Emma (1996 film)
| Emma | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Douglas McGrath |
| Produced by | Patrick Cassavetti Steven Haft |
| Screenplay by | Douglas McGrath |
| Based on | Emma by Jane Austen |
| Starring | Gwyneth Paltrow Alan Cumming Toni Collette Ewan McGregor Polly Walker James Cosmo Greta Scacchi Denys Hawthorne Sophie Thompson Jeremy Northam Juliet Stevenson Edward Woodall |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
| Cinematography | Ian Wilson |
| Editing by | Lesley Walker |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | August 2, 1996 |
| Running time | 121 minutes |
| Language | English |
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 |
[edit] Synopsis
The film describes a year in the life of Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow), a congenial but naïve young lady who thinks of herself as a romantic matchmaker in her small community in early 19th-century England. Emma fails horribly as a matchmaker, but things ultimately end well for her and her friends.
When her governess, Miss Taylor, gets married and goes to live with her new husband, Mr. Weston, Emma proudly takes credit for having brought the couple together. Her father and their old family friend George Knightley (Jeremy Northam) dispute her claim and disapprove of her trying to make more matches, but she ignores their warnings and sets her mind on setting up Mr. Elton, the minister who performed the Westons's marriage ceremony, with Harriet Smith (Toni Collette), an unsophisticated young woman just entering society.
As a close friendship develops between Emma and Harriet, it becomes clear that Harriet is being courted by Robert Martin, a farmer who has known Harriet since she was a girl. When Mr. Martin proposes to Harriet, she is inclined to accept, but she has come to rely heavily on Emma's advice, and Emma persuades her to reject the proposal.
Meanwhile, Mr. Elton has been expressing a desire for Emma by taking an interest in a picture she drew of Harriet and by giving her a riddle for a book of riddles being compiled by Harriet. Emma misinterprets this as interest in Harriet, but when Mr. Elton and Emma are alone, he fervently declares his love for Emma herself, and she finally realizes her mistake. She rejects his pleas, and he later marries another woman, who turns out to be a vain socialite who competes with Emma for status in the community.
Over the next few months, various gatherings show who loves whom among Emma's friends:
- Emma is briefly attracted to a charming, gallant young man named Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor), Mr. Weston's son who comes to visit from London, but Emma soon decides to set him up with Harriet.
- Frank Churchill is revealed to have a secret engagement with a shy, pretty woman named Jane Fairfax (Polly Walker).
- Harriet has no interest in Frank Churchill, preferring Mr. Knightley, who was the only man who would dance with her at a party.
- Mr. Knightley danced with Harriet only out of politeness, and is starting to fall in love with Emma.
The conclusion of the story begins when Emma ridicules a poor woman named Miss Bates during a picnic, after which Mr. Knightley angrily scolds Emma and leaves town for a while. She finds herself thinking about him while he's away, but doesn't realise she loves him until Harriet expresses interest in him. When Mr. Knightley returns, he and Emma cross paths in a meadow and have a conversation that begins awkwardly but ends with him asking her to marry him and her gladly accepting. The news of their engagement upsets Harriet, who avoids Emma for a while, but returns a few weeks later, engaged to Mr. Martin. The film ends with Emma and Mr. Knightley's wedding.
[edit] Cast
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse
- Greta Scacchi as Mrs Weston (former Miss Anne Taylor, Emma's former governess)
- Toni Collette as Miss Harriet Smith
- Alan Cumming as Mr Elton (the young vicar)
- Juliet Stevenson as Mrs Elton
- Jeremy Northam as Mr George Knightley (Emma's neighbour)
- Ewan McGregor as Mr Frank Churchill (Mr. Weston's son from his first marriage, he was raised by his uncle and aunt whose last name he took)
- James Cosmo as Mr Weston (Frank Churchill's father)
- Polly Walker as Miss Jane Fairfax (Miss Bates' niece)
- Phyllida Law as Mrs Bates
- Sophie Thompson as Miss Bates
- Edward Woodall as Mr Robert Martin
Gwyneth Paltrow won critical acclaim for her role as Emma, particularly her ability to deliver an impeccable English accent, disguising her normal American accent. The characters of Mrs. Bates and Miss Bates were played by real-life mother and daughter Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson, the real life mother and sister of Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson, who had written and starred in Sense and Sensibility. Scottish actor Alan Cumming and classical actress Juliet Stevenson stole most of the comic moments as Mr. and Mrs Elton.
[edit] Production
McGrath originally wanted to make an updated film version of Emma set in modern times, but abandoned the idea on learning that Amy Heckerling's Clueless was already in production.[1] The costume film went ahead in production and later got released in its 19th-century form. In addition, McGrath made use of costumes that appeared later in other movies, including Persuasion and Little Dorrit.
[edit] Awards
The film earned composer Rachel Portman an Academy Award for Best Musical or Comedy Score - The first Academy Award in the category of Best Original Score to be awarded to a female composer. Gwyneth Paltrow also won the 1996 Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress in a comedy or musical.
[edit] Comparisons with the novel
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.
Austen's original novel deals with Emma's false sense of class superiority, for which she is eventually chastised. In an essay from Jane Austen in Hollywood, Nora Nachumi writes that, due partly to Paltrow's star status, Emma appears less humbled by the end of this film than she does in the novel.[2]
[edit] See also
- Silent Worship (song sung by Emma and Mr. Churchill)
- Clueless (film)—a 1995 American comedy film based partly on Emma
- Aisha (film)—a 2010 Bollywood film based partly on Emma
[edit] References
- ^ Emma (1996) Review at erasofelegance.com
- ^ Peter M. Nichols, The New York Times Essential Library: Children's Movies, Times Books, 2003, ISBN 0-8050-7198-9,
[edit] External links
- Emma at the Internet Movie Database
- Emma at Rotten Tomatoes
- Emma at Metacritic
|
|||||||||||
_hires.jpg)
.jpg)
