Jane Austen’s Emma is not a Christmas tale, but our heroine Emma Woodhouse spends Christmas Eve at a dinner party and visits her friend/protege Harriet Smith on Christmas day, and this may be considered the most festive adaptation, though [Emma (1996)](http://amzn.to/1O3EdmM) starring Gwyneth Paltrow and [Emma (1996)](http://amzn.to/1O3Ehmw) starring Kate Beckinsale also have Christmas scenes.
Although Jane Austen’s Emma has been adapted for the screen many times before, including for an American version starring Gwyneth Paltrow, this four-part miniseries is the version to begin with. The story of Miss Woodhouse, a matchmaker and meddler whose wit and misdirection need to be carefully acted to match the novel’s complex character, is perfectly expressed through Romola Garai’s portrayal. Throughout the retelling of this comedic romantic drama, Garai not only conveys Emma’s strong-willed sensibility but also manages to update Emma for modern audiences without relinquishing the traditional manners and tastes that Austen fans love in her 1815 historical tale. Each episode, here, opens with a seasonal shot of Hartfield, the estate Emma rules while caring for her loyal and kind but protective father (Michael Gambon). Having lost her mother early, Emma feels a bond with two other unfortunate children in Highbury, Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans) and Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper), whom Emma befriends as they return home from boarding schools abroad.
Romola Garai (“Atonement”) is irresistible as the willful, wrongheaded matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, all but eclipsing her many predecessors in the role. And Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter,” “Cranford”) is just as distinctive as Emma’s fretful, draft-fearing father. The casting of the lead is critical, but some of the most memorable Emmas owe much of their success to secondary characters. Mr. Gambon does not disappoint. – NYT
Starring Romola Garai, Jonny Lee Miller, Michael Gambon, Tamsin Greig, Rupert Evans.