ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

dbdumonteil In its first part ,"Emma" is a comedy the highlight of which is the housekeeper's first "flight" ;but in the second part ,the story turns really dramatic .Clarence Brown was the poet of childhood ("the yearling" " National Velvet" ) and in "Emma" ,the children (and even the husband)now in their twenties have remained very childlike.There's a good chemistry between Marie Dressler and Richard Cromwell (who is best remembered as one of the three Bengal lancers in Hathaway's great classic)who calls her affectionately "beauty".The moral may seem a bit reactionary today : a housekeeper must stay a housekeeper ,just like a black servant must stay a black servant in the contemporary " imitation of life" ;but it was the thirties and one of the rules of melodrama .Emma is an endearing character anyway.

edwagreen This is a totally outstanding film of a woman's devotion as a maid to 4 children, the youngest who adores her and the special relationship they endured, since she held him when his mother died in childbirth.Fast forward to years later when the 4 are now adults, the older 3 really miseries, stuck up to the core as their father (Jean Hersholt) has amassed a fortune.Hersholt marries Emma at the spur of the moment when she is leaving for a much deserved vacation to Niagara Falls. When he dies shortly afterward, the older 3 bring Emma (Marie Dressler at her finest) up on charges of murder. They were greedy and it's basically the same story of greed over-taking all. While Emma is vindicated, her beloved Ronnie dies in a plane crash on his way back to defend her.While the adult children to beg for her forgiveness, in a poignant scene, Emma tells them that she must leave them. Dressler is so convincing here is her comic-dramatic performance. Her scene in the make shift plane is outrageously funny and her final scenes evoke emotions beyond belief.This is certainly a film where one will need a box of tissues. For those who love these kind of films, I heartily recommend 1951's "The Blue Veil," with Jane Wyman and a phenomenal cast. See the film and you'll see somewhat of a connection.

Sinatrafan103 I don't think that I could ever fully explain how wonderful this movie is, since it is just SOOO good. I caught it on Turner Classic Movies last year, and I've been dying to see it since then, but it isn't on DVD or VHS so I''m out of luck. (If anyone runs into a copy PLEASE post on IMDb!) The last post really covered the basic plot. Marie Dressler as Emma is the sweetest, most darling character to ever appear on the screen. She cares for these kids from when they are born to when they are in their twenties and thirties, loving them as if they were her own. Btw, you can catch Myrna Loy in an early non-exotic film role as one of the kids! Equally amazing is Jean Hersholt's performance as the dad. This is the only performance of his that I have ever seen, and anyone who wonders what the Hollywood humanitarian's acting talents looked like should definitely see this movie. It's very interesting that they give out an Academy award in his honor, but they don't have any of his films widely available.If I could pick just five movies in the universe to recommend, this would undoubtedly be one of them. (Primrose Path w/ Ginger Rogers, The Man with the Golden arm w/Frank Sinatra, Easy Rider, and Stage Fright w/Jane Wyman would be the other four== and they were VERY hard to pick just five!!) So next time it's on TV, make sure you watch it!

lwsroute66 This was an outstanding movie and Marie Dressler was at her best, as usual!!!! This was slightly different from other Dressler roles because this was more of a dramatic role, rather than her usual brand of comedy, although she does have comedic scenes within the movie.She has so much depth to her role as Emma, the housekeeper (and nanny), and one can actually feel the joys and happiness when she's working with the family, as well as the pain, suffering, and sorrow she feels when her husband (played by Jean Hersholt) passes away. The scene that really got me the most, though, was right after inheriting her husband's money, his grown children turned on her. (These are the same children whom she looked after from their childhoods.) After demanding they leave the house, Emma begins to feel saddened by seeing visions of these young children she helped to raise from infancy. That scene really got to me. I felt her pain, wondering "How could these children grow up and turn on her like that?" And when her beloved step-son, Ronnie, died, that was really the clincher! I basically predicted THAT would happen but, nonetheless, I could still feel her pain.When watching this movie, grab your popcorn AND a box of Kleenex, because you will need them!!!!