I'm waiting for The Last Remake of Emma to come along in the style of Gene Wilder's The Last Remake of Beau Geste. Maybe that could bring him out of retirement to play Emma's father. There's no chance in hell that would happen, but it's fun to imagine.
As far as I can tell, Jane Austen's Emma has been adapted to the screen six times including the most recent 2009 do-over that ran recently on PBS in the States. The progression goes something like this: 1948 BBC miniseries, BBC remake in 1960, another BBC remake in 1972, and then a 24-year gap until two more in 1996 (a fourth BBC mini w/ Kate Beckinsale and a movie w/ American carpetbagger Gwyneth Paltrow).
One of my indulgences is BBC period miniseries, and I've seen more than anyone's fair share. There it is, I've outed myself. I enjoy watching people bristle at impropriety while wearing waistcoats and wigs. The 2009 BBC mini (available on DVD today, 9 Feb) works and delivers what one has come to expect from something in the "BBC wigs and frock coats" section of Barnes & Noble, but one thing did bother me.
I'm sorry to say that my only real annoyance with this newest do-over is that Romola Garai plays Emma far too modern for my taste. She's supposed to be ahead of her time socially to some extent, but at some points while watching, I expected a score featuring Girls Aloud to kick in. No offense to Garai, but I'm glad Keira Knightley ended up getting Pride & Prejudice 2K5 (my title) instead of her. The image of Garai on the back cover illustrates my point.
I'm not alone in this critique, as plenty of friends on Twitter exclaimed a couple of weeks ago when eMMa2K9 (again, my title) premiered here. Like them, however, Garai didn't entirely put me off watching it. Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightly and Michael Gambon as Emma's father are interesting, excellent choices. The story is the story as it always has been.
The 2-DVD set is in thick, sturdy "hardcover book"-style packaging also found on BBC/Warner's recent release of Cranford and Return to Cranford. Disc one houses the first two episodes of the four part series and the locations and costumes featurettes. Of the extras, my favorite is Emma's Mr. Woodhouse [13:19], a short retrospective of Gambon's career, in particular his projects with the BBC. Sitting in a chair from the set in full costume, he tells anecdotes from the last couple decades of his professional life. It's joined on disc two by a music featurette. Amazon is listing it for $21.99.