Emma

One of the few things to look forward to during post-holiday January is the return of Masterpiece Theatre to PBS. Sunday night was the premiere of a new BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. (If you missed it, you can watch it online. The series continues for the next two Sundays.)

I really loved it! So far, it's pretty high up there among my favorite Jane Austen movie adaptations. I still think that Gwyneth Paltrow set the standard in her version of Emma, but this Emma isn't far behind. All of the other characters are perfectly cast and the times when the movie veers away from the book, like when it shows the characters as children, actually seem to improve upon the original story.

The movie's website also has a cute little Bachelor's of Highbury quiz to find out which male character you're most compatible with. Although I'm not sure how cute it actually is....my most compatible bachelor is Mr. Woodhouse?!?! Emma's elderly, hypochondriac father?!?! I'm horrified! Aren't these things supposed to be rigged so that everyone gets Mr. Knightly?