Mr Knightley's proposal from EMMA 1972

[DarkOrMisunderstood]

It isn't about being good-looking... If Brad pitt wouldhave played Mr Knightley, he would ave done an awful job... If Kristen Stewart played Emma, it wouldn't have been Emma.

BUT HOWEVER. The main problem with this version is that Emma does not, not, not, look like a 21-year old. Neither does Knighley look like his age. And belive me, in the book he was described as very young-looking and tall. With a straight back.

Result? This ain't Knightley, That ain't Emma.

[47thUsername]

Somebody shut up the blasted birds already! So loud...

[sightscreen66]

Well, you lot have been so spoonfed with modern heart-on-sleeve emoting you fail to understand that the awkwardness of the two in this scene is deliberate and due to Emma still feeling embarassed about Knightley criticising her regarding her behaviour to Miss Bates. Doran Godwin is brilliant in this role. Bring back decent upper class British reserve!

[Mbookfreak]

wowww. this is soo awkward! :-/ it hurts!

[beriamaureen]

How BORING this is !!!



[ohmyBBC]

you know, its kind of depressing to think that in reality, it was probably more like this. :/

[ALD1296]

8:33-8:45 made me LOL. XD HAHAHA

[littlemissmoo14]

3:59 >.> knightley's huffy giggle and squirm....

[ashymolassy]

Oh, wow. This just kills a beautiful scene. :(

[khrsmith93]

Oh GOODNESS! This is SOOOOO bad.

[proudtobeasarahfan]

Ah, the 70's movies :') Why does Emma look about 30 instead of the 21 she is meant to be? 0.o Plus her voice is annoying. Plus she doesn't seem to have emotions. So yeah, all the other adaptations are so much better.

[robertaburattini]

it's TERRIBLE

[upekalahiru]

Emma 2009 is the best of 'em all...

[readingaddict176]

jlm is the best

[HermioneNo1]

Well, one thing in favour of this is that it's quite verbatim and I love hearing Jane's written words spoken. Plus, I find him a better actor than her (albeit 10 years too old). She is just a bad actress saying lines and not even trying very hard - geez. They must have been in a hurry AND a stint doing this one...

[kavtoM]

they're terribly stiff. aren't they supposed to show any emotion?

[sona590]

mark strong! anytime!!!

[oreo2725]

God!! I thought they were discussing the weather! This Mr. Knightly isn't even slightly swoon worthy. ;(

[Eurora17]

No, actually, I saw the video until the end... And really, this Mr Knightley (and the whole film) doesn't get free the same 'magic' from himself, the same charism, the same mystery, the same energy, and so others words I miss at the present to comment it... this, is a very pale adaptation of the novel to my mind. :/

[Eurora17]

Waouuh ther is still an adaptation !!!

Er, honestly... I prefer the Mr Knightley with Mark Strong, Jeremly Northman and Jonny Lee Miller. The three of them brings something to the role.

With this actor, John Carson; I don't know... It's not the same... Not the same charism, not the same... Honestly, I prefer the others three adaptation :)

Moreover, Doran Godwin looks older than she is...

No really, I'm fond of the three others ♥

[SugarMountain15]

It sounds like somebody farted at 1:16... just sayin'.

[nettieheartful]

its thoroughly English and stiff upper lip I love it!

[pursueproverbs31]

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! So corny. And not romantic. I much more prefer the 96's and 2009. :)

[LittleMissRachelLee]

To quote Mr. Knightley, this is one "Badly done, Emma!"

[mamashoop]

Horrible! This was like watching a high school play!

[kieghacat]

you can always tell when a film is made in the 70s because it has that gray wash-out tone, and the camera seems to be fast-frame.

and GOSH! emma is meant to be 21 years old???!!!

[injaley]

It's true that Mr. Knightley is older than Emma, but he's not THAT old. He's supposed to be 36. You can still be attractive at 36! My favorite Mr. Knightley is Jeremy Northam.

[YummyManiac]

Yuck, this version is the absolute worst of the three! I love the 2009 version, and the 2nd 1996 one is a close second, but this one.. I hate this Mr Knightley. Jonny Lee Miller is the best George Knightley ever! And 2009's characters are so much more believable, while these are unrealistic and look so old! Emma is twenty-one, not in her late forties!

Thanks for uploading though!

[engla83]

so doran goodwin was the yougerst actress to paly emma

[engla83]

i love thi one because its more like the book in a way this i real actors who must be coming from the theatre other i like kate beckinsale hant watch the whole new one yet but it seems promising and she was only 22 the actress in this one during thi filming but he was 45

[engla83]

i love thi one because its more like the book in a way this i real actors who must be coming from the theatre other i like kate beckinsale hant watch the whole new one yet but it seems promising

[alouise1661]

Emma -- the granny version. God they're both so OLD.

[Shinkansen91]

I would have to say that my favourite Mr Knightly has to be JLM :)

[buntzy2]

Stilted, unnatural acting. He starts half his lines immediately on her last word. Annoying.

[bruinbhangra]

this one my fav

romola Garai as Emma and Jonny Lee Miller as Mr Knightley.

[wenglishsal]

Oh my gosh... It's like they have stepped out of a film in the 20's... Very stilted but it is still 'Our lovely Jane Austen'... so I will forgive them for being alittle wooden...

Number one fav 2009 Romola Garai/Johnny Lee Miller

Number two fav 1996 Kate Beckinsale/Mark Strong

Number three Gwyneth Paltrow/Jeremy Northam

BUT I do love EMMA so any one of the above apart from this one I can watch and totally enjoy... :0)x

[elinorwest]

I love all 3 recent Emma adaptations (1996, 1997, 2009) and ofcourse, I love the book . But this is really painful to watch, I mean, WTH?

[danger689]

They look plain.

[fleendha]

I watched this film a while ago. At first I felt the as most people do. Though I didn't like either of the 1996 versions (the recent one is much better), this one seemed so slow, dull and unglamorous. Actually it grows on you in spite of its faults. Even my sisters aged about 11 and no fans of classics liked it. The acting is rather good, especially the comic scenes. You almost forget the actors aren't good-looking, This isn't the most representative scene of the film so don't judge it by it.

[fairyfay80]

This version is one of my favorites, I also love the both Emma's from 1996 (Paltrow and Beckinsale) and the recent one with Jonny Lee Millar).

Thanks for uploading btw!

[applefieldd]

AWFULL

[lychee57]

I agree. This adaptation is more like father to daughter. I feel like I am watching a child molester. Very sick.

[diminade]

I haven't watched the ITV version but I can say this version shows the age disparity between Emma and Mr Knightley better than the 1996 movie and the BBC drama.

However, I much prefer both of those to this one. I'm not sure why. Eye candy, maybe. XD

[chiquitinT]

Ugh! I've heard people say this is their favorite adaptation. I'm pretty sure Mr. Knightley's costume is made of polyester! Horrors! Isn't he supposed to be believable as a brother, then as a lover for Emma? This version is more like father/grandfather, and I usually don't have an issue with an older man. I need to clicky on over and watch JLM again...

[chedylanmarleyshakur]

deff the best version is bbc 2009...jhonny lee miller was excelent...romola also....gwyneth ruined that version but jeremy was great...kate was deff the best emma but strong was to stiff...this version looks like a joke which is strange since i liked pride and prejudice from 1980...their acting is..hmmmm...no no no no....

[pseud0nul]

That's sad I think, which, often in period dramas, the characters seems so.. un-alive.. O_o

Like they have not emotions.. It's like, because it is period dramas,

the characters has to be unbelievable..Maybe some people thinks that the people 200 years ago were like that..but they aren't ! xD

They had soul and heart, like we have now !

This scene was deeply, deeply more "true" in the book.

[alloallo0992]

hahahahahah.... hahahaha...*can't breathe*

[mrsdontbelieveinlove]

CRAP! they both look too damn OLD for these roles

[RachSaysHi]

is there a reason why they both look about 40?

[MsElkyBelky]

3:59 wtf ?!?!

[lifeofmoi]

AHAHAHAH i love how when she sits down in the gazebo between 2:10 and 2:17 she's struggling with a smile. ahahhaha baaad acting

[chanman67chevy]

i kind of like this Mr. Knightley, though he doesnt compare with jonny lee miller. i thought he took an interesting take on the proposal. it just wasnt as effective, i dont like this emma at all! she barely reacts when hes proposing

[Gilari]

Uhg - I'd forgotten how horrible this version is. I spent most of my time while watching it cringing at the bad acting and giggling at the neck ruffles on Emma's dresses. Not to mention Mr. Knightly is not remotely attractive here. I mean I know he's supposed to be older than Emma, but this is rediculous!

[MamaAndBBBird]

I rated it worth watching, as a point a reference. Oh how I love the 2009 BBC version of Emma!

[SnowGriffinz]

Seriously. Absolute shite. I mean they aren't believable, Knightley is fuck ugly and there's no chemistry between the two actors. It's depressing, really. Satire is meant to have SOME element of the ridicule and this is just...NO.

[cablesj]

Yes, as actors they are old for the roles, yet ,I enjoyed this series and the acting in it more than some of the modern versions and in the course of the whole thing, their chemistry works just fine for me.

[pentime6]

I'm sorry this one is muh. they are too old to be playing these characters nothing against the actors themselves.

[erikasfo]

That is not Emma! That's a pale, appalling dead spirit wandering about, who just happens to bump into that creepy old man with a beer belly. Never trust a man with a beer belly.

Awful, awful, awful.

[fidelma37]

@erikasfo I just have to compliment you on your wit! I shouted out laughing when I read your comment. How apt! I am still laughing.. I couldn't understand why the camera is on his belly and lower quarters (!) when she is apologising to him! We can't see his reaction at all which is prob just as well. I felt she looked as if she was in some sort of drug induced trance. Thanks again for the laugh.

[3ubblegum]

LOL

[ElinorFitzgerald]

something about this version makes Knightley seem like a creepy old man

[amandafaerie]

WORD

[marshsundeen]

John Carson was 45 years old at the time of filming. The character is supposed to be 37. No wonder he seems very old compared to Emma.

[carlingnugent]

Wow. This is sooooo bad!!

[simplystreeptacular]

My main problem with this is that I don't BELIEVE them. You watch Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller, or Jeremy Northam and Gwyneth Paltrow, and you can feel the energy crackling between them - they shout their feelings with their eyes even as their bodies and voices remain calm. These two sound like they're reading lines off a script.

[farisa2020]

Even Marc Strong and Kate Bekinsale work!

[simplystreeptacular]

Agreed. While I think the entire ITV production was crap and horribly out of character, I at least believed they had genuine feelings for each other! I can't even say that about this production. And this Emma is entirely too demure. Where is her spirit??? This isn't quiet, reserved Elinor Dashwood for chrissakes, and even Elinor had that spark about her - all of Austen's heroines did.

Ugh. Forgive my ranting.

[ameliedaae]

They both look too old for their roles!

[anisete46]

the actress looks much too old for the part, and Mr Knightley is icky... but perhaps closer to the original's age...

[fantassissimo]

Yes, perhaps it is a little long and dull compared to the quickfire romances we are used to today. I did get bored for a while but then I noticed their facial expressions and the changes in their voices. And I have to say I watched it again. The acting is actually rather impeccable...

Saying that, I still prefer Jonny Lee Miller ;o)

[monny1emano]

wayyyy tooo longgg

thanks for posting tho :D

i love the newer version! (:

the emma in that one is perfect and great at acting as well as the mr knightly!!!!! (:

[Beccaelizabethful]

o god i know. i can't even watch this one

[dAvrilthebear]

This looks hilarious now, doesn't it? But not without some charm, which is hard to find these days.

[Leidilandelta]

Omg. This is awful in so many ways!

[SoAudrey88]

What he says is nice but the way he says it is soooooo unromantic

[ChocolateIsMyDrug]

LOL! Too true - of course what he says is nice because it's practically taken verbatim from the book. My problem is they sound like they're talking about the weather or the roads - too formal, stiff and composed.

[hahabinga]

oh dear,I feel slightly guilty now for having wasted 8 minutes

[margc2]

She looks older than him...

[veroronnieronron]

Weren't there any good looking people in the 70's?

[ChocolateIsMyDrug]

So, so harsh. I feel awful for laughing out loud after reading this...

[Shelley464]

Snore-fest until 3:59 when I almost snorted from his reaction! Oh, God help these older versions. They were probably very wonderful in their day. But they kind of make me want to run away.

[Shelley464]

Oh, now I feel badly. His little bit at the end around 7:27 was actually quite nice. I enjoyed it. :)

[marissa09098]

hahaha omg his reaction was hilarious.......thanks for pointing it out!

[ChocolateIsMyDrug]

God, how awful - stiff, starchy, formal and dead-boring. ALL of the other adaptations are WAY better, but especially the proposal in the new BBC mini-series blows this one out of the water.

[SMaryG]

I totally agree with you, CIMD! I too prefer the new proposal, it was so touching and tender. In fact , it is on my channel too, haven't you seen it?

[onlyone365]

@ChocolateIsMyDrug Yep totally agree with you!!! The BBC one is the best and this one stinks!!! :)

[hilaryrules91]

o-o OMG! She's wayy too old and he could be her father!

[josiahezra]

Wow! So borring!

The 1996 version with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam is still the BEST!!

Best casting for all of the roles and such beautiful cinematography!

[LeopoldStotchRules]

Lord above. This is .. different :/ Having just watched the conclusion of the newest BBC Emma (which IMO is the best version I have ever seen) this is .. um .. awful.

[wheelerk86]

oh dear.

[Herobelle]

They're both far too old!!! She's meant to be 20 for God's sake. And that collar!! What on earth is going on there? Bloody hell, I hate 70s costume drama...

[ElisaDisraeli]

@Herobelle

The actress was actually 22. But I admit she looks much older. Probably because of her hair style...

[Westlifefan1]

I think Mark Strong was the best Mr. Knightley. He was just as I imagined him when i read the book. So severe on Emma at the start because he wanted her to do better, but towards the end he was critical of her, because he was so consumed by jealousy. I really thought he was amazing. However Richard Armitage would be amazing also as Mr. Knightley and I didnt even think of him until someone posted it here! He would be unreal!!

[bngr1]

This version is a bit comical it so old school reserved. Mark Strong is great but that Emma was a disaster. Kate Beckinsale was the worst casting ever and why oh why did they pick someone with dark hair, it just didn't work.

Jeremy Norton was by far the best Mr Knighltey but you are all right - Richard Armitage would be a fantastic Knightley, can you just imagine.

So who would be the perfect Emma. I think Amy Adams might be a good choice - with a bolnde wig of course.

[Sachmet88]

Do you know, that in the book Emma is described with hazel eyes and this suggest highly (especially for british people), that Emma should have dark hair. So this is no error at all, on the contrary.

[MissLizaMay]

I've got a fondness for this version, probably because it was the first version I ever saw of Emma. The later productions stepped up the romance, but there's an elegance to this version as well.

[IloveSirLancelot]

This version had no chemistry imo. They're both so calm and unaffected! Good ol' Mark and Kate definitely did this scene the best.

[TheWickedWitchOfOz]

Mark was the best actor in this scene in my opinion

[MrsThorntonDarcy]

Oh yes! I wanted Richard Armitage so much as Mr Knightley! I can't understand why people can't put him in some Jane Austen's adaptation!

[SMaryG]

It seems we are a good match! I too prefer Mark Strong, liked Jeremy Northam and hope we will see a good new Emma. Though we'll regret Richard Armitage wasn't the new Mr Knightley. HE would be the PERFECT Mr Knightley.

[DudsCampos]

@SMaryG You`re totaly right! Though I do like Jonny Lee Miller, Richard Armitage would be a great Mr. Knightley!

[MrsThorntonDarcy]

My favourite Mr Knightley is Mark Strong, although I really like Jeremy Northam. I hope this new Emma will be good!