Emma: 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Jane Austen Adaptations, According to IMDB – Screen Rant

The next Jane Austen installment is here. We usually get one every five to ten years, and this time around it is an adaptation of her bookEmma.The book was published in 1815, and it is about a young woman, named Emma, who is obsessed with matchmaking. While she means well, she often finds herself getting into predicaments. The story hammers the themes of romance, class, female empowerment and hubris.

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It was the last novel published while Austen was still alive, and has since gone through several adaptations into film. The most famous one starring Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996.Emma,starring Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, Glass, Peaky Blinders)hits theatres on February 21st. Before you go see it, take a look at the 5 best and 5 worst Jane Austen adaptations, according to IMDb

While it is one of the more famous of the Austen adaptations, IMDb does not score it kindly. If it is any consolation, it does have the highest score of the movies in the worst category. Before Gwyneth Paltrow was diving headfirst into Goop she was an actress believe it or not, and a good one. In between supporting roles inSe7enandThe Talented Mr.Ripley she starred as Emma Woodhouse. It was the first film ever directed by Douglas McGrath and just his second motion picture screenplay. It was nominated for two Oscars and won for Best Score. Still, it does not receive much love from the esteemed minds at IMDb.

This is the first of severalPride and Prejudiceadaptations on this listbut by far the earliest. This is undoubtedly Austen's magnum opus, so it makes sense that there have been many adaptations over the years. The cast of this film was about as loaded as one could be for 1940. Two years before she won Best Actress forMrs. Miniver,and one year after being nominated for her role in Goodbye, Mr. Chips,Greer Garson played Elizabeth Bennet. The role is easily overlooked when running through her impressive filmography, but she did a masterful job capturing the spirit of Austen's beloved protagonist.

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Garson starred opposite of Laurence Olivier (Best Actor winner for Wuthering Heights,nominee forRebecca), Hollywood's quintessential Byronic hero, who played the brooding Mr. Darcy. While it is one of the lesser-known adaptations, especially to this generation, Garson and Olivier take the movie to heights few other duos are capable of.

Austen wroteLove and Friendshipwhen she was only fourteen. This movie, however, is based on an epistolary novel titledLady Susan,which was not published until nearly sixty-five years after Austen had died. Kate Beckinsale plays Lady Sasan Vernon, the legendary flirt. When she is left widowed, she moves in with her brother in law and his family in search of a rich and suitable match for herself and her daughter. It doesn't stand out among the many Austen adaptations and drags a little too much for a movie that is only an hour and a half. But the movie is pretty to watch and there is subtle humor in the dialogue.

This novel was published in 1811, and anonymously. oddly enough. There have been twelve on-screen adaptations of this work, this one is by far the most famous and most highly regarded. When the rich Mr. Dashwood dies (Tom Wilkinson), everything he owns goes to his son from a previous marriage. This leaves his widow and her three daughters out in the cold. The two elder daughters are played by Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Thompson also adapted the screenplay, for which she won the Oscar. The sister's suitors are played by Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. This tale is centered around the themes of romance, societal classes and of course sense and sensibility.

Mansfield Parkwas the third novel published by Jane Austen. It was published in 1814 and the public loved it. In 2007, it was adapted into a made for TV movie and received a mediocre 6.3 by IMDb. It was adapted by Maggie Wadey, and this is the latest thing she has written to date. Ian B. McDonald directed, who is best known for his work onShameless. The story itself is about Fanny Price, who at the age of ten was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. This is a coming age story of one of Austen's heroines, but a made for TV movie cannot do it justice.

Not the firstPride and Prejudiceon this list, and it will not be the last. This one, however, is probably the most famous of the adaptations. It was directed by Joe Wright who is best known forAtonement, Anna KareninaandThe Darkest Hour.Also, it was one of only two film screenplays written by Deborah Moggach. Keira Knightley plays Elizabeth Bennet, just as Greer Garson did in 1940. Rosamund Pike plays her sister.

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Matthew Macfayden plays the dark and mysterious Mr. Darcy and Simon Woods is in the role of the goofy Mr. Bingley. It was recognized across the board for its achievement and was nominated for four Oscars, including Knightley for Best Actress.

Alright, we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Notpride,butbride.Wordplay! Fun! Also, notice the ampersand instead of "and" like in the original title (the actual movie poster uses a treble clef). Unlike the aforementioned adaptations, this one is a musical. It is loosely based on the Austen novel and revolves around a family living in India who is attempting to find suitable husbands for their four daughters. It was directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham),and although it did not receive wide acclaim, it at least didn't take the cake for the wost adaptation on the list.

There were twoEmma adaptations on the list, one "best" and one "worst." This one is the former. While the 1996 adaptation is much more popular, this one from 2009 is graded a whole 1.5 points higher on IMDb. This was a four hours mini-series that premiered on the BBC.

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After being recognized inAtonement, Romola Garai snagged the role of Emma, and for it, she was nominated for the Golden Globe. The series was nominated for several Emmy's and won for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie. So although relatively unknown, it received good reviews from critics and voters.

This is an abomination and an insult to the work of Jane Austen.We have nothing against zombie movies, but to tack one on to the end ofPride and Prejudiceis lazy. After the success ofthe low budget but popularAbraham Lincoln vs. Zombies,it can be assumed that Burr Steers thought he could travel down the same route with his adaptation of the Austen classic. Steers also directed films such asCharlie St. Cloudand17 Again,so it was probably unfair to expect anything spectacular from him. Lily James played Elizabeth Bennet and if you add this performance toYesterday,it's a wonder she gets any acting work at all.Save yourself a couple of hours and pass on this movie.

This BBC mini-series takes the top spot on the list. It starred Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet. It also features a young Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It was nominated for four Emmy's, one of which it won (Outstanding Costume Design). It also received a plethora of nominations at the BAFTAs, where Ehle won for Best Actress. You really can't go wrong between this one and the 2005 version, both are interesting and have different stylistic takes on the literary classic. According to IMDb, this is the best adaptation of any Jane Austen work. What's your favorite?

NEXT: WHICH VERSION OF PRIDE & PREJUDICE HAS THE BEST LIVE-ACTION MR. DARCY?

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Sam is from Dallas, Texas. He loves sports, music, movies, and Jeopardy. When he is not writing or at the gym, you can find him in a movie theatre catching a matinee or tossing tortilla chips to his dog.

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Emma: 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Jane Austen Adaptations, According to IMDB - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero