Emma (2009) Starring Romola Garai Premieres on Masterpiece Classic Next Sunday

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: 

US bonnet drama lovers are in for a treat when Emma (2009) begins on Masterpiece Classic next Sunday January 24th, 2010 on PBS. This is the first of three episodes of the new adaptation by BAFTA award winning screenwriter Sandy Welch (Our Mutual Friend, Jane Eyre, North And South). The esteemed cast is lead by Romola Garai (Atonement, Vanity Fair) as the clever, handsome and rich (but misguided) Miss Woodhouse, Michael Gambon (Cranford, Brideshead Revisted) as her valetudinarian elderly father Mr. Woodhouse and Jonny Lee Miller (Byron, Eli Stone, Trainspotting) as Emma’s reproachful neighbor.

US Premiere

This highly anticipated new mini-series aired in the UK on the BBC last September and will finally jump the pond and arrive in the colonies for our immediate consumption and deconstruction! To herald its charms it has a proven screenwriter, superior production values from the BBC/WGBH, an incredible cast, authentic locations, and beautiful costuming.

The Sixth Adaptation of Austen’s Classic

Emma (2009) is based on Jane Austen’s fourth novel of the same name published in 1815 and is the sixth film or television adaptation of what many deem her masterpiece of characterization and wit.

Janeites will remember the two most recent adaptations of Emma in 1996 starring Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow in two entirely different interpretations of Austen’s misapplying matchmaker. It will be very interesting to add Romola Garai’s Miss Woodhouse to the list of actresses brave enough to take on a character that even Jane Austen joked was “a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like.”

Emma (2009) will be shown on three consecutive Sundays on January 24th, 31st and February 7th at 9:00pm (check local listings) with each episode viewable in streaming video on the Masterpiece website following each broadcast, January 25th – March 9th, 2010.

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 Austenprose is an Amazon affiliate. Images courtesy of Masterpiece PBS and BBC © 2009; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2010, austenprose.com.