Emma (1996) ...
| Released: | August 2, 1996 |
| Running Time: | 121 min. |
| Cast: | Gwyneth Paltrow, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi |
| Writers: | Jane Austen (book), Douglas McGrath (screenplay) |
| Director: | Douglas McGrath |
| My Rating | ...1/2 |
Jane Austen seems
to becoming as popular a source for movies as William Shakespeare with another
adaption of one of her popular novels. Gwyneth received much praise for her
performance in Emma, especially in Europe and I have to agree. She is charming
and vivacious and, of course, she does the British thing to perfection, as
usual.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, the immature Emma is clueless about her own feelings. She has decided never to marry (being financially independent) and in general has no interest in the approval of men - except her brother-in-law Mr. Knightley.
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.
Emma is a romantic comedy made in 1996 based on the beloved novel by Jane Austen. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette, and Ewan McGregor. Paltrow plays Emma, a rich young lady in nineteenth century England, living with her elderly father. 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. Knightely, played by Northan, tries to discourage her from doing such again, but she does not listen to him. She immediately introduces the minister to a new girl (Colette), and gets to know the young lady, whose name is Harriet Smith. The two 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.
Enough of the plot. If you haven't read the book or seen any of the previous movies based on the novel, then you can probably surmise that everything works out in the long run. 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.
