Emma (stylized as Emma.) is a 2020 period romantic comedy film directed by Autumn de Wilde, based on a screenplay by Eleanor Catton, and adapted from Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name. The film features Anya Taylor-Joy as Miss Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and elegant young woman living with her father in Regency-era England. She enjoys matchmaking and often interferes in the love lives of people close to her. Other actors in the film include Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy.

The film was produced by Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films, and Blueprint Pictures. A film adaptation of Austen’s novel by Focus Features began in October 2018 after Anya Taylor-Joy was cast in the lead role, with Autumn de Wilde as the director. The rest of the supporting cast was chosen by March 2019. Main filming took place in England between March and June 2019.

Emma was released in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2020, and in the United States on February 21, 2020, by Universal Pictures. The film received mostly positive reviews, with praise for the acting and set design. It earned $27.4 million worldwide, which is more than its $10 million budget. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 93rd Academy Awards. It also received 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 nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical (for Anya Taylor-Joy) at the 78th Golden Globe Awards.

Plot summary

In Regency England, Emma Woodhouse, a 20-year-old woman from a wealthy family, lives with her father at their home, Hartfield, in the village of Highbury, Surrey. A regular visitor to Hartfield is George Knightley, a close family friend and the owner of Donwell Abbey, a nearby estate. George is the brother of John Knightley, who is married to Emma’s sister, Isabella, who lives in London.

Emma takes pride in helping others find love. She successfully helps her former governess, Miss Taylor, marry Mr. Weston. Emma also befriends Harriet Smith, a young woman of unknown parentage who lives at a local school. Emma convinces Harriet to refuse a marriage proposal from Robert Martin, a kind farmer, and instead encourages her to consider Mr. Elton, the local vicar. George Knightley privately tells Emma that he believes she is pushing Harriet to aim for someone who will never accept her.

While returning from a dinner party, Emma is alone in a carriage with Mr. Elton. To her surprise, he proposes marriage, but Emma politely refuses. She later learns that Mr. Elton’s interest in Harriet was actually a way to court Emma himself. Mr. Elton leaves the area and returns six weeks later with a new wife, Augusta.

Two important guests arrive: Jane Fairfax, a talented young woman who is the niece of Miss Bates, a poor but polite neighbor known for talking a lot; and Frank Churchill, a charming man who has rarely visited because he must stay with his wealthy aunt. Emma is interested in Frank and feels jealous of Jane’s skills.

Frank’s arrival leads the Westons to host a ball. At the ball, Mr. Elton rudely ignores Harriet, who is later helped by George Knightley, who invites her to dance. Emma and George Knightley also dance together, and Emma begins to feel romantic feelings for him.

During a picnic at Box Hill, Frank suggests a game. Emma, in a moment of carelessness, says something hurtful to Miss Bates, making her very sad. George Knightley scolds Emma for being unkind, and she later apologizes to Miss Bates, who forgives her. Harriet tells Emma she has found love again, though she does not name the person, and Emma assumes it is Frank Churchill.

Frank’s aunt suddenly dies, revealing that Frank and Jane Fairfax were secretly engaged. Emma tries to tell Harriet about this, but Harriet says she loves George Knightley, not Frank. Harriet claims her feelings are returned.

George Knightley meets Emma while she is walking. He is ready to tell her he loves her, but Emma mistakenly thinks he is confessing his love for Harriet. When Emma realizes George’s true feelings, she becomes very emotional and has a nosebleed. She then happily agrees to marry him.

Emma visits Mr. Martin to apologize, giving him a drawing of Harriet she made. Mr. Martin again proposes, and Harriet accepts. Harriet and Robert Martin marry, followed by Emma and George Knightley.

Production

In October 2018, Anya Taylor-Joy was chosen for the main role, and Autumn de Wilde was hired to direct the film for the first time. In December 2018, Johnny Flynn joined the cast.

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. Alexandra Byrne was hired as the costume designer.

Main filming started on March 18, 2019, and was planned to end on May 24, but it finished on June 6, 2019.

Firle Place in Sussex was used to show the outside of Emma's home. Other filming locations included Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds, which stood in for the village of Highbury, Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire, Wilton House near Salisbury in Wiltshire, and Chavenage House in Gloucestershire.

Director de Wilde decided the film's title would include a period (full stop) to show it is set in the past.

In the film, Jane Fairfax (played by Amber Anderson) performs the third movement from Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 12 on the fortepiano, which outshines Emma. Anderson, a trained pianist, had to relearn the piece to adjust her technique for the shorter keys of the period instrument.

The film's opening credits include "Queen Bee," an original song written by Johnny Flynn. Isobel Waller-Bridge asked Flynn to write the song for the film. He created "Queen Bee" to express Knightley's view of Emma and performed it in a style fitting the film's historical setting.

The soundtrack includes many a cappella folk songs by artists such as Maddy Prior and the Watersons. De Wilde wanted the film's music to be rooted in folk traditions. She also wanted the orchestral score to resemble Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, where each character has a unique musical theme.

Anya Taylor-Joy, Amber Anderson, and Johnny Flynn all sing onscreen in the film. Taylor-Joy explained that her performance of "The Last Rose of Summer" used a style she imagined Emma Woodhouse would use to charm her audience.

Anderson and Flynn sing a duet of "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes," written by Ben Jonson, during a ball scene in the film.

The adagio from the final movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor, "Farewell," is also heard in the film.

Release

The movie Emma was released in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020, on the same day as Valentine's Day, and in the United States on 21 February. It became available digitally in March 2020 in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom through on-demand streaming services because movie theaters were closed due to the pandemic. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 19 May.

Reception

Emma earned $10.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.3 million in other regions, totaling $27.4 million worldwide.

In North America, it earned $230,000 from five theaters during its opening weekend, averaging $46,000 per theater, the highest average for 2020 at that time. It was released widely two weeks later, earning $5 million from 1,565 theaters and ranking sixth at the box office. Its box office performance was later stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic causing theaters to close.

In Spain, the film earned €228,000 ($285,000).

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 260 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. The website’s critics said, “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.” On Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 from 48 critics, indicating “generally favorable” reviews. Audiences gave the film an average grade of “B” on an A+ to F scale, according to CinemaScore. PostTrak reported an average score of 3 out of 5 stars, with 44% of surveyed viewers saying they would definitely recommend it.

In a mostly favorable review for Variety, Andrew Barker called the film “an entirely worthy companion” to other adaptations of the novel but noted it was “hardly a definitive take.”