Emma (1996)

In rural 1800s England things go bad for a young matchmaker after she finds a man for another woman.

Director:

Douglas McGrath

Writers:

Jane Austen (novel), Douglas McGrath (screenplay)

Stars:

Gwyneth Paltrow, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Emma Woodhouse
James Cosmo	...	Mr. Weston
Greta Scacchi	...	Mrs. Weston
Alan Cumming	...	Mr. Elton
Denys Hawthorne	...	Mr. Woodhouse
Sophie Thompson	...	Miss Bates
Jeremy Northam	...	Mr. Knightley
Toni Collette	...	Harriet Smith
Kathleen Byron	...	Mrs. Goddard
Phyllida Law	...	Mrs. Bates
Edward Woodall	...	Mr. Robert Martin
Brett Miley	...	Little Boy
Brian Capron	...	John Knightley
Karen Westwood	...	Isabella Knightley
Paul Williamson	...	Footman

Storyline

Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people's affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightly.

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Plot Keywords:

love | england | matchmaker | jane austen | matchmaking | 

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Taglines:

Cupid is armed and dangerous!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Emma (de Jane Austen)

Filming Locations:

Breakspear House, Harefield, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£402,499 (UK) (13 September 1996)

Gross:

ITL 109,430,000 (Italy) (28 March 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Matchmaker Films, Haft Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min 94 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ewan McGregor had not read the original novel prior to filming.

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Goofs

Frank Churchill's hair changes length in the scenes when he says goodbye to Emma - shorter when he arrives and longer when he leaves.

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Quotes

Emma Woodhouse: How fascinating that any discordancy between us must always arise from *my* being wrong.
Mr. Knightley: Not fascinating, but true.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to ... the people of Evershot.

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Connections

Referenced in 3rd Rock from the Sun: Dick Jokes (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Silent Worship"
from "Ptolemy" (1728)
Written by George Frideric Handel (as G.F. Handel)
Words by Arthur Somervell
Performed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor
Arranged by Arthur Somervell
©J. Corwen & Sons Ltd.

User Reviews

Gwyneth surprises

I have no idea how a Texan (the director, Douglas McGrath) and the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow ever pulled this off but seeing this again will remind you what all the fuss about Ms. Paltrow was in the first place! I had long since gone off the woman and still feel she is rather dull in her Oscar-winning "Shakespeare In Love" performance but she gets all the beats right here--she is nigh on perfect as Emma Woodhouse. She may have won her Oscar for Shakespeare but she should be remembered for this.

Of course, she's surrounded by a great supporting cast including Toni Collette, Greta Scacchi, Juliette Stevenson et al...Jeremy Northam is very appealing as the love interest, even if the script wallows a bit in his declaration of love to Paltrow (in the process, allowing all of the tension to drain out of their relationship); several years on, Ewan's hair is a little easier to take than it was in '96 and, personally, I find puckish Alan Cumming a grating presence in anything nowadays. But the standout is, without a doubt, Sophie Thompson (sister of Emma Thompson, daughter of Phyllida Law) as Miss Bates; what this version needs is a scene where Emma reconciles with Miss Bates, as she is the character to whose fate we are drawn. The film is worth watching (again even) for her performance alone.

All in all, this has aged wonderfully with charm to spare and more than enough subtlety to sort out the British class system. Well worth a rental (because its unlikely that Paltrow will ever be this good again--but we'll always have Emma).