Emma

"Cupid is armed and dangerous!"

1996 2h 1m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 688

RomanceComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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. Knightley.

“Cupid is armed and dangerous!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Britbox Apple TV channelSubscription

JustWatch TVRent

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow
Emma Woodhouse
Jeremy Northam
Mr. Knightley
Toni Collette
Harriet Smith
Alan Cumming
Mr. Elton
Ewan McGregor
Frank Churchill
Greta Scacchi
Mrs. Weston
Sophie Thompson
Miss Bates
Juliet Stevenson
Mrs. Elton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Douglas McGrath
Writers: Douglas McGrath
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Douglas McGrath, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rachel Portman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam and Toni Collette carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Cupid is armed and dangerous!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0116191 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Douglas McGrath directs. Ian Wilson behind the camera. Rachel Portman scores. Lesley Walker cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Douglas McGrath, shot by Ian Wilson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Rachel Portman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam and Toni Collette carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Cupid is armed and dangerous!".
8IMDB entry: tt0116191 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "london, england", "based on novel or book", "england", "etiquette".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Wilson
Original score: Rachel Portman
Editing: Lesley Walker
Production design: Michael Howells
Costume design: Ruth Myers
Makeup / hair: Kay Georgiou
Sound: Paul Carr
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $22,231,658
Return: 371% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Emma (1996)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Douglas McGrath

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2021-11-04
★ 8/10
This is a fine production of the Jane Austen novel, though it is not among my top two favorite adaptations. Not for any serious problems, but rather due to minor decisions that were made in the script. I expected to see more of Emma’s visit to Miss Bates, for example, after she is shamed into repenting her treatment of the silly woman. Other than that I enjoyed the movie well enough. The acting and the script were consistently good except for those moments I mentioned, and I would probably be willing to watch it again someday.
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-06-09
★ 5/10
A futile and silly Emma to be taken seriously, but entertaining and has some good moments. Jane Austen is one of the great writers in the English language and her work has been fertile ground for adaptations and reinterpretations in theatre, television and cinema. From trash to luxury, there's no shortage of options, and each one stands out for one reason or another. This film was inspired by one of the author's novels about a charismatic and dreamy young woman who takes pleasure in gathering acquaintances and friends, and playing matchmaker. The problem is that, deep down, she herself feels lonely and doesn't really see a man capable of making her sigh, and almost all the dating arrangements she makes also end up with terrible results. In fact, this is another one of the works where Austen criticizes the society she knows, and where people are measured by their income and land assets, leaving their character and other “secondary” details behind. It was an elitist society, more bourgeois than aristocratic (what defines a person's value is their income, and noble titles end up being a means of financial income and not a sign of honor and nobility), and where love, romance and the opinion of the bride and groom was not much considered when it came to arranging marriage. All this is visible here. Filmed as a romantic comedy of sorts, the big problem with this film is that it all feels a little too vain, superficial and silly to be taken seriously. Gwyneth Paltrow had, in this film, one of her first roles of great notoriety, and we can say that, despite the time that has passed and the actress is still active, it is still one of the best films she has made. Paltrow knows how to be naive and well-meaning without seeming too silly for it, and she manages to deftly balance her character's attitudes in the fine interval between the gentle silliness and the excessive pampering of who she grew up with everything she wanted. Even better, Jeremy Northam does an extraordinary job and the same can be said for Toni Collete and Alan Cumming. Denys Hawthorne also does what she can, but like many of the more minor actors, she doesn't have as good material as the others. On a technical level, the film stands out for the quality of its cinematography, sets and costumes. The production went to great lengths to recreate the era and environments realistically, believably, and intelligently. However, it is the only thing. The dialogues could frankly be better, there are virtually no notable effects (but the ones that were used work very well) and the music and soundtrack are totally worthy of oblivion.
CinemaSerf2023-08-27
★ 6/10
Hmmm. I'm not really an huge Jane Austen fan - and "Emma" is one of her least engaging stories, I find. Gwyneth Paltrow takes on the mantle of the title character, a rather thoughtless young woman who spends way too much time interfering in the lives of others - and not always with the best of intentions - frequently leaving a trail of emotional mayhem in her wake. It is only Jeremy Northam ("Mr. Knightley)" who dares to call a spade a spade with her, and to encourage her to mend her meddling ways, and to take up the opportunity of the love that is staring her in the face - before it is too late. Paltrow is fine as the adaptation is less wordy than in the original tome: Northam has a charm and sense of fairness that endears him to the audience (though, frankly, what he sees in "Emma" - aside from physical beauty - is anyone's guess) and there are a couple of nice supporting efforts from Alan Cummings, Juliet Stevenson and a really rather delightful performance from the put-upon "Mrs. Bates" (Phyllida Law). Rachel Portman provides a melodic and gentle score to accompany this very good looking drama, but it was all just a bit too Merchant Ivory for me, without the charm or the finesse of these colourful iterations.