Emma. | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Autumn de Wilde |
Screenplay by | Eleanor Catton |
Based on | Emma by Jane Austen |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Christopher Blauvelt |
Edited by | Nick Emerson |
Music by |
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Production companies | |
Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 124 minutes |
Countries | |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million [2] |
Box office | $27.4 million [3] [4] |
Emma (stylized as Emma.) is a 2020 period romantic comedy film directed by Autumn de Wilde, from a screenplay by Eleanor Catton, based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the same name. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Miss Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and elegant young woman living with her father in Regency-era England who amuses herself with matchmaking and meddles in the romantic lives of those closest to her. The film also stars Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy.
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.
Emma was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, and in the United States on 21 February 2020 by Universal Pictures. It received generally favourable reviews, with the performances and production design singled out for praise. It grossed $27 million worldwide against its budget of $10 million. The film received two Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 93rd Academy Awards, as well as a Best Costume Design nomination at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, three nominations at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination (for Taylor-Joy) at the 78th Golden Globe Awards.
In Regency-era England, the wealthy and beautiful twenty one year old Emma Woodhouse lives with her father at his Hartfield estate in the Surrey town of Highbury, and is often visited by Mr Knightley, a local landowner who is the brother of her sister, Isabella's, husband.
Emma searches for a new companion after her old governess, Miss Taylor, gets married. She settles on Harriet Smith, a younger girl who Emma supposes is the unclaimed child of a gentleman; Harriet's parents are unknown, but her education has been provided for.
Harriet tells Emma that Mr. Robert Martin, a tenant farmer of Mr. Knightley, has proposed marriage to her. Though claiming she will not interfere, Emma implies her disapproval so Harriet would refuse. Emma believes that Mr. Elton, the local vicar, is in love with Harriet and encourages her to transfer her hopes to him, despite Mr. Knightley's warning that she should not involve herself in the situation.
At Christmas time, Isabella and her husband come to visit with their children. After everyone leaves dinner with the Westons early, Emma finds herself alone in a carriage with Mr. Elton, who then proposes marriage to her solely for her wealth. Emma refuses him, and Mr. Elton furiously disappears for six weeks, eventually returning with a wealthy but pretentious wife, Augusta, who continually attempts to usurp Emma's position as the village queen bee. Two much-talked-about relations of Highbury residents appear: Jane Fairfax, the niece of Miss Bates, and Frank Churchill, Mr. Weston's son from his first marriage. Emma grows envious of Jane's accomplishments, but is attracted by Frank.
Frank's arrival prompts the Westons to hold a ball, where Mr. Elton embarrasses Harriet by pointedly refusing to dance with her. She is rescued by Mr. Knightley, who asks her to dance. Emma and Mr. Knightley also dance together, awakening romantic feelings between them.
Though Emma leaves before Mr. Knightley can speak to her, he runs to her home only for their meeting to be interrupted by Frank, who has rescued Harriet after she is set upon by traveller children. Harriet tells Emma that she has fallen in love again, leading Emma to believe Harriet is in love with Frank. Emma again vows not to interfere, but manipulates circumstances so that Harriet and Frank may spend more time together.
Emma tries to spend more time with Mr. Knightley and is surprised when he repeatedly ignores her. On a picnic with their social acquaintances at Box Hill, Frank urges them to play a game to amuse Emma, who unthinkingly insults Miss Bates, leading the party to disband. Mr. Knightley rebukes Emma for her behaviour, and a humiliated Emma apologizes to Miss Bates, who accepts her apology without question.
Frank Churchill's wealthy aunt dies, so he is no longer required to be at her beck and call. The Westons reveal he was secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax and waiting for his aunt, who opposed the match, to die. The Westons had thought Emma was enamored with Frank, but she is only distressed on account of Harriet's supposed hopes. Emma breaks the news to Harriet, who reveals that she is in love with Mr. Knightley and, because of his actions, believes he is in love with her too. Harriet realizes that Emma herself is in love with Mr. Knightley. Emma vows not to interfere this time with Harriet’s affections.
Mr. Knightley happens upon Emma out walking to clear her head. He loves Emma yet she thinks he loves Harriet and, with neither stating their perceptions, their conversation is ripe with confusion. When he finally reveals that she is who he loves, and asks if there is any chance she would marry him, Emma develops a nosebleed from her bafflement turned euphoria. Yet she is committed to Harriet’s happiness, so will not accept his proposal, until Harriet is betrothed to whom she has loved all along.
Emma goes to Mr. Martin to make amends, offering him a portrait of Harriet she drew herself. Harriet tells Emma that she has accepted Mr. Martin's renewed offer of marriage, and that her father has revealed his identity now that she is of age; he is not a gentleman, but a tradesman who makes galoshes. Emma congratulates Harriet and invites her to bring her father to Emma's home once he comes to Highbury.
Though Emma and Mr. Knightley are very much in love, Emma is distressed at the thought of leaving her father alone. To accommodate her wishes, Mr. Knightley suggests that he join them at Hartfield rather than have Emma quit her father's home. She happily agrees, and they are married.
In October 2018, Anya Taylor-Joy was cast in the lead role, and Autumn de Wilde was signed for her directorial debut. [5] In December 2018, Johnny Flynn joined the cast. [6]
In March 2019, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Miranda Hart, Rupert Graves, Gemma Whelan, Amber Anderson and Tanya Reynolds joined the cast, [7] and Alexandra Byrne signed as costume designer. [8]
Principal photography began on 18 March 2019, was scheduled to conclude on 24 May, but eventually wrapped on 6 June 2019. [9] [10] [11]
Firle Place in Sussex was used for the exterior of Emma's home. [12] Other locations included Lower Slaughter (exteriors) in the Cotswolds standing in for the village of Highbury, Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire, Wilton House near Salisbury in Wiltshire, and Chavenage House at Beverston, Gloucestershire. [12]
Director de Wilde decided the film's title should include a period (full stop) to signify its being a period piece. [13]
In the film, Jane Fairfax (played by Amber Anderson) outshines Emma by performing the third movement from Mozart's Piano 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 artists like Maddy Prior and the Watersons. De Wilde had an immediate conception of the film's music being rooted in folk music. She also wanted the orchestral score to emulate Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, where each character had a theme that personified them. [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.
The adagio from the final movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor, "Farewell", is also heard in the film.[ citation needed ]
Emma was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, coinciding with Valentine's Day, and in the United States on 21 February. [18]
It was released digitally in March 2020 in the United States, Canada and the UK through Premium VOD on streaming platforms, due to movie theatre closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 19 May. [20]
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]
In Spain, it has grossed €228,000 ($285,000). [23]
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]
Emma is a novel written by English author Jane Austen. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates of Hartfield, Randalls and Donwell Abbey, and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families. The novel was first published in December 1815, although the title page is dated 1816. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian–Regency England. Emma is a comedy of manners.
Clueless is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Lawrence. The film is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma. The plot centers on a beautiful, popular, and rich high school student who befriends a new student and decides to give her a makeover while playing matchmaker for her teachers and examining her own existence.
Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 historical romantic drama film directed by Joe Wright, in his feature directorial debut, and based on Jane Austen's 1813 novel. The film features five sisters from an English family of landed gentry as they deal with issues of marriage, morality and misconceptions. Keira Knightley stars as Elizabeth Bennet, while Matthew Macfadyen plays Mr Darcy who falls in love with her.
Romola Sadie Garai is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include Nicholas Nickleby (2002), I Capture the Castle (2003), Inside I'm Dancing (2004), and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004). She has gained prominence for her performances in the critically acclaimed costume dramas such as Vanity Fair (2004), As You Like It (2006), Amazing Grace (2007), Atonement (2007), Glorious 39 (2009), and Suffragette (2015).
Emma is a 1996 period comedy film based on the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. Written and directed by Douglas McGrath, and produced by Patrick Cassavetti and Steven Haft, the film stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor, and Jeremy Northam.
Emma is a television film based on the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence and dramatised by Andrew Davies, the same year as Miramax's film adaptation of Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow was released. This production stars Kate Beckinsale as the title character, and also features Samantha Morton as Harriet Smith and Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley.
Emma was a six-part TV serial adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma by BBC Television that was broadcast in 1972. It was directed by John Glenister.
Autumn de Wilde is an American photographer and film director best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians, as well as her music video works. In 2020 she directed her first feature film, Emma.
George Knightley is a principal character depicted by Jane Austen in her novel Emma, published in 1815. He is a landowner and gentleman farmer, though "having little spare money". A lifetime friend of Emma's, though nearly seventeen years older than she, he is one of the only characters willing to correct her when he believes her to be doing wrong.
Emma Woodhouse is the 21-year-old titular protagonist of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma. She is described in the novel's opening sentence as "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition... and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." Jane Austen, while writing the novel, called Emma, "a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like."
Emma is a four-part BBC television drama serial adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma. The episodes were written by Sandy Welch, writer of previous BBC costume dramas Jane Eyre and North & South, and directed by Jim O'Hanlon. The serial stars Romola Garai as the titular heroine Emma Woodhouse, Jonny Lee Miller as her loyal lifelong friend Mr. Knightley, and Michael Gambon as Emma's father, Mr. Woodhouse. The serial originally ran weekly on Sunday nights on BBC One from 4 to 25 October 2009.
Aisha is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama directed by Rajshree Ojha. It features an ensemble cast of Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Ira Dubey, Cyrus Sahukar, Amrita Puri, Anand Tiwari, Arunoday Singh and Lisa Haydon. It is set in the upper-class society of Delhi, India and is an adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma with the same tone as the cult Hollywood film Clueless which is also an adaptation of Austen's novel. The soundtrack of the film, which was composed by Amit Trivedi with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar, received highly positive reviews from music critics.
Mr Henry Woodhouse is a central character in Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma and the father of the protagonist, Emma Woodhouse. He is a wealthy member of the English landed gentry who owns a large country estate.
Emma Approved was an American multi-platform web series starring Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma. The show is a follow-up to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and is the third production out of web series company and YouTube channel, Pemberley Digital. In the series, Emma Woodhouse is reimagined as a lifestyle coach and matchmaker who is filming herself for the future documentary about her life. Emma Approved aired twice weekly on Pemberley Digital's YouTube channel starting October 7, 2013. The show consisted of 72 episodes, ranging from five to seven minutes in length. The series ended on August 23, 2014 and has accumulated over 3 million views on the Pemberley Digital YouTube channel. On September 19, 2018, a video featuring Sotomura and Bailey as Emma and Alex announced that a continuation of the series would be starting in October 2018. Due to lack of funding raised from online sources – such as GoFundMe – the sequel series ended after just seventeen episodes, with the new story left incomplete.
Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, Taylor-Joy left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her breakthrough came with a leading role in the horror film The Witch (2015). She continued with roles in the horror film Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), the black comedy film Thoroughbreds (2017), and the television crime drama series Peaky Blinders (2019–2022).
Chloe Pirrie is a Scottish actress. She has played main roles in the 2014 miniseries The Game, the 2012 film Shell, and the 2015 television film An Inspector Calls. She has also appeared in the 2016 miniseries War & Peace, the 2015 film Youth, the 2015 film Blood Cells and "The Waldo Moment", a 2013 episode of Black Mirror. In 2015, she also co-starred in the Academy Award winner for Best Live Action Short Film Stutterer.
Tanya Louise Reynolds is an English actress. She landed her first major role as a series regular on the Sky 1 comedy-drama Delicious (2016–2019). Reynolds portrayed Lily Iglehart on the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2021), where she was a part of the main cast in the first three seasons. Other credits include Outlander (2017), Death in Paradise (2017), Emma (2020), Dodger (2022), The Baby (2022), I Hate You (2022), and The Decameron (2024).
The Menu is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, and John Leguizamo. It follows a foodie and his date traveling to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu but reveals shocking surprises throughout the meal.
Emma. is the soundtrack album to the 2020 film Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde, based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the same name. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the titular role, alongside Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy. The soundtrack, accompanying the film, consists of acappella recordings of folk and classical songs, performed by Maddy Prior, June Tabor, The Watersons, The Carnival Band and The Cambridge Singers. The cast members Johnny Flynn and Amber Anderson, also performed few numbers in the album. The former, also wrote an original song for the film, in addition to the incorporated classical songs. The rest of the album, consists of the original score composed by Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer. The 35-track album was released by Back Lot Music digitally on February 14, 2020 and in physical formats on February 21. A vinyl edition of the soundtrack was published and released by Mondo on May 15, 2020.
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
// @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