Left column, from top: Romola Garai (Emma Woodhouse) and Jonny Lee Miller (Mr. Knightley) in the 2009 miniseries; Paul Rudd (Josh) and Alicia Silverstone (Cher) in Clueless; Samantha Morton (Harriet Smith) and Kate Beckinsale (Emma) in the 1996 TV movie; Johnny Flynn (Mr. Knightley) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma) in the 2020 film; Juliet Stevenson and Alan Cumming as the Eltons in the 1996 film; Tamsin Greig as Miss Bates in the 2009 miniseries
Middle column, from top: Gwyneth Paltrow (Emma Woodhouse) and Jeremy Northam (Mr. Knightley) in the 1996 theatrical release; Sonam Kapoor in the Bollywood version, Aisha; Joanna Sotomura (Emma Woodhouse) and Brent Bailey (Alex Knightley) in Emma Approved; Polly Walker (Jane Fairfax) and Ewan McGregor (Frank Churchill) in the 1996 film; Josh O’Connor and Tanya Reynolds as the Eltons in the 2020 film; Mark Strong (Mr. Knightley) in the 1996 TV movie
Right column, from top: Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz in Clueless; Christina Cole and Blake Ritson as the Eltons in the 2009 mini series; Bill Nighy (Mr. Woodhouse) in the 2020 film; Doran Godwin as the eponymous heroine in the 1972 miniseries; Johnny Flynn and Anya Taylor-Joy (Mr. Knightley and Emma) in the 2020 feature; Gwyneth Paltrow (Emma) and Toni Collette (Harriet Smith) in the 1996 film
Emma
Adaptations
The mid-1990s brought a flurry of Emma adaptations, beginning with Amy Heckerling’s hit 1995 film Clueless — which, in turn, sparked a wave of other Austen modernizations — and followed by two, more traditional, versions in 1996. The novel finally got a full miniseries update in 2009 and then a sparkling new feature film in 2020. Several live television broadcasts from the 1940s to the 1960s are now lost for posterity, including a BBC version from 1960 with a young David McCallum as Frank Churchill and an NBC Kraft Theatre version from 1954 with Roddy McDowall as Mr. Elton.
Traditional Adaptations
Emma (2020)
The first feature film adaptation of the novel since 1996, the 2020 version of Emma is directed by Autumn de Wilde with a script by Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries).
Focus Features
Director: Autumn de Wilde
Screenplay: Eleanor Catton
Lead cast:
Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma Woodhouse)
Johnny Flynn (George Knightley)
Bill Nighy (Mr. Woodhouse)
Gemma Whelan (Mrs. Weston)
Rupert Graves (Mr. Weston)
Mia Goth (Harriet Smith)
Josh O’Connor (Mr. Elton)
Tanya Reynolds (Mrs. Elton)
Miranda Hart (Miss Bates)
Amber Anderson (Jane Fairfax)
Callum Turner (Frank Churchill)
Oliver Chris (John Knightley)
Lucy Briers (Mrs. Reynolds)
Emma (2009)
This four-part miniseries, with its four-hour running time, is the most faithful adaptation of Emma to date, with even minor characters well fleshed out. The opening narration emphasizes the different life paths of Emma Woodhouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill after the loss of a parent.
BBC
Director: Jim O’Hanlon
Screenplay: Sandy Welch
Lead cast:
Romola Garai (Emma Woodhouse)
Jonny Lee Miller (Mr. Knightley)
Michael Gambon (Mr. Woodhouse)
Jodhi May (Anne Weston)
Robert Bathurst (Mr. Weston)
Louise Dylan (Harriet Smith)
Blake Ritson (Mr. Elton)
Christina Cole (Mrs. Elton)
Tamsin Greig (Miss Bates)
Laura Pyper (Jane Fairfax)
Rupert Evans (Frank Churchill)
Dan Fredenburgh (John Knightley)
Poppy Miller (Isabella Knightley)
Emma (1996)
At an hour and 45 minutes, this TV movie for A&E had to truncate much of the novel but is Andrew Davies’ first Austen adaptation following the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries.
A&E
Director: Diarmuid Lawrence
Screenplay: Andrew Davies
Lead cast:
Kate Beckinsale (Emma Woodhouse)
Mark Strong (Mr. Knightley)
Samantha Morton (Harriet Smith)
James Hazeldine (Mr. Weston)
Samantha Bond (Mrs. Weston)
Dominic Rowan (Mr. Elton)
Lucy Robinson (Mrs. Elton)
Prunella Scales (Miss Bates)
Bernard Hepton (Mr. Woodhouse)
Olivia Williams (Jane Fairfax)
Raymond Coulthard (Frank Churchill)
Guy Henry (John Knightley)
Dido Miles (Isabella)
Sylvia Barter (Mrs. Bates)
Emma (1996)
This two-hour theatrical production is relatively faithful to the novel during the first half of the film and then has to rush to the conclusion, minimizing screen time for major characters introduced later in the action.
Miramax
Director: Douglas McGrath
Screenplay: Douglas McGrath
Lead cast:
Gwyneth Paltrow (Emma Woodhouse)
Jeremy Northam (Mr. Knightley)
Toni Collette (Harriet Smith)
James Cosmo (Mr. Weston)
Greta Scacchi (Mrs. Weston)
Alan Cumming (Mr. Elton)
Juliette Stevenson (Mrs. Elton)
Sophie Thompson (Miss Bates)
Denys Hawthorne (Mr. Woodhouse)
Polly Walker (Jane Fairfax)
Ewan McGregor (Frank Churchill)
Brian Capron (John Knightley)
Karen Westwood (Isabella)
Phyllida Law (Mrs. Bates)
Emma (1972)
This four-hour, six-part miniseries for the BBC was shot on videotape and mostly in studio, lending it more the feeling of a play on film than a film adaptation. It follows the novel’s narrative closely.
BBC
Director: John Glenister
Screenplay: Denis Constanduros
Lead cast:
Doran Godwin (Emma Woodhouse)
John Carson (Mr. Knightley)
Debbie Bowen (Harriet Smith)
Raymond Adamson (Mr. Weston)
Ellen Dryden (Mrs. Weston)
Timothy Peters (Mr. Elton)
Fiona Walker (Mrs. Elton)
Constance Chapman (Miss Bates)
Donald Eccles (Mr. Woodhouse)
Ania Marson (Jane Fairfax)
Robert East (Frank Churchill)
John Kelland (John Knightley)
Meg Gleed (Isabella)
Mary Holder (Mrs. Bates)
Film Locations
Hartfield
Donwell Abbey
Randalls
Highbury
Check out our Pinterest collection of film location boards!
Modern/Loose Adaptations
Clueless (1995)
By seamlessly translating Emma Woodhouse and her family and friends into late 20th century Beverly Hills, Amy Heckerling’s take on Emma launched a new era in Austen adaptation — the modernization.
Director: Amy Heckerling
Screenplay: Amy Heckerling
Lead cast:
Alicia Silverstone (Cher Horowitz)
Paul Rudd (Josh)
Stacey Dash (Dionne)
Brittany Murphy (Tai)
Donald Faison (Murray)
Breckin Meyer (Travis)
Jeremy Sisto (Elton)
Dan Hedaya (Mel Horowitz)
Wallace Shawn (Mr. Wendell Hall)
Twink Caplan (Miss Toby Geist)
Justin Walker (Christian)
Elisa Donovan (Amber)
Emma Approved (2013)
This 72-episode web series was produced by Pemberley Digital, which created The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. The multi-platform production included Emma’s fashion posts on Instagram and Harriet’s music club.
Creator: Bernie Su
Writers: Tamara Krinsky, Tracy Bitterolf, Bernie Su, Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Ana Ávila, Angelique Hanus, Margaret Dunlap, Kate Rorick
Lead cast:
Joanna Sotomura (Emma Woodhouse)
Brent Bailey (Alex Knightley)
Dayeanne Hutton (Harriet Smith)
Alexis Boozer Sterling (Annie Taylor)
Stephen A. Chang (Frank Churchill)
Paul Stuart (James Elton)
Tyra Colar (Jane Fairfax)
James Brent Isaacs (Bobby “BMart” Martin)
Nikea Gamby-Turner (Maddy Bates)
Jessica Jade Andres (Caroline Lee)
Emma Approved official site
Emma Approved IMDB page
Emma Approved on YouTube
Aisha (2010)
The Bollywood version of Emma with a bit of Clueless thrown in for good measure.
Director: Rajshree Ojha
Screenplay: Devika Bhagat
Lead cast:
Sonam Kapoor (Aisha Kapoor)
Abhay Deol (Arjun Burman)
Cyrus Sahukar (Randhir Gambhir)
Arunoday Singh (Dhruv Singh)
Ira Dubey (Pinky Bose)
Lisa Haydon (Aarti Menon)
Yuri Suri (Col. Raghuvendra Singh)
Anand Tiwari (Saurabh Lamba)
Master Krushal (Anushka K. Burman)
Sameer Malhotra (Karan Burman)
Vidushi Mehra (Aaliya Kapoor/Aaliya K. Burman)
Thug Notes: Emma (2017)
YouTube sensation Thug Notes presents a spot-on, hilarious take on Emma in less than 10 minutes.
Director/Writer: Jared Bauer
Star: Greg Edwards
The Emma Agenda (2017)
This 60-episode web series was produced by Quip Modest Productions, which is dedicated to telling new and old stories through a feminist and LGBT+ lens.
Writer/Director: Jules Pigott
Cast:
Selis Maria Vargas (Emma Woodhouse)
Angela Carbone (Jordan Knightley)
Jillian Hite (Harriet Smith)
Shelby Capone (Taylor Anderson)
Daniel Fisher-Golden (Lincoln Churchill)
Alex Brunt (Phil Elton)
John Yazzo (Jon Fairfax)
Andres Cordoba (Robbie Martin)
Alina Jacobs (Hedy Bates)
Yeujia Low (April Hawkins)