The novel Emma was written by Jane Austen in 1815 and the film directed by Douglas McGrath was released in 1996 starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The film depicts British aristocracy of the 19th century in a great way through scenography and costumes of the era. There are not many differences between the film and the novel and the main points are conveyed in detail. The impact and significance of the film differs than the impact and significance of the novel because the film has more possibilities of conveying the atmosphere through acting, music, costumes, mise-en-scene and the overall scenography as well as through direction that Jane Austen could convey with words, although both the novel and the film are successful.
McGrath’s adaptation of Emma is very successful because of the choice of locations and because of the cast. The story revolves around Emma who is the protagonist and who believes that she is a good matchmaker since she arranges for her governess to fall in love with Mr. Weston. The opening scene shows Emma on the wedding day of her governess where she gives her a handmade gift which represents her as a crafty person who possesses artistic skills and is always eager to improve herself in art. The scene of the wedding is well shot, but the focus is on the relationship between Mrs. Weston, Emma and Mr. Woodhouse. The lighting is natural and all of the ladies are wearing very little make-up. There is a close-up of the gift which Emma has given to her governess and there is also a zoom on the gift which is ends in the cut to the following scene. This gift is the globe which symbolizes Emma’s high self-esteem because she believes to be able to do good to people even when they do not need any kind of help. She has the most profound respect for her father, Mr. Woodhouse and takes care of him.
Jane Austen’s Emma was written from the perspective of the third-person narrator and this narrator is very objective talking all sides into consideration while depicting the characters. Emma has more flaws in the novel than she does in the film because of the choice of the narrator. There are many descriptions of the characters and of place and there is also direct speech. The atmosphere is conveyed through the description given by Jane Austen. Emma is described in the following sentence: “The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments” (Austen 4). This is a sentence which described Emma perfectly and even her physical appearance can be sensed from this. She is young, stubborn, spoiled by her father and she believes that the world revolves around her. There are many similarities between the film and the novel, but the difference is in the narrator. There is a third-person narrator in the film and it seems to be Mrs. Weston voice which explains the attitude the narrator has towards Emma. The narrator guides the audience during the introductory part of the film and during the conclusion. The narrator in the novel describes Emma in an objective way and points out to her flaws, while the narrator in the film seems to be mild towards Emma. Emma is only criticized by Mr. Knightley and she accepts his criticism because he matters to her.
This can be seen in the film as well though the choice of shots and the editing techniques. Emma is always shot from the low angle or the normal angle so that her dominance can be accentuated. The lighting is strong when she is in the center of attention and it is dimmer when she has done something wrong and regrets it. The scene where she exists the church after praying for Mr. Knightley is shot from the high angle to depict that Emma is no longer in charge and that she has to let her fate be resolved because she cannot influence it anymore. The editing techniques also suggest that Emma is the decision-maker in the film because when she is talking to Harriet, there is a close-up of her face and there is the over-the shoulder shot of Harriet’s reaction. This is evident in the scene where Harriet is talking about Mr. Martin’s proposal. Another scene in which the editing techniques accentuate the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley is at the party when Emma is sitting while Jane is playing the piano. There is a medium close-up of Emma looking at Mr. Knightley and there is a cut to his face in a close-up looking back at her, while she turns her head away. It is obvious that she cares about his opinion of Jane because she is in love with him although she is not yet aware of that.
There is no music in the film while dialogues takes place and when the two characters are talking to each other, there is a two shot and over-the shoulder shot. This takes place usually when Emma is talking to Harriet because the story revolves around Emma finding a perfect match for Harriet Smith while making many mistakes in doing so. There are numerous humorous situations during this mission and Emma ultimately finds her own happiness while searching for Harriet’s. Harriet was misfortunate in life since she was abandoned by her parents and placed with Mrs. Goddard. “She was a very pretty girl, and her beauty happened to be of a sort which Emma particularly admired” (Austen 30). The choice of words is good because Jane Austen conveys exactly what she wants to in way which makes the readers create a vivid mental image. Her voice is usually neutral, but she also criticizes Emma, although she lets her repent for her wrongdoing as well.
The scene in which Emma is painting Harriet is filmed in a medium shot so that all three of them could be seen. There are Emma and Mr. Elton on one side and there is Harriet on the other side. There are also close-ups of their faces which is used to convey their feelings during this event. Emma believes that Mr. Elton is a good match for Harriet because she fails to see the qualities which Robert Martin has. Harriet is just a confused young girl who idolizes Emma which is why she refuses Martin’s proposal. When Emma finds out about Mr. Elton’s true character, she is disgusted and promises to herself that she would never again try to match people. The scene of the first meeting of Emma and Frank Churchill suggests that a romance between the two of them could be possible. She is stuck with her carriage in the middle of a pond, while he is on his horse teasing her. Frank is shot from the low angle so that his dominance can be seen. He seems to be a man who is accustomed only to the best and spoilt by his aunt. Emma wants to make herself love him, but she fails in doing so due to the fact that she is already in love with Mr. Knightley. Moreover, Frank is more attracted to Jane Fairfax who is often described by Emmy as merely elegant. In both texts, Emma is aware of Harriet’s limits, which is why she is determined to find her a man who would be satisfied with her. “She was not struck by anything remarkably clever in Miss Smith’s conversation, but she found her altogether very engaging – not inconveniently shy, not unwilling to talk” (Austen 31). Harriet comes from the social environment which was beneath the one Emma grew up in and Harriet is impressed by everything she is introduced to because of that. Emma encourages her into becoming a great member of the society and wants to make everybody see how good she is. On one hand, Emma does not want to marry, but she has great determination to find Harriet a husband. There is a scene in which Emma is painting Harriet and Mr. Elton is encouraging her. There is a medium shot of Emma and Mr. Elton behind her on one side and there is a cutaway to Harriet posing on the other side. This choice of shots implies that Mr. Elton has intentions towards Emma and not towards Harriet and he is only spending time with Harriet so that he could be close to Emma.
There is a rivalry between Emma and Jane Fairfax although it is seen only from Emma’s side since Jane is an introvert person. “Mr. Knightley had once told her it was because she saw in her the really accomplished young woman, which she wanted to be thought herself” (Austen 249). Emma has everything in life and is a little bit vain being used to getting everything she wishes for. However, Jane Fairfax’s arrival makes her less interesting. There is a scene in which Emma is asked to play the piano and sing at a party which she does, and she is accompanied by Frank. This is filmed from the medium-shot so that their interaction can be seen and there is also a cutaway to Mr. Knightley’s face. There is also a close-up of Mr. Knightley who does not seem to approve of this. It is evident at this point that he has feelings towards Emma. Emma says to Harriet that she does not need anything she could gain from getting married because she is wealthy enough by birth: “I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband's house as I am of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man's eyes as I am in my father's” (Austen 128-129). This is the same in the novel and in the film and it means that few women are as fortunate as Emma to be able to refuse marriage proposals. There is a big difference between Emma and other women in the story because Emma has good looks, social status and financial security as well as good education. She is also a very nice person although she often loses touch with reality, but that is only a process of growing up. Jane Austen describes this well through the choice of words that illustrate the story well and through the voice which is sometimes neutral and sometimes criticizing.
Jane Fairfax appears for the first time in the scene at the Bates house in the company of Emma. The two of them are talking and it is in over-the-shoulder shot so that their facial expressions can be well observed. The editing is done in such a ways that there is a cut to Jane talking to Mr. Knightley in a two-shot in which she seems to be disturbed by the fact that Jane can jeopardize her own reputation with her beauty and elegance. Jane Fairfax is a self-accomplished young woman who manages to attract an eligible bachelor such as Frank Churchill. On the other hand, Harriet is a young woman who looks up to Emma although Emma almost ruins her possibilities of getting married. Harriet and Mr. Elton can often be in the point-of-view shot from Emma’s perspective because she is spying on them hoping for the romance to be sparkled.
Both in the novel and in the film, Emma socializes with the people of all ranks within the society simply because she is good-natured. She can be seen with Mr. Elton at the beginning of the film, with Mr. and Mrs. Weston, with her own father, with Miss Bates and her mother, with her own father, Mr. Woodhouse, and finally with Harriet Smith. Emma is the center of attention in all of these relationships which she has with other people from her surroundings and she always seems to know what is best for everybody and for herself. Nevertheless, she is often wrong because she lacks experience in life which she tries to compensate with the social status and her good-nature. Emma’s social activities reflect the importance which she gives to people. The scene in which Emma and Harriet walk among apple trees is filmed from the aerial shot so that the trees could be seen as a mere decoration. Emma’s family is so rich that they do not need to use fruits for the purpose of selling, but for observing. The surroundings in which people from lower social classes live are described well and it is evident that Jane Fairfax belongs to the lower class.
The impact and significance of the film differ from the impact and significance of the novel because the film represents only the core of the story. The essence is conveyed, but there are many more subtle details in the book which are pleasant for the readers. Emma becomes more humble towards the end of the story because she learns from her own mistakes. She is a remarkable young woman regardless of her social status, but she never has self-doubt. This changes throughout the story and Emma turns out to be a mature young woman people are proud of.
Works Cited
McGrath, Douglas, dir. Emma. Matchmaker Films, 1996. Film.
Austen, Jane. Emma. London: Wordsworth Classics, 1997. Print.
