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At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

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

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This was truly Marie Dressler's finest hour. She was justly nominated for an Oscar for the lead role of Emma in this film. Clarence Brown, who directed so many of Greta Garbo's films, had directed Dressler as Marthy in ANNA Christie (1930/1) with Garbo, and clearly appreciated her unique screen power by casting her in EMMA. It is not often that a 64 year-old actress can entirely dominate a film, but that is what happens here. Among the cast was the young Myrna Loy. The film is based on an original story by Dressler's close friend, the screenwriter Frances Marion. It concerns a middle-aged woman named Emma who is the maid to a family of a man with three children. When the story starts, his wife is in the middle of childbirth. She dies and the baby is also not breathing, but Emma saves the little boy. She then acts as mother to the four children until they are grown up. She also nurses Mr. Smith, the ailing father, a gentle and caring person excellently played by Jean Hersholt. After serving the family selflessly for 32 years, Emma's worth becomes suddenly clear to Mr. Smith and he proposes marriage. He then tragically dies on their honeymoon, having made a will leaving everything to Emma because his unruly children are not responsible enough to handle the money, so that he entrusts Emma with managing it for them. The eldest three turn on her viciously and take her to court, accusing her of having murdered their father to grab the money. This is a very emotional film with lots of comical moments, but it is also a bit of a weepie. It is a magnificent film of its time, and deserves wider recognition. It shows the best and worst sides of human nature. As for Marie Dressler, may her reputation never die.

It wouldn't be Surprising that this Movie was Underwritten by Kleenex. It is a Sorrowful Weeper that is also a Very Charming Picture. Movie Buffs are Aware that Marie Dressler was a Fine Actress who Achieved Major Popularity and Acclaim late in Life but for a Few Brief Years She was at the Top of Her Game and was Awarded for Her Craft both by Her Peers and the Public.Virtually Unknown Today, Dressler and this Film become a Gem of a Discovery for those Searching for Character Studies. This is a Heartwarming Movie with Comedic Elements and High Drama. It could Even be said that this is a Litmus Test for Hard Boiled Eggs who Pride Themselves on Emotional Restraint.After all, Everyone has a Mother, real or Surrogate, and here the Depth of this Nanny and the Realism in the Portrayal are Something to Behold and to Hold on to for a Memory of a Wonderful, Selfless Soul. Once You meet Emma You will Never Forget Her. This Movie is Simply…Beautiful.p.s….of course Hattie McDaniel is the Mother of all Mammies.

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.

This is one of the rare melodramas from 1930's MGM that is really not outdated as others. It is a funny, but genuinely touching story of a devoted housekeeper (Dressler) who marries her wealthy employer, which does not settle well with his grown children. Dressler is just perfect and the ending is so perfect and bittersweet.