Launching in February 2020, Emma. (note the full stop) is an excellent and funny take on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel. It follows the exploits of the eponymous character as she navigates Regency-era British high society.

The directorial debut of Autumn de Wilde, the starring cast throws in Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Bill Nighy, Josh O’Connell, and Miranda Hart. A very pleasant surprise all round! We loved this and think it’s proper belting.

The Regency-Era Matchmaking Exploits of Emma.

Now, as big fans of Mia Goth we were eager to watch this one. She’s awesome in everything she’s in (see, as one example, her role as an unhinged psychopath in 2022’s Pearl). However, and dubitably, the excellence of this blighter of a film won us over on every front.

For the first 20 minutes we weren’t totally sold on it. We were concerned it may be a little twee, but as the plot developed we found it to have hidden depths, excellent performances, satire, and lashings of dark humour.

It’s witty and pokes fun at the British way of life in a way that feels fresh today. All headed by the striking presence of clever, wealthy Emma Wodehouse (Taylor-Joy). A very confident lady, she doesn’t need to work and so from that privileged place begins setting up local romantically.

Kind of like Tinder, but without the internet.

One early exploit is to get her friend, the naïve young Harriet Smith (Goth), hooked up with Reverend Mr. Elton (Josh O’Connor). Now, O’Connor is brilliant with this role and makes the guy into a right creepy slimebag, which riffs well with Mia Goth’s enthusiastic innocence.

Emma misjudges this matchmaking attempt, failing to realise Mr. Elton is actually trying to win her over.

After leaving a dinner party one snowy night, he makes a bumbled attempt to win her hand. Initially he refuses to accept she’s rejected him, then has a temper tantrum.

This is the essence of the film, Emma not wanting to enter into matrimony despite being The Most Handsome Woman in the Land. We see her almost haughtily trying to set everyone else’s marriage up, though, this during an era when women severely badly needed to get married. Or they’d face dire financial consequences.

Emma is well-intentioned with all this, but impatient. And her potential suitor, George Knightley (played by Johnny Flynn) remonstrates with her… on the matter!

The original book is going on 200 years old now, so reflects wildly outdated social norms. Yet there is a timely and timeless nature to the 2020 film, not least in how to properly go about being a clever person in society.

Emma is clever. She’s also misguided with it, which the film explores through clever (clever again) uses of dark humour, wit, romantic asides, and excellent direction. There’s a lot going on there and director Autumn de Wilde did a fantastic job seamlessly merging everything together.

But it is a romantic text at its heart and that shines through in the closing half an hour of the film. That’s when Emma and Mr. Knightley realised they fancy each other and wahey etc.

Now, we’ve accidentally watched several period drama films recently (see the awesome Barry Lyndon for another). This isn’t normally our sort of thing… maybe it’s because we’re getting older.

The point being we thought Emma was excellent. Terrific cast, great direction, and it charms you. Well worth your time, especially if you’re a Mia Goth fan. But major props to Anya Taylor-Joy, too, who can say so much through her highly expressive face.

The Psychology of Emma Woodhouse

When researching the film we came across Cinema Therapy, a great YouTube channel hosted by filmmaker Alan Seawright and therapist Jonathan Decker. Their breakdown of Emma’s behaviour across the film is very revealing, highlighting her privileged, youthful arrogance (and how she does address it).

There have been quite a few adaptations of Emma over the decades, beginning in 1972. Then there was a mania for Jane Austen in the 1990s. However, this 2020 version is often considered the best of the lot.

It’s quite happy to paint Emma not in the best light.

Her privileged busybody matchmaking existence is made to be quite arrogant and misguided. During one picnic scene, Emma also says something very insulting to a friend and has to atone for this error to grow as a person. This is where the terrific Miranda Hart as Miss Bates does such a great job.

In many ways, it’s the defining moment of the film. Emma realises she’s messed up and goes to Miss Bates to, tearfully, make an apology. All excellent performances from the cast, which allow for the main character to fulfil her destiny (i.e. get married and be less invasive in people’s lives).

The Production of Emma.

New Zealand novelist Eleanor Catton adapted Jane Austen’s novel for this modern take. It’s been noted for being more faithful to the book (which we haven’t read) than other versions of the film, this time faithfully displaying Emma as not the nicest person imaginable.

The production was quite a small one, with three production companies and a budget of $10 million. The box office result was pretty solid, with a good old $27.4 million return. It launched in the UK and US in February 2020.

Everything was shot from March to June 2019 (good timing with the pre-COVID pandemic), with shooting in Sussex at Firle Place, the Cotswolds, and various posh houses in Oxfordshire.

Again, it was American photographer Autumn de Wilde’s directorial debut. Despite the relative success of this film, she hasn’t worked on anything since. Boo!

The cast, however, consisting mainly of up-and-coming English talent, have all gone on to great things. Particularly Anya Taylor-Joy, who is now a full-blown film star. Mia Goth is doing extremely well, too, although tends to star in smaller indie horror productions.

We’ve got to get a Mia Goth interview in as well. This is probably the most normal, mainstream film she’s ever done (having gained a reputation as a modern day Scream Queen).

Back in 2020, Emma was very well received by critics, to the extent it did end up getting two Oscar nominations (Best Costume and Best Makeup and Hairstyling). It was certainly a lavish shoot, with the director using some rather RAVISHING cinematography.

We feel it’s kind of fallen into obscurity a bit since 2020. If you’ve got the chance, definitely give this one a whirl. Even existentially bleak old dears such as us found it all charming and whimsical. What, what!