Her mother, on the other hand, loved the notion of being in high society. Jasmine's father was a businessman, and didn't mind high society so much, focusing more on his business and the prospect of making more money. Her family came from relatively new money, but somehow managed to interject themselves into the inner high social circles of England. Jasmine Elizabeth Davenport was born into a somewhat privileged life. She laughed because she was disappointed…” -Emma, Chapter 43 Not that Emma was gay and thoughtless from any real felicity it was rather because she felt less happy than she expected. Frank Churchill and Miss Woodhouse flirted excessively.” They were laying themselves open to that very phrase-and to having it sent off in a letter to Maple Grove by one lady, to Ireland by another. To amuse her, and to be agreeable in her eyes, seemed to be all that he cared for-and Emma, glad to be enlivened, and not sorry to be flattered, was gay and easy too, and gave him all the friendly encouragement, the admission to be gallant, which she had ever given in the first and most animating period of their acquaintance but which now, in her own estimation, meant nothing, though in the judgment of most people looking on it must have had such an appearance as no English word but flirtation could very well describe. “When they all sat down it was better to taste, a great deal better, for Frank Churchill grew talkative and gay, making her his first object. Box Hill as a whole is a disaster, and it’s largely because of Frank. Most of all, the fact that Emma’s insulting Miss Bates is not the only thing faux pas she makes here. I have the book open next to me as I write this and it’s shocking to me how minutely the atmosphere described in the book is conveyed here. Directors are artists as much as painters are and movies are their canvass, but it’s seldom that you find a director who honestly wants to hit as close to the author intent as possible and this Box Hill sequence makes me feel like that’s what Jim O’Hanlon was going for. Insofar as making a piece of art goes, that’s good. A lot of other versions sort of feel (to me), like the director glanced at the page and said “here’s what I want to convey in my version”. This sequence in the 2009 version is a perfect crystallization of everything I love about this version-namely that this is the version that, to me, most feels like someone read the book thoroughly, paid attention to what Austen was describing and then actually tried to convey it on screen. This is the big turning point in the story and as such, should be a touchstone for the judgment of any adaptation. Her genuine relief at Knightley swooping in is one of those great reminders that Emma is Harriet's friend, and she does care about her.įirst of all, this is where this screenplay shines, in my opinion. (I wanna take a moment to give a shout out to every camp counselor who ever partnered with me for any game at summer camp.) Emma's reaction too, is gold. So, yes, when Knightley engages her for the dance the excitement the viewer feels is that much more forceful and Harriet's exuberantly starting to jump in when the timing is off and Knightley gently pulling her back, it just hits me in the feels center, guys. Harriet looks so lonely, and her feeling of being out of place rolls off of Louise Dylan so forcefully it chokes me up just thinking about it because I've been there, man. Here, this is like not getting picked for kickball- not only is it a slight that no one wants you on their team, but you miss out on even playing the game. In all other versions you get the insult, but the dance that's taking place is usually a Baroque walker so it doesn't seem terribly like she's missing out on much. "The Ship's Cook" is the most fast paced dance and I'm glad they made this the dance where Elton snubs Harriet because it really hits for me just what Harriet would be missing out on if Knightley wasn't so fucking aptly named. Best of all that excitement adds to the emotional charge of the scene. Everyone is excited here and it makes me understand why dancing was such a big thing. ![]() These dances are upbeat, and lively and, damn they look like fun. So they're not period per se, but the tunes at least are representative of how Regency dance music should sound. All of the songs and dances were original compositions and choreography made for this adaptation.
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