31 Thoughts I Had After Watching "Emma" For The First Time

    Emma: "Oh yeah, don't worry; I won't get involved." Also Emma: Here's my 34-step plan of involvement that I will execute to the best of my ability.

    Rachel Strolle
    by Rachel Strolle

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Hi, I'm Rachel, and despite being a romance lover, librarian, former bookseller, book festival team member, and BuzzFeed books contributor, the only Austen media I've ever consumed was Pride and Prejudice (2005).

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    That's right — I never read any of the books and have only seen that one film so far. 

    But as a lover of Anya Taylor-Joy, it only felt right to check out the 2020 film version of Emma. And while I haven't seen a direct adaptation of this book, I have seen a retelling of it in the form of Clueless. So, without further ado, let's get started.

    1. We are starting strong with lots of flowers and pretty music in the background.

    The back of Emma in a long gown facing a gorgeous archway of flowers
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    I already know I'm going to love this movie aesthetically. 

    2. I've been delighted at each introduction so far.

    Anya-Taylor Joy (Emma) stands next to a grimacing Bill Nighy
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    Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma? Gemma Whelan? Bill Nighy? The inspector guy from Sherlock? MIRANDA? I was going to write how excited I was about Bill Nighy and then Miranda Hart popped up. 

    3. On a scale of 1% to 100%, I am 3,000% obsessed with Emma's wedding hat.

    Emma wears an embellished hat complete with feathers and ribbons.
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    4. Oh, Josh O'Connor is in this too!

    Josh O'Connor plays a priest who stands at the front of the altar
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    His little eye flickers as he introduces the bride and groom...A+.

    5. I'm convinced that parts of Knightley's screenplay just said [dramatic walk], and honestly, I'm here for it.

    The back of Mr. Woodhouse as he dramatically leaves the room
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    Also obsessed with the fact that Emma starts playing piano the second the door opens for Mr. Knightley. 

    6. The costuming in this movie is something else.

    Mr. Woodhouse sleeps in a chair
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    BRB, gotta go convince my dad to dress like Emma's dad. 

    7. Can someone please open an ice cream parlor or tea shop with the vibes of this room that Emma and Harriet are in?

    Emma and Harriet turn and face in other in conversation
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    8. This movie is making me realize I need to up my hat game.

    Emma, adorning a navy and red hat that includes many embellishments, looks onward
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    I don't currently have a hat game, but I could start one. 

    9. I really feel represented by Miranda Hart's character getting distracted by literally everything in the shop during her story.

    Emma wears a bright yellow dress and talking to a very distracted Miss Bates
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    10. Emma in this yellow and black outfit and Cher in her yellow and black plaid in Clueless? Both iconic.

    Emma wears her same yellow dress as she takes a stroll outdoors
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    11. "You must never flatter me in front of Mr. Knightley."

    Knightley (played by Johnny Flynn) sits next to Emma
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    And with that single interaction, I now cannot wait for Knightley and Emma to get together. 

    12. The thought of proposing to someone via letter makes me anxious.

    Emma reads a letter with Harriet beside her
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    Step 1: Send letter.

    Steps 2–402: Panic.

    Step 403: Stare blankly at the postman every day, waiting for a response.

    Step 404: Cry.

    13. Emma: "Oh yeah, don't worry; I won't get involved."

    Emma and Knightley argue in the dining room
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    Also Emma: Here's my 34-step plan of involvement that I will execute to the best of my ability. 

    14. More movies should have Bill Nighy on a couch reacting to things.

    Bill Nighy looks unimpressed
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    Especially when those things are Josh O'Connor grinning wildly at his little painting box reveal.

    15. Emma's expression holding this crying child is very relatable.

    Emma holds a young child as Knightley looks on
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    16. "I must admit I have not yet been proved wrong."

    Emma and Knightley participate in thoughtful discussion
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    Of course not, Emma — we're only a third of the way through this film. 

    17. "Your feelings are singular."

    Emma looks away, Knightley stares at her from behind
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    I am obsessed with her. 

    18. I have to shout out the composition of a lot of these shots.

    Emma looks especially over it at dinner as she sits next to the vicar, a candle separating the two
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    The candle centerpiece being perfectly in the center of the screen, with Emma and the vicar on each side? Magnificent. 

    19. Elton getting out of the carriage is what I want to do every time something embarrassing happens in my life.

    A carriage drawn by two horses sits in the snow
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    Getting out in the snow? I guess that's one way to chill. 

    20. Emma and Harriet staring blankly as Miss Bates talks is what I must look like whenever anyone starts talking about golf.

    Emma and Harriet stare blankly and bored-looking, each wearing a fancy hat
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    21. Listen, I am forever grateful to wear sweatpants and such, but I do wish I dressed like I was in this movie.

    Emma and Harriet stand next to each other in tailored dresses and matching hats
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    Emma Woodhouse has never had to wear a pair of jeans, and of that I am slightly jealous. 

    22. Oh, Mr. Knightley and his One Direction hair can play the violin? And SING?

    Knightley plays the violin
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    There is more singing in this film than I was expecting.

    23. Elton and his puffy sleeves have returned.

    Elton, dressed in religious attire, stands at the front of the church at a podium
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    With a new wife!

    24. I could write essays on the way this film uses stillness as an accent.

    Knightley and Emma enter a room, we see them from behind
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    See also: the color yellow.

    25. I barely moved as Knightley and Emma danced together.

    Emma and Knightley lock eyes intensely as they dance
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    The TENSION!

    Also I'm wildly grateful that I have never had to learn any dances to do at parties.

    26. He just RAN TO HER HOME? HE CHASED HER CARRIAGE?

    Knightley in a top hat running, we see him from behind
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    NOOOOO, THEY WERE INTERRUPTED.

    27. Mood.

    Knightley lying in the center of the floor on his back, staring up dramatically
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    28. Oh no, Harriet likes Knightley and not Churchill, doesn't she?

    Harriet and Emma talk by the windowsill
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    29. "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

    Knightley has a conversation with Emma
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    Yes, Knightley, even with your boy band hair and your sideburns, I love you.

    30. Emma's dad with the screen move to get them next to each other!

    A screen is moved from the sitting room
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    Bill Nighy delights me.

    31. Well...Emma popped onscreen in her wedding dress, and I started crying!

    Emma on her wedding day
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    They're letting ELTON marry them???? Wild.

    Thanks for coming on this journey with me of seeing this lovely movie!

    I have to say, I know everyone is obsessed with the Darcy hand flex from Pride and Prejudice, but Knightley forlornly lying on the ground is just as spectacular. (And if you're in the mood for something else Emma-inspired, make sure to check out Fresh by Margot Wood, which released earlier this month!)