Emma

Directed by Clarence Brown, Emma follows Marie Dressler’s title character as she finds herself at the center of a legal dust-up after her employer (and husband) dies. It’s a passable premise that’s employed to passable effect by Brown, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by Leonard Praskins, delivers a watchable drama that generally unfolds as one might’ve predicted based on the setup – with the picture’s impact heightened by Dressler’s stirring performance and a handful of impressively stylish interludes. (There is, in terms of the latter, a terrific and hypnotic sequence wherein Emma walks behind another character in a busy train station, with the shot unfolding in a single, unbroken take.) It’s equally clear, though, that Emma suffers from a somewhat erratic atmosphere, as Brown offers up a hit-and-miss narrative that is only periodically as compelling and engaging as one might’ve hoped – although, by that same token, there’s little doubt that the moving climactic stretch ensures the whole thing ends on a positive note. The final result is a decent-enough endeavor that benefits from its vivid execution and stirring performances, with Dressler’s first-class efforts elevating the proceedings on a fairly regular basis.

**1/2 out of ****