| Emma | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Emma |
|
| Directed by | Douglas McGrath |
| Produced by | Patrick Cassavetti Steven Haft |
| Written by | Jane Austen (book) Douglas McGrath (screenplay) |
| Starring | Gwyneth Paltrow Alan Cumming Toni Collette James Cosmo Greta Scacchi Denys Hawthorne Sophie Thompson Jeremy Northam Juliet Stevenson |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
| Cinematography | Ian Wilson |
| Editing by | Lesley Walker |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | August 2, 1996 |
| Running time | 121 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Emma is a 1996 period film based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. Directed by Douglas McGrath, it stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette, and Ewan McGregor.
Contents |
Synopsis
Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people's affairs. When her governess is married and goes to live with her new husband, Emma is triumphant, saying that she made the match herself. Her old friend, Mr. Knightley (Northam), tries to discourage her from doing this again, but she does not listen to him. She immediately introduces the newly-arrived local minister to a local girl, Harriet Smith. Emma and Harriet become steadfast friends, but unhappily, while trying to get the minister and Harriet together, Emma herself becomes the person that the minister fancies. Harriet's heart is broken, but she tries to move onward. When Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor) enters the picture, Emma thinks herself in love, but she soon realizes she is not. She then tries to match Frank and Harriet together, but her former governess tells her that he has been secretly engaged to an acquaintance of Emma's, Jane Fairfax. When Emma tells the news to Harriet, Harriet then informs her that she is not in love with Frank, she is in love with Mr. Knightley! Emma then realizes that she, herself, is in love with Knightley as well, and she does not know what to do. Mr. Knightley then returns from seeing his brother, and after they see each other again, he tells Emma that he is in love with her. She is overjoyed, and they become engaged. When Emma relays the message to Harriet, Harriet is once again heartbroken, but soon gets a proposal from an old friend of hers, and she accepts. Emma and Harriet both end up happily married, along with the Churchills. Although in general staying close to the plot of the book, the screenplay by Douglas McGrath enlivens the banter between the staid Mr. Knightley and the vivacious Emma, making the basis of their attraction more apparent.
Casting
Gwyneth Paltrow won critical acclaim for her role as Emma, particularly her ability to disguise her American accent, though some were left rather bemused as to why an American and an Australian were cast in the leading roles (as Emma and Miss Smith) of this adaptation of a quintessentially English novel. The characters of Mrs. Bates and Miss Bates were played by real-life mother and daughter Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson. Scottish actor Alan Cumming and classical actress Juliet Stevenson stole most of the comic moments as Mr. and Mrs Elton.
Goofs
In the trailer for Emma, the narator says "Emma loves John" with a picture of Mr. Knightley and her kissing. However, Mr. Knightley's name is George. John is the name of Mr. Knightley's brother.
External links
- Emma at the Internet Movie Database
- Emma review by Roger Ebert
- "Life Response" in Emma on Humanscience wikia
