Emma
Short description
Emma Woodhouse is a wealthy, clever young woman in a small English town who takes pleasure in arranging the romantic lives of those around her. After her governess and close friend marries, Emma turns her attention to Harriet Smith, a friend she takes under her wing, and tries to steer her away from a farmer who has proposed to her and toward the local clergyman instead. Her schemes go awry, and the clergyman's attentions land somewhere Emma never intended. All the while, her easy, familiar bond with Mr. Knightley, a gentleman she has known since childhood, quietly holds more than friendship.
Douglas McGrath wrote and directed this 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, his first feature as director. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Emma, with Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley, Toni Collette as Harriet Smith, Alan Cumming as Mr. Elton, Ewan McGregor as Frank Churchill and Greta Scacchi as Mrs. Weston.
Made for about 6 million dollars, the film earned roughly 38 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 44,000 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 6.6 from roughly 684 votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 from 55 reviews puts it somewhat above those viewer scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Before filming, actress Toni Collette had to gain weight.
- Gwyneth Paltrow had a free month after having a wisdom tooth removed, and she spent that time preparing for the role. In particular, the actress practiced horseback riding, dancing, singing, archery, and worked on her pronunciation.
- Mrs. Bates and Miss Bates, mother and daughter in the plot, were played by Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson (who are, in reality, mother and sister of the “Oscar-winning” actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson). According to Sophie Thompson, the fact that she and her mother were cast in the same film was simply a coincidence, as their names were on different pages of the list of actors provided to the casting director.
- Ewan McGregor had not read the original novel before the start of filming. This refers to the novel of the same name (1815) by English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817).
- It took costume designer Ruth Myers only 5 weeks to create 150 costumes for the film. She worked constantly on set.
- According to the film's director, Douglas McGrath, he cast Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead role because of her flawless Texan accent. Executive producer Harvey Weinstein had no objections to Paltrow, but only on the condition that she first star in Matt Reeves' drama 'The Funeral' (1996).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
