Costume Drama : Emma, Mansfield Park, Enchanted April

The most outstanding of the 3 has to be Emma. On its own it scores higher than the whole collection. This delightful version sees Ms Paltrow working hard on a convincing english accent and winning. It is a beautiful tale of a young woman who is so wrapped up in organising the love lives of others that she fails to notice her own. The actors work together well to provide a beautiful feel-good period drama that keeps much of the gentle humour from the novel and moves fast enough to entertain all but the most die-hard period drama spoil-sports. The only slight on the movie was the miscasting of the gorgeous Ewan MaGreggor. Fantastic as he is, he didn't work in this. But it does not interfere with the overall charm of the piece.

Next up is Enchanted April. I had no idea what it was and watched with an open mind. Perhaps a little slow paced for some it is the gentle tale of 4 very different women who share a villa in Italy for a month and let the atmosphere work magic into their lives. The actresses clearly relished their roles. It is a safe, almost 'arty' film, but one worth watching.

Mansfield Park tried too hard and failed dismally. This tale of a young woman's heart being pulled in 2 directions seemed long even though it wasn't. As the least popular of Ms Austen's novels, it must have been a challenge to bring it to the screen but all that was achieved were scenes that raised the film from a possible U or PG rating to a 15 without adding any charm. The real show stealer has to be the actress who plays the young Fanny Price - a girl with a lot of potential - together with the breathtaking scenery from the areas where it was shot.