Emma (1996 telefilm)

""One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.""

ITV's telefilm of Emma by Jane Austen, starring Kate Beckinsale as Emma, Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley, and Olivia Williams as Jane Fairfax. The brainchild of the landmark 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice team of writer Andrew Davies and producer Sue Birtwistle.


 * Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Though not directly spelled out in the telefilm, Andrew Davies gave a version of this to Frank Churchill. Instead of the somewhat careless charmer of the novel, Davies believes that Frank is a sociopath who hates women as a result of his mother's death (viewed as abandonment) and his aunt's controlling personality.
 * Adaptation Distillation: Though Emma is the second longest Austen novel and this telefilm is only an hour and 47 minutes long, Andrew Davies does a great job at keeping nearly all the relevant dialogue, scenes, and events. The resultant film is very faithful in event and general tone, but much, much faster paced. A few integrations of filmic techniques are seen in the use of Emma's imaginations being visualized, and the ending shades into Pragmatic Adaptation with the combination of events into a Harvest Festival.
 * Author Appeal: Screenwriter Andrew Davies tends to alter or adapt one older male character in his screeplays to a recognizable type of friendly, sociable, homebody fellow - in Emma, it's Mr. Weston, who in the novel is something of a clueless social butterfly, but here pipes in with a few words on the joys of marriage and home life.
 * Dream Sequence: Emma's daydreams and matchmaking scenarios often appear via this device - usually with hilariously over-the-top dream music, flower petals, slow motion, and first person point of view.
 * Dueling Movies: Was being filmed at the same time that the McGrath/Paltrow/Northam film was in theaters. Came out in the same year in the UK. Also something of a meta-situation, since six Jane Austen films came out from 1995-1996.
 * Genki Girl: Though not as pronounced as Romola Garai's 2009 Emma, Kate Beckinsale's Emma is described in the screenplay as possessing bouncing arrogance and energy. Additionally, when she thinks her scheme between Harriet and Mr. Elton is succeeding, she gives a very cheerful bounce as she walks towards her house.4
 * Nightmare Sequence: In a counterpart to her dreams, Emma's worst fears also play out in her dreams when.
 * Smug Snake: Frank Churchill. Per the changes noted above, his character has some significant lines in this vein.