I settled in tonight to watch Masterpiece Theater Classic only to discover that it is yet another remake of Jane Austen’s Emma. As much as I love Jane Austen and enjoy Masterpiece Theater’s productions of her work, didn’t I see another version of Emma on Masterpiece Theater just last year? Aren’t there any other authors and other stories that Masterpiece Theater could produce?
Mystery seems to do the same with Agatha Christie's and Arthur Conan Doyle's works, but at least with these two authors, there are many more stories to choose from. Still, I do crave exposure to other authors.
I guess I shouldn’t complain too loudly, though. They could turn *shudder* Hollywood, and not only create endless remakes, but pick stories that aren’t nearly as good and then substitute CGI for good writing.
What is the point of remaking any of these over and over and over again when the dialogue and scenes stay the same? I caught the last half hour of "Emma" last night and kept wondering why the show existed when Paltrow and Northam had said the same exact words in 1996--and, in fact, in my opinion said them far better.
ReplyDeleteI felt the 2010 version brought absolutely nothing new to the production. And while I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who will tell me that the 1996 incarnation wasn't the first version of "Emma" and that such-and-such version is markedly better. I don't care. My point is, enough is enough.