marianne, two sisters struggling with fallen fortunes, make for enjoyable viewing in this 1981 adaptation. Mansfield Park has perhaps the dullest hero and heroine of any Austen novel, yet the story zips along, powered by some of Austen's most outrageous supporting characters, here brought to deliciously comic life by Anna Massey and Angela Pleasence. Northanger Abbey satirizes gothic romances and the overheated imaginations that loved them; but though the tone is more broad and melodramatic than most of Austen, this 1987 adaptation suits the novel and rounds out this very satisfying boxed set. --Bret Fetzer
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Emma/Northanger Abbey
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ASIN: B000A59PLK Release Date: 2005-08-09 |
Description
Contains Emma and Northanger Abbey.|
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Jane Austen Vol 1(Emma and Northanger Abbey)
Starring: Jane Austen 2pak Manufacturer: BBC Warner ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD General
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ASIN: B000A59PLA Release Date: 2005-08-09 |
Description
Contains Emma and Northanger Abbey.|
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Emma/Northanger Abbey
Starring: Jane Austen Manufacturer: BBC Warner ProductGroup: DVD Binding: DVD General
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ASIN: B0002QO4L8 Release Date: 2004-08-24 |
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Charlie Rose with Mira Sorvino; Gwyneth Paltrow & Doug McGrath (December 6,1996)
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ASIN: B000IU361W Release Date: 2006-09-18 |
Description
Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino speaks about her Oscar win for her role in the film Mighty Aphrodite, attending Harvard University and her new movie Sweet Nothing. Then, At the Lowell Hotel in New York Charlie speaks with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her director Doug McGrath about her new movie, a film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Emma
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Charlie Rose with Gwyneth Paltrow & Douglas McGrath; Carl Lewis (August 8, 1996)
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ASIN: B000IU36IK Release Date: 2006-09-18 |
Description
First, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her Academy Award nominated screenwriter/director, Doug McGrath, talk about their new film Emma, an adaptation of the famous Jane Austen novel of the same name. Then, long jumper Carl Lewis, speaks about winning his 9th Olympic gold medal for the long jump at age 35.DVD:
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