Emma – 1996 | 120 mins | Romance, Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Director and writer Douglas McGrath’s Emma, is an assured and very funny film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. If the story-line for Emma seems curiously familiar, the reason is that Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone was a modern translation of Austen’s Emma.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse is a delight in this un-ambitious adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. Emma is a rich 21-year-old woman who lives with her widowed father (James Cosmo) in a mansion in Highbury, a small town. Emma is a relentless matchmaker, and finds success in matchmaking when her governess Miss Taylor (Greta Scacchi) marries a family friend, Mr. Weston (James Cosmo). Next she busily tries to fix up orphan Harriet (Toni Collette) with the unpleasant town vicar Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming) rather than her choice of simple farmer (Edward Woodall). However, Elton has other ideas – he loves Miss Woodhouse.

Emma meanwhile meets handsome Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor), Mr. Weston’s son. He is dashing and charming. She is enchanted, maybe, but decides that Frank would be Mr. Right for Harriet. Whilst playing cupid to her friends, all the time Emma is blissfully unaware of the affections her brother-in-law Knightly (Jeremy Northam) holds for her, and her own affections for him.