While it’s hard to touch Pride and Prejudice in terms of screentime, Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma comes pretty close. Like Pride and Prejudice, one of Emma‘s major themes is marriage, but unlike that august work, there isn’t the looming spectre of home passing to someone else in the event of Father’s death.
There is, however, the looming spectre of Emma’s schemes and designs, from which no one is really safe, and yes, immersing oneself in Austen’s language can have the effect of giving one’s own language a formal air. The odds are excellent that Emma herself would approve.
For those who may not be familiar with the plot, here’s a brief summary: Now that Emma Woodhouse has successfully made a match between Miss Taylor, her former governess, and Mr. Weston, she’s looking for her next project. Enter Harriet Smith, a respectable girl of lower class. She’s in love with Robert Martin, a prosperous farmer, but Emma steers Harriet toward Mr. Elton, the local vicar.
Meanwhile, family friend, Mr. Knightly is in constant attendance. He’s known Emma since she was a baby, and he’s unfailingly honest with her while also unfailingly loving. Some things go right for Emma and others don’t, but the big question is, when will she get wise to herself? The ending is no big mystery, but getting there is always satisfying.
According to Britannica, Jane Austen started writing Emma in 1814 and finished a little over a year later. She said of her title character, “I’m going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”
Emma was Austen’s third novel, coming on the heels of Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park. It wasn’t her best-received novel by her friends, mainly because people felt there wasn’t enough going on and the characters were too obsessed with romance. The rest of us, however, disagree, and Emma has more than earned her place among Jane Austen’s heroines. She also has her share of time on the big screen, and here are just a few of the many adaptations out there:
1948
The very first time Emma made it to the big screen and a very early television production, this BBC adaptation is unfortunately lost except for a few stills.
Clueless (1995)
While it might be a little too teeny-boppery for some, Clueless is not only widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best modern-day adaptation of Emma, it has obviously become its own cultural phenomenon, coining such phrases as “As if!” and “I totally paused.” It even inspired a TV series that, unbelievably, ran for three seasons, and is thankfully mostly forgotten nowadays (Watch a few episodes here).
1996
Hot on the heels of Clueless was Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, which sports a stellar cast of Jeremy Northam, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette, Juliette Stevenson and Ewan McGregor. It moves fast. It hits all the high points. We get to see and hear Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor duet on the Handel and Somervell piece, “Silent Worship,” and yes, those are their real voices. I remember the trailers for this movie trying to make it out to be like any other rom-com, with little soundbites and the obligatory footage of Emma and Mr. Knightly at archery practice. It would be interesting to know how many new Jane Austen fans were created as a result. Or for that matter, non-fans.
1996 (BBC)
I first saw the Kate Beckinsale version in on a tiny TV in a cubicle at the Sierra College library, and at the time it seemed too long, but then again, a teeny cubicle and headphones aren’t exactly comfortable. Seeing it now, though, it is absolutely wonderful, and if anyone is looking for a good all-round period adaptation of Austen’s novel, this fits the bill nicely. Just don’t blink, because it moves really fast.
Aisha (2010)
Unfortunately I was a bit loth to watch this one, because if what Costumes and Conservation’s Margaret said last year is still true, Prime’s English subtitles don’t work and the movie is pretty cheesy anyway. Oh well, maybe someday.
Emma Approved (2013)
Emma’s got her own YouTube series! As an event planner and matchmaker in the modern day, she is literally a girl boss. Harriet is her executive assistant, Knightly is the accountant and an old family friend, Martin is the IT guy, Elton is a senator, and Emma’s sister, Izzy, is a hopeful architect. Pretty much everything takes place in Emma’s office, with Emma either talking about her exploits or things happening in front of the camera, which makes it slightly hemmed in, but the series is adorable and hits all the high points of Austen’s story.
2020
The adaptations just keep on coming, and this one is also on my wishlist. I’ve heard good things, so it all looks promising.
What keeps people coming back to Emma? She’s flawed. She’s selfish. She puts her foot in her mouth. She can be insincere and manipulative. However, there’s a kind and gentle person under the surface just waiting to get out, and who doesn’t relate to that? As long as people relate to her, and the odds are great that this isn’t going to change, we will keep seeing new adaptations of Jane Austen’s wonderful novel.
Clueless (DVD and Blu-ray), Aisha (DVD), Emma 1996 (DVD), BBC Emma 1996 (DVD and YouTube) and Emma 2020 (DVD and Blu-ray) are available to own from Amazon. Emma Approved can be seen here.
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