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Emma (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
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
.
), 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:
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.
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.
and Little Dorrit
.
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.
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.
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
period film based on the novel of the same name
Emma
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...
by Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
. Directed by Douglas McGrath, it stars Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
, Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
, Toni Collette
Toni Collette
Antonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
, and Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
.
Synopsis
The film describes a year in the life of Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
), 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
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
, 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
George Knightley
George Knightley is a principal character depicted by Jane Austen in her novel Emma, written in 1816. He is a very wealthy landowner and a lifetime friend of Emma's, though he is nearly seventeen years older than her...
(Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
) 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
Toni Collette
Antonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
), 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 McGregorEwan McGregorEwan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
), 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 WalkerPolly WalkerPolly Walker is an English actress.- Early life :Walker was born in Warrington, Cheshire, England. Her first school was Silverdale Preparatory West Acton, London. At 16, Walker graduated from Ballet Rambert School in Twickenham, began her career as a dancer, but had to abandon dancing after a leg...
). - 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.
Cast
- Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
as Emma WoodhouseEmma WoodhouseEmma Woodhouse is the 20-year old protagonist of Jane Austen's novel Emma. She is described in the novel's opening sentence as "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition."... - Greta ScacchiGreta ScacchiGreta Scacchi is an Italian-Australian actor.-Early life:Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy, on 18 February 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Carsaniga, an English dancer and antiques dealer...
as Mrs Weston (former Miss Anne Taylor, Emma's former governess) - Toni ColletteToni ColletteAntonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
as Miss Harriet Smith - Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
as Mr Elton (the young vicar) - Juliet StevensonJuliet StevensonJuliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
as Mrs Elton - Jeremy NorthamJeremy NorthamJeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
as Mr George KnightleyGeorge KnightleyGeorge Knightley is a principal character depicted by Jane Austen in her novel Emma, written in 1816. He is a very wealthy landowner and a lifetime friend of Emma's, though he is nearly seventeen years older than her...
(Emma's neighbour) - Ewan McGregorEwan McGregorEwan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
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 CosmoJames CosmoJames Cosmo is a prolific Scottish actor, with numerous credits in film and television since the late 1960s and Cosmo is still currently acting. Cosmo was born in Clydebank, Scotland, the son of actor James Copeland...
as Mr Weston (Frank Churchill's father) - Polly WalkerPolly WalkerPolly Walker is an English actress.- Early life :Walker was born in Warrington, Cheshire, England. Her first school was Silverdale Preparatory West Acton, London. At 16, Walker graduated from Ballet Rambert School in Twickenham, began her career as a dancer, but had to abandon dancing after a leg...
as Miss Jane Fairfax (Miss Bates' niece) - Phyllida LawPhyllida Law-Personal life:Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of William and Megsie Law, who divorced after World War II. She was married to Eric Thompson from 1957 until his death in 1982. Their two children Emma and Sophie Thompson are both actresses...
as Mrs Bates - Sophie ThompsonSophie ThompsonSophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
as Miss Bates - Edward WoodallEdward WoodallEdward "Ed" Woodall is an English movie and stage actor. He also directs stage productions in London.Woodall trained at the Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School....
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
Phyllida Law
-Personal life:Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of William and Megsie Law, who divorced after World War II. She was married to Eric Thompson from 1957 until his death in 1982. Their two children Emma and Sophie Thompson are both actresses...
and Sophie Thompson
Sophie Thompson
Sophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
, the real life mother and sister of Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, who had written and starred in Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
. Scottish actor Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
and classical actress Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
stole most of the comic moments as Mr. and Mrs Elton.
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. 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 PersuasionPersuasion (1995 film)
Producer Fiona Finlay had for several years been interested in making a film based on the novel Persuasion, and approached screenwriter Nick Dear about adapting it for television...
and Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit (TV serial)
Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857....
.
Awards
The film earned composer Rachel PortmanRachel Portman
Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman, OBE is a British composer, best known for her film work. She was the first female composer to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Score...
an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Musical or Comedy Score
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
- The first Academy Award in the category of Best Original Score
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
to be awarded to a female composer. Gwyneth Paltrow also won the 1996 Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress in a comedy or musical.
Comparisons with the novel
Although in general staying close to the plot of the book, the screenplay by Douglas McGrathDouglas McGrath
Douglas Geoffrey McGrath is an American screenwriter. He is also a film director and actor.McGrath was nominated for a both an Academy Award and a BAFTA award for his Bullets Over Broadway screenplay...
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.
See also
- Silent WorshipSilent WorshipThe song "Silent Worship" is a 1928 adaptation by Arthur Somervell of the aria "Non lo dirò col labbro" from Handel's 1728 opera Tolomeo . Somervell's English-language adaptation is for voice and piano, and it has remained a popular classic in song recitals and home music-making...
(song sung by Emma and Mr. Churchill) - Clueless (film)—a 1995 American comedy film based partly on EmmaEmmaEmma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...
- Aisha (film)Aisha (film)- Tracklist :...
—a 2010 Bollywood film based partly on EmmaEmmaEmma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...