Emma
April 9, 2014
This version of Emma is a comedy. Just like Shakespeare’s
A Midsummers Night’s Dream with Puke
matching couples in a mischief way, Emma becomes a character like Puke when
trying to match up Harriet with all the wrong people. Puke and Emma create a comic relief at the
cost of mix matching of couples that have disagreeable feelings for each other. But then Emma also becomes a typical comedy
with her love hate interest with Knightly.
How many movies and TV programs have we seen when the male and female
characters bickers all the time, insults each other, and shows distain and hate
for each, only to become lovers and then eventually marry in the end? Some
love/ hate relationships that are featured in TV and movies are: Rhett and
Scarlett in Gone with the Wind, Peter
and Ellie in It Happened One Night,
Tom and Laura in Legal Eagles,
Richard Castle and Kate Beckett in Castle,
Amanda Woodward and Peter Burns in Melrose
Place. Can you name other love/hate relationships in TV and movies that
ended in marriage? This version of Emma is a classic example of accident
proneness being used as a tool of comedy. Emma is seen as a good archer, but
not perfect. When Knightley and Emma are trying to outdo each other in archery
Emma misses and comes close to shooting Knightley’s dogs, Knightley sarcastically
says, please don’t shoot my dog. Emma also shows a comedy of manners and how
ridiculous the rich can be when Emma and Harriet go to feed and look upon the
poor. Emma gets down and feeds a poor elderly lady, while Harriet is scurrying
in the corner running and bumping into everything and dropping things on the
pets of the house. This scene shows the absurdity of the upper-class and how corrupt
the upper-class can be, even though Harriet herself is of lower class origins. Emma
also ties in comedic history with the use of classic Vaudeville techniques. Miss
Bates is a woman always scurrying about and never stops talking. Miss Bates
lives with her hard of hearing, perhaps on purpose, mother, Mrs. Bates. Mrs.
Bates sits quietly while Miss Bates yells mundane words at her like: cake,
letter…etc. Miss Bates and Mrs. Bates are
examples of the straight man and the buffoon, other examples of this is found
in Abbot and Costello, Martin and Lewis, and to certain extent, The Three Stooges. The concept of the
straight and buffoon character is found in comedic movies but two that stand
out are, National Lampoons Christmas
Vacation and National Lampoon’s Vacation. Where do you see other classic elements of
comedy present in this movie?
I also wrote about the comedy present in Emma. One scene I mentioned was Harriet and Emma's carriage ride where their less than positive conversation is interrupted by Emma being polite to those around them. I mentioned in my post that these kinds of comedy are used in the movie to bring it to an audience that isn't necessarily accustomed to the style/language in Austen's work. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
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