Some Emma versions portray Frank Churchill in positive ways--or at least with a plenitude of excuses. After all, Emma misreads him, which is hardly his fault. Emma also excuses him.
Here's the important point: Emma is wrong--about a lot of stuff. She is also wrong to excuse Frank.
Austen doesn't mean us to think well of Frank. Without letting Emma off the hook, she presents Frank as wholly careless and something of a user. He may not be as villainous as Wickham, but he is well within the same territory.
The problem is not (necessarily) his use of Emma to disguise his interest in Jane Fairfax. It is his treatment of Jane. His gestures seem romantic, but every gesture places Jane in an uncomfortable position, which Mr. Knightly recognizes. If Jane had the friendship and protection of someone like Emma...but she doesn't. Frank has left her open to whispers, speculation, and possible censure--and this is the woman he loves! He makes the entire matter worse by making fun of Jane with Emma. He does this to disguise his interest; it is the equivalent of dipping Jane's pigtails in the inkwell. For anybody over the age of 15, it is utterly puerile.
A mature man would have stayed away until the issue of inheritance was resolved--or rather, a mature man would have attended his father's wedding and left when Jane arrived. But Frank hangs around. He pushes people's buttons. He makes gestures and gets people talking. He deliberately teases Jane, who cannot respond in kind. He seems enamored by his own cleverness. One can only hope that Jane will have the wherewithal to tolerate her husband-to-be.
Out of the many renditions, I give Ewan McGregor in Gwyneth Paltrow's version a thumbs-up. He captures the friendly mockery, the playacting--in sum, the con-artistry that doesn't stray so far that Frank ceases to be a gentleman. (Barely.)
As for the latest version, Emma (2020), directed by Autumn de Wilde: Mr. Knightly (Johnny Flynn) is perfectly cast and acted. Unfortunately, Emma (Anya Taylor-Joy) is not all that likable though I appreciated that the scriptwriters gave her a sharper wit (as does the book--there is a reason her quick reply to Miss Bates on the expedition is so cutting). She is a difficult heroine to like anyway (as Austen acknowledged) and the cluelessness of Paltrow (and Silverstone) softens her somewhat.
On the other hand, 2020 Emma truly grows up since she has fewer excuses for her misunderstandings.
Josh O'Connor plays Mr. Elton and proves, yet again, that he can do anything. Tanya Reynolds is delightful as Mrs. Elton (although Juliet Stevenson still reigns supreme). Miranda Hart is the best version of Miss Bates I've seen: she is sweet and likable and annoying at the same time. Mia Goth as Harriet is not as memorable as Toni Collette but somewhat more accurate.
 |
| Callum Turner |
Callum Turner as Frank Churchill is very nearly villainous, which impressed me. He comes across as the kind of guy who encourages people to behave at their worst, not because he has any sense of good or bad behavior but because he is always covering for something. He isn't planning to show disrespect to his father, to put Jane's reputation at risk, to mislead Emma. It just kind of all happens as his personal plans get put into motion.
The book doesn't give us his justifications; there may, in fact, not be any. He just does what he does and cleans it all up later.
Unlike Emma, Frank may not be capable of change.
Austen was extraordinarily skilled at presenting the "Frank" type of character--and then leaving him to his own devices and future. She was even willing to allow that he may continue to skate along, never paying any real price for the effects of his behavior, for the rest of his life.
