“Emma.” And The Increasing Indulgence of The Female Gaze

While the coronavirus panic was still in its early stages, I was treated to a completely empty theatre viewing of Autumn de Wilde’s new adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma. I was familiar with previous adaptations but this one had caught my eye, due to its lush color palette and a fresh new take on a period piece reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette”. De Wilde’s background is in music and fashion photography, and her first foray into feature filmmaking shows a carefully curated world where Georgian era aesthetics blend seamlessly with a story that has been updated for a more contemporary audience; all while remaining faithful to the source material.

The story is centered around the romantic misadventures of the titular character, Emma, a rich and beautiful young woman that acts like the queen bee of her small town. She fancies herself a matchmaker, and in the process of interfering with the love lives of her friends and family, creates a whirlwind of confusion, attraction, heartbreak, and unrequited love from which no one, not even herself, can escape from. 

It is successful in breathing new life into the characters, and for the first time in a long list of adaptations, truly portrays the character of Emma as Austen had always intended.  She famously said of her main character: “I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like”, and indeed Emma is spoiled, proud, and selfish, and the movie does not shy away from this depiction. In the 1996 adaptation with Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma is portrayed less satirically, in a more sincere and sentimental way that offers the viewers a reason to root for the character and like her. This new version even goes as far as making Emma rude and petulant, but this makes her character arc so much more compelling, as we see a true transformation as well as a refreshing portrayal of a heroine that doesn’t seek to be ‘likable’.

But the true brilliance of the film lies with its director, and more specifically with the complete absence of the male gaze. This is truly a film that focuses on female desire, even within the boundaries of a chaste Austen romance. Scenes of women getting ready before a ball are replaced with the male version and glimpses of male nudity, something that is rarely—if ever— shown in films of this genre. There is also the softer masculinity bestowed to the role of Mr. Knightley, which allows for a more well-rounded characterization and a truly modern sensibility. But certain aspects that are unique to the film differentiate this particular one from the other adaptations: the honest depiction of female friendship, with its moments of jealousy, misunderstanding, and comradeship; and the intimacies of daily life where the viewer seems to be invited into completely private moments of the characters’ lives. It increases the world-building greatly and gives a sense of reality to a story written over 200 years ago.

Like “Emma.” we are now seeing these poignant takes on the female experience more and more often, from Gerwig’s "Ladybird" and "Little Women”, to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s critically acclaimed “Fleabag”, to Céline Sciamma's “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and even from a Netflix’s original series“Sex Education”. This new wave of female creatives is showing refreshing takes on women’s bodies, sexuality, and feelings, and don’t shy away from acknowledging the intricacies that come from the portrayal of the female form on the screen. We can only hope to see even more female directors and creators share their vision in the future.