I have been an Austen fan all my days- and re-read the all books every few years. This was a beautiful looking production- but, I felt, dreadfully miscast. Johnny Flynn was a very credible Knightly- but more emotional than I expected. Bill Nighy, whom I was really looking forward to, was too hearty and Sprightly to be Mr Woodhouse. Emma was too cold, and lacked the liveliness of Emma's character. It wasn't the actors who disappointed me really- I think the story was cut so much- it felt like being told a quick summary of the book. It felt as if the heart of the story wasn't there. Perhaps this is why I preferred the mini series. This film was too short to do the story justice. It covered the salient points of the narrative- but had no Austen atmosphere. Not for me. I think the same cast given a 4 episode miniseries could have done it justice.
