Produced by Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films and Blueprint Pictures, a film adaptation of Austen's novel by Focus Features began development in October 2018 when Taylor-Joy was cast in the title role, with de Wilde attached as the director. The remainder of the supporting roles were cast by March 2019. Principal photography took place between March and June 2019 across England.
In RegencyEngland, the wealthy and beautiful twenty-year-old Emma Woodhouse lives with her widowed father at his Hartfield estate in the Surrey village of Highbury. A frequent visitor to Hartfield is George Knightly, a close friend of the family and owner of nearby Donwell Abbey. George is the brother of John Knightly, the husband of Emma's sister Isabella who lives in London.
Emma prides herself on her matchmaking skills, and successfully arranges the marriage of her old governess, Miss Taylor, to Mr Weston. She befriends Harriet Smith, a naive young woman of uncertain parentage who boards at a local girls' school, and persuades her to decline a marriage proposal from a respectable farmer, Robert Martin, instead recommending the local vicar, Mr Elton. George Knightly privately expresses his disapproval, telling Emma that she is encouraging Harriet to aspire to a man who can never accept her.
On the way home from a dinner party, Emma finds herself alone in a carriage with Mr Elton. To her shock, he proposes marriage, leading to an awkward rejection. Only then does she learn that what she had mistaken for affection towards Harriet was merely Mr Elton's attempt to woo Emma herself. Mr Elton subsequently leaves the area, returning six weeks later with a new wife, the pretentious Augusta.
Two long-anticipated visitors arrive: Jane Fairfax, the highly accomplished niece of Miss Bates, a genteel but poor family friend who is notable for her incessant chatter; and the charming Frank Churchill who, always required to be at his wealthy aunt's beck and call, has had few opportunities to visit. Emma finds herself intrigued by Frank and is envious of Jane's talents.
Frank's arrival prompts the Westons to hold a ball, at which Mr Elton rudely snubs Harriet. She is rescued by George Knightley, who asks her to dance. Emma and Knightley also share a dance, awakening romantic feelings between them.
During a picnic at Box Hill, Frank urges the company to play a lighthearted game, and Emma, in a moment of thoughtless humour, insults Miss Bates, causing her great distress. Knightley privately reprimands Emma for her unkindness, prompting her to reflect on her behaviour. She apologises to Miss Bates, who forgives her. Harriet confides to Emma that she has again found love; she does not name the man, but Emma assumes she is referring to Frank Churchill.
The sudden death of Frank’s aunt leads to the revelation that Frank and Jane Fairfax have been secretly engaged, a match they had been concealing from her. Emma attempts to break the news gently to Harriet, only to be told that it is George Knightly not Frank whom Harriet loves. According to Harriet, her love is reciprocated.
Knightley happens upon Emma while she is out walking. He is determined now to declare his love for her, but Emma stops him, believing that he has come to confess his love for Harriet. So overcome is Emma when she realises what Knightly is saying that she develops a nosebleed. She joyfully accepts his hand.
Emma visits Mr Martin to make amends, offering him a portrait of Harriet she drew herself. Mr Martin renews his offer of marriage, and this time Harriet accepts. Harriet and Robert Martin marry, followed by Emma and George Knightley.
In the film, Jane Fairfax (played by Amber Anderson) outshines Emma by performing the third movement from Mozart'sPiano Sonata No 12 on the fortepiano. A trained pianist, Anderson had to relearn the piece to adapt her technique to the period instrument's shorter keys.[14]
The credit sequence features Queen Bee, an original song by Johnny Flynn. Isobel Waller-Bridge asked Flynn to write a song for the film. He wrote Queen Bee to convey Knightley's perspective on Emma, and performed it in a style appropriate for the film's period.[15]
The soundtrack features many a cappella recordings of folk songs by such artists as Maddy Prior and the Watersons. De Wilde had an immediate conception of the film's music as rooted in folk music. She also wanted the orchestral score to emulate Sergei Prokofiev'sPeter and the Wolf, where the characters had a theme personifying each one.[16]
Anya Taylor-Joy, Anderson and Flynn all sing onscreen in the film. Taylor-Joy took pains to explain that her performance of The Last Rose of Summer used an affected style that she imagined Emma Woodhouse would use to charm her audience.[17]
Anderson and Flynn sing a duet of Drink to me Only With Thine Eyes written by Ben Jonson in the film during a ball scene.
Emma grossed $10.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.4 million.[3][4]
In North America, it made $230,000 from five theaters in its opening weekend, for a per-venue average of $46,000, the highest of 2020 at that point.[21] It went wide two weeks later, grossing $5 million from 1,565 theaters and finishing sixth at the box office. Its time at the box office was then interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic closing theaters.[22]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 257 reviews, with an average of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Other adaptations may do a better job of consistently capturing the spirit of the classic source material, but Jane Austen fans should still find a solid match in this Emma."[24] On Metacritic, the film was assigned a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported it received an average 3 out of 5 stars, with 44% of people they surveyed saying they would definitely recommend it.[23]
In a mostly favorable review written for Variety, Andrew Barker referred to the film as a "an entirely worthy companion" to other adaptations of the novel, though noted it was "hardly a definitive take".[26]
↑ "Production Weekly"(PDF). Production Weekly. No.1123. 20 December 2018. p.19. Archived from the original(PDF) on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
↑ de Wilde, Autumn (18 March 2019). "DAY ONE of production complete". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2019. I am thrilled to announce that I am directing Jane Austen's "Emma" starring @anyataylorjoy for @focusfeatures @workingtitlefilms & @blueprint.pictures // screenplay by eleanorcatton // photo by @anyataylorjoy // @emmafilm // "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." // #emma #hansomecleverandrich
↑ de Wilde, Autumn (6 June 2019). "And just like that we have wrapped principle [sic] photography on my first feature film, EMMA". Instagram.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022. // @emmafilm // I can't wait to share it with you all // Photo I took in rehearsals where it all started with @anyataylorjoy as Emma and #johnnyflynn as Mr. Knightley // Thank you to Eleanor Catton for your incredible adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" as well as the magnificent joy of collaborating with you // Thank you to my incredible cast and crew as well as @workingtitlefilms @blueprint.pictures & @focusfeatures for all your support // #janeausten // #emmafilmbts #autumndewildebts
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