Form 02-B · First look briefing · Sample deck on file

Includes storyboards

Emma

A bored heiress with a dawn-cut bouquet and a talent for matchmaking arranges everyone's love but her own, until a single cruelty on a summer hill undoes her.

Poster concept 06

Written by

Eleanor Catton

Based on

Based on the novel by Jane Austen

Genre / Format

Period Comedy, Romance · ~115 minutes (115 pages at roughly 1 page/minute)

Setting

Regency England (early 19th century)

Tone

witty period romantic comedy

By the numbers

121

Scenes

Characters

Locations

Props

Exhibit A — Taglines

> The most dangerous flower in Sussex is a girl with nothing to do.

> She made every match in Highbury except the one in front of her.

> Cut the bouquet. Choose the husband. Ruin the friend.

Synopsis

In a Sussex country house run on draughts, lavender and impeccable timing, Emma Woodhouse is twenty-one, clever, and certain she knows what is best for everyone. With her governess Miss Taylor newly married off — Emma takes the credit — she adopts the parentless Harriet Smith as a project, steering her away from the farmer Robert Martin and toward the unctuous vicar Mr Elton. The scheme is a private theatre of status: portraits commissioned, letters refused, a teacup handle that traps a terrified girl across an opulent drawing room. Emma's only real opposition is Mr Knightley, the family friend whose grand Donwell Abbey sits preserved like a museum and who alone tells her the truth she will not hear. Around them moves a whole village of appetite and ritual — Mr Woodhouse policing every plate, the reserved Jane Fairfax with her secrets, the dashing Frank Churchill in his very tight trousers. As courtships misfire and a snowbound carriage turns courtship into catastrophe, Emma's confidence curdles toward a reckoning she cannot arrange her way out of.

Themes

Class, rank and the social hierarchy of village life

Status is staged in objects and seating: the Woodhouse carriage alone at the church door while everyone else arrives on foot, Harriet seated beneath Frank's signed painting of Enscombe, Mrs Elton claiming the Woodhouse pew-blanket as her own. The film keeps asking who is allowed where, and Harriet's tradesman father lands as the last word.

Vanity, self-deception and the journey to humility

Emma's whole arc is the slow puncturing of her own cleverness. Knightley's carriage rebuke after she humiliates Miss Bates — that it was badly done indeed — is the hinge; the gift basket of produce she lugs to the Bateses, and the apology to Robert Martin, are humility made physical.

Matchmaking, courtship and the comedy of misread feeling

Nearly every romance in the film is the wrong one read as the right one — Elton mistaken for Harriet's suitor when he wants Emma, Frank's flirtation masking a secret engagement, Harriet fixing on Knightley. The plot is a machine of charming, costly misreadings.

Appetite, ritual and the policing of bodies and status

Mr Woodhouse intercepts Miss Bates's wedding-cake, boxes himself in with draught-screens, and rations everyone's plate; appetite becomes a register of control. The same logic runs from the hothouse harvest to the Box Hill picnic that curdles into cruelty.

Scope at a Glance

121

Total scenes

Unique locations

Principal cast

Exterior scenes

Night shoots

VFX/FX scenes

Estimated shoot days

Company moves

approx. 14-20 meaningful location moves across the shoot

Complexity Read

The real pressure is period-precise interiors across many dressed rooms colliding with weather-dependent exteriors — falling snow, hard rain, dawn light and a hot summer hill — plus livestock (horses, a sheep flock, a geese flock) and a candlelit ball that all demand careful scheduling.

Atmosphere

This is a film that opens in the silvered hush before dawn and never quite stops being a little too composed for its own good. The first thing the camera does is watch Emma move through an explosion of scarlet and vermillion hothouse blooms by lantern-light, secateurs in hand, imperiously selecting the choicest flowers while a sleepy manservant holds the lamp. That image is the whole picture in miniature: appetite dressed as taste, control performed as grace, a young woman cutting the best of everything because she can. The air is hothouse air, warm and sweet and slightly airless, and the house around it is all symmetry, blue gates swinging open, curtseying maidservants laden with flowers parting as a carriage sweeps through. Everything is arranged. Everything is on display. The comedy lives in the gap between how beautifully the world is staged and how badly the people inside it behave. The pace is brisk and bright, closer to a manners-comedy than a swoon. Scenes are built like clockwork mechanisms that snap shut on a punchline: Mr Woodhouse intercepting Miss Bates's plate of wedding-cake and watching her set it sadly back; Harriet realising her finger is jammed in a china teacup handle exactly as she is handed a plate of cake; over-eager servants boxing Mr Woodhouse in entirely with folding screens until he barks for a candle in the comic dark. The recurring draught-screen gag, the perforated cane filled with lavender, the tinny music box hidden in Mr Elton's tasteless gilt frame, these are the textures, the production design weaponised for laughs. Surfaces gleam: freshly polished family silver laid for a quarrel, dust-sheeted furniture and bagged chandeliers in the museum-cold halls of Donwell, the lived-in clutter of books and papers in the one room Knightley actually inhabits. The contrast between Donwell's preserved grandeur and the Martin farmhouse, where Mrs Martin peels apples on the step and laundry flaps in the breeze, is the film's quiet moral compass made visible. Underneath the wit, a real chill moves through the house, and the film knows exactly when to let the staging fall away. Emma lifts her petticoats to warm her bare bottom at the grate and then stills, utterly alone. An empty chair sits at breakfast where Miss Taylor used to be while Mr Woodhouse makes a servant press his hands to the wall to feel a phantom draught. The cruelty at Box Hill is the turn the whole film has been bracing for, hot and muggy and bug-ridden, Miss Bates's eyes filling as she recoils as if slapped, and then the long flat verdict in the carriage that leaves Emma welling up and willing herself not to cry. After that the film lets feeling break through its own decorum: Jane Fairfax playing Beethoven's Appassionata with stricken intensity, the music heard from the stairwell and stopping dead at the knock; Knightley tearing at his own cravat and waistcoat, undone; the absurd, perfect nosebleed that smears blood across Emma's face at the exact instant she is being told she is loved. A week later you remember the colours and the small humiliations. You remember vermillion blooms under lantern-light and a bouquet handed through a closed door. You remember a finger stuck in a teacup, a candle snuffed at a dark window, snow falling through dining-room glass while a whole table freezes and turns to one frightened old man. You remember a muff retrieved from the dirt and presented like a fairy-tale prize, a daisy chain at the picnic that goes wrong, and a folding screen unfolded one last time so two people can hold hands behind it.

Tonal Descriptors

01precise02arch03sugared04brittle05symmetrical06appetite-driven07sunlit08waspish09mannered10tender beneath the gloss11embarrassed12candle-warm

Reference Points

Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough portraiture

the flushed-cheek English-gentry palette and the sense that every sitter is performing their own rank for the painter.

Wes Anderson's centred, doll's-house symmetry

for the staged, deadpan framing of the screen gag, the boxed-in Mr Woodhouse, and the family that emerges from the carriage perfectly composed after offscreen bedlam.

Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette

the confectionery colour, the hothouse blooms and sweets, youth and appetite filmed as both delicious and slightly suffocating.

Dutch still-life and the laid table

the freshly polished silver, the wedding-cake, the custard and tart and ices, food as a register of status and the policing of bodies.

Vermeer's window light

for the recurring upper-corridor window seat where two people lock eyes through glass, cool daylight on a turned face.

English country-house gardens at golden hour

Knightley's sunset-gilded grounds and the brilliant-summer Donwell strawberry party, manicured nature as the stage for feeling.

Music & Sound

The score should be acoustic, classical and largely period-credible: forte-piano, strings, the occasional folk fiddle, music that could plausibly be played in one of these rooms. This is a world saturated with diegetic performance, so the score and the source music should keep blurring into each other. Emma strikes a deliberately discordant note at the piano like a rude sound effect the moment Knightley settles into his chair; her competent playing is then humiliated by Jane Fairfax's instantly, painfully superior brilliance; Jane and Knightley perform a piano-and-violin duet at the Coles' while the guests join the chorus. Let the instruments carry character. The film's emotional ceiling is reached not by a swelling theme but by Jane alone with the Appassionata, played with stricken intensity, heard from the stairwell and cut off the instant Emma knocks. The set pieces want rhythm and wit more than sentiment. Frank Churchill grabbing Emma's hand and leading her in an impromptu dance through a forest of stacked chairs outside the Crown Inn should be scored as a conjured ball, music for a dance that isn't happening yet. The Crown ball itself needs real period country-dance music with a counting, mechanical pulse, because Frank dances distractedly, counting beats, while the true charge is silent: the near-wordless dance where Emma and Knightley never break eye contact, their smiles fading and their breath shortening. Pull the music almost entirely out of that one. Let the worst moments be scoreless too, the proposal in the snowbound carriage, the Box Hill cruelty, the carriage rebuke, so the silence is the punishment. When music stays out, the sound design should do precise comic and emotional work. Church bells pealing as a congregation rises bracket the film's two weddings. The tinny music box warbling out of the gilt frame should be genuinely awful. Build the snow-panic scene on overlapping voices, everyone talking at once, the gong, the vinaigrette, a whole table going quiet to find it really is snowing. And trust object sounds and room tone: the rattle of Miss Bates's teacup, the scrape of secateurs, a candle being snuffed at a window, the creak of a carriage that visibly tips when someone steps on the footplate.

Soundtrack References

Pride & Prejudice · 2005

Dario Marianelli

steal the diegetic-into-scored piano writing, music that lives at the instrument in the room before it becomes underscore.

The Age of Innocence · 1993

Elmer Bernstein

steal the lush, formal chamber writing that scores ritual, appetite and the policing of bodies as if it were grand passion.

Phantom Thread · 2017

Jonny Greenwood

steal the restless, hothouse-warm piano-and-strings romanticism that lets obsession and decorum share the same elegant surface.

A Room with a View · 1985

Richard Robbins

steal the sunlit, opera-touched lightness that floats a manners-comedy without tipping into sugar.

Color Palette

Hothouse Vermillion#D63B2A

the scarlet and vermillion blooms Emma cuts by lantern-light in the opening hothouse, the film's signature note of appetite and willful taste.

Hartfield Gold#C9A24B

the gilded opulence of the Gold Drawing Room and the tasteless gilt frame Mr Elton commissions, wealth as performance and as comedy.

Schoolgirl Red-Cape#A8201A

the crocodile of identically red-caped schoolgirls who swoon past Mr Elton and race ahead of Emma, the village's chorus of regimented innocence.

Donwell Dust-Sheet#D8D3C4

the bagged chandeliers and dust-sheeted furniture of the museum-cold statue hall, grandeur preserved rather than lived in.

Snow-and-Vinaigrette Grey#9AA3A6

the cold blue-grey of snow falling through the Randalls dining-room glass and Mr Woodhouse's smelling-salts panic, the film's recurring note of dread under the comedy.

Similar Moods

The Favourite · 2018

the same court-comedy cruelty under gorgeous surfaces, status and private leverage played as both farce and knife.

Barry Lyndon · 1975

candlelit period rooms and a cool, composed distance that turns manners and ritual into something almost clinical.

Marie Antoinette · 2006

sugared, hothouse opulence and youthful appetite filmed as gorgeous and faintly airless.

Howards End · 1992

the warm, sunlit English decorum with real moral weight and class anxiety moving quietly underneath the politeness.

Scenes

1EXT

pp. 1-1

HARTFIELD - JUST BEFORE DAWN

stillness

Sunrise breaks over Hartfield, a handsome Sussex country house, in the silvered hush before dawn.

Characters: None
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Establishing shot opening the film.
Camera: Wide establishing shot, slightly low angle
Lighting: Pre-dawn ambient, single warm break of sunrise on the rooftop
Mood: Hushed stillness

2INT

pp. 1-2

HARTFIELD HOTHOUSE - JUST BEFORE DAWN

appetite

Emma moves through an explosion of scarlet and vermillion hothouse blooms by lantern-light, imperiously selecting the choicest flowers while a sleepy manservant holds the lamp.

Characters: EMMA, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: lantern; secateurs; hothouse flowers; bouquet
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The bouquet Emma cuts here becomes Miss Taylor's wedding bouquet (callback in scenes 3 and 11).
Camera: Medium tracking shot following her through the rows
Lighting: Single lantern source, deep shadow beyond its reach
Mood: Appetite

3INT

MORNING

pp. 2-3

HARTFIELD, MISS TAYLOR'S ROOM / UPPER CORRIDOR

tender parting

Through a closed door, Emma and Miss Taylor press their faces close and whisper a tender farewell as Emma offers up the exquisite bouquet.

Characters: EMMA, MISS TAYLOR
Props: bouquet of hothouse flowers; packed possessions
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Miss Taylor is leaving Hartfield to marry Mr Weston and become Mrs Weston.
Camera: Tight two-shot split by the doorframe
Lighting: Soft diffused morning light from a corridor window
Mood: Tender parting

4INT

MORNING

pp. 3-5

HARTFIELD GREAT HALL

fond exasperation

Emma fits a sprig of flowers into her fretful father's lapel while two competitive manservants brush his coat and fill his perforated, salt-shaker cane with lavender.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW, CHARLES
Props: floral arrangement; lapel sprig; coat-brush; perforated cane; lavender; hat
Wardrobe: Mr Woodhouse dressed to depart with coat and hat
Notes: Establishes Mr Woodhouse's valetudinarian fixations and the rivalry between the manservants.
Camera: Medium wide, eye-level, balanced symmetrical framing
Lighting: Bright even morning light through tall hall windows
Mood: Fond exasperation

5EXT

MORNING

pp. 5-5

HARTFIELD - CONTINUOUS

departure

The Woodhouse carriage waits at the door, coachman James standing ready by the open carriage door.

Characters: JAMES
Props: carriage
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide shot, slightly elevated
Lighting: Clear flat morning daylight
Mood: Departure

6INT

MORNING

pp. 5-5

WOODHOUSE CARRIAGE

self-satisfaction

Mr Woodhouse gazes out the carriage window scheming to delay the wedding as Emma takes proud credit for having made the match.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Woodhouse warns Emma to make no more matches; she vows she must continue, for sport.
Camera: Two-shot across the carriage interior
Lighting: Soft window daylight raking from one side
Mood: Self-satisfaction

7EXT

MORNING

pp. 5-5

HARTFIELD GATES - CONTINUOUS

ceremony

Two footmen swing open the blue gates and curtseying maidservants laden with flowers part as the carriage sweeps through.

Characters: None
Props: blue gates; armloads of flowers
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Title card: EMMA appears here.
Camera: Wide shot, carriage moving toward camera through the gates
Lighting: Bright open morning light
Mood: Ceremony

8EXT

MORNING

pp. 5-6

HIGHBURY LANE

vanity

The unctuous vicar Mr Elton sweeps past a crocodile of red-caped schoolgirls who swoon at the most eligible bachelor in town.

Characters: MR ELTON, MRS GODDARD, HARRIET
Props: red capes
Wardrobe: Schoolgirls identically dressed in red capes
Notes: Introduces Mr Elton, Mrs Goddard and Harriet Smith.
Camera: Tracking medium shot alongside the vicar
Lighting: Crisp morning daylight
Mood: Vanity

9INT

MORNING

pp. 6-6

INT/EXT. WOODHOUSE CARRIAGE

scheming

Spying Mr Elton through the carriage glass, Emma sits back radiant with a new matchmaking scheme already forming.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma resolves to find Mr Elton a wife.
Camera: Single close-up favouring the young woman
Lighting: Window daylight on her face, cabin in soft shadow
Mood: Scheming

10EXT

MORNING

pp. 6-6

HIGHBURY PARISH CHURCH

status

The Woodhouse carriage stands alone outside the church while everyone else arrives on foot, James handing Emma and her father down.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, JAMES
Props: carriage
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide shot emphasising the lone carriage at the door
Lighting: Even flat morning daylight
Mood: Status

11INT

MORNING

pp. 6-9

HIGHBURY PARISH CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

longing

Miss Taylor processes radiantly down the aisle clutching Emma's bouquet, while Emma checks the closing door one last time for a Frank Churchill who never comes.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, MR AND MRS COLE, MR WESTON, MISS BATES, MRS BATES, MR ELTON, MISS TAYLOR
Props: bouquet; blanket; altar cloth; cane
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The Westons' wedding. Mr Woodhouse tucks a blanket over Emma; Mr Cole's blanket and pew become a recurring detail. Frank Churchill anticipated but absent.
Camera: Wide down the aisle, with insert emphasis on the seated young woman's turned head
Lighting: Soft daylight through leaded windows, candle warmth at the altar
Mood: Longing

12INT

DAY

pp. 9-10

RANDALLS - AN HOUR LATER

loneliness

At the wedding breakfast, Mr Woodhouse intercepts Miss Bates's plate of wedding-cake, and she sets it sadly back as Emma watches, feeling lonelier than ever.

Characters: EMMA, MRS WESTON, MR WESTON, MRS GODDARD, MISS BATES, MR ELTON, MR WOODHOUSE, MRS COX
Props: wedding-cake; plate; letter from Frank Churchill
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Weston holds Frank's apologetic letter. Establishes the gossip about Harriet's parentage and Mr Woodhouse's policing of others' appetites.
Camera: Medium wide favouring the cake exchange with the young woman in foreground edge
Lighting: Warm interior daylight, candle accents
Mood: Loneliness

13EXT

pp. 10-10

DONWELL ABBEY - LATE AFTERNOON

introduction

A sweaty George Knightley gallops down a shaded avenue to the grand, Gothic, museum-like Donwell Abbey and hands his horse to a waiting groom.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, GROOM
Props: horse; bridle
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Horse riding / gallop
Notes: Introduces Mr Knightley. Donwell Abbey 'looks preserved rather than lived-in'.
Camera: Wide tracking shot of the gallop resolving to a medium on the dismount
Lighting: Low golden late-afternoon sun filtered through avenue trees
Mood: Arrival

14INT

pp. 10-11

DONWELL ABBEY, MR KNIGHTLEY'S ROOM - LATER - LATE AFTERNOON

intimacy

Bathed and at ease, Mr Knightley is dressed by his valet in a cosy room cluttered with books and papers, the one truly inhabited corner of the museum-house.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, VALET
Props: books; papers
Wardrobe: Mr Knightley being dressed in clean clothes
Notes: None
Camera: Medium two-shot, intimate framing
Lighting: Low warm candlelight and last window glow
Mood: Intimacy

15INT

pp. 11-11

DONWELL ABBEY, BEDROOM / DOUBLE CUBE / SINGLE CUBE / STATUE HALL - CONTINUOUS - LATE AFTERNOON

wry warmth

Mr Knightley walks the cavernous statue hall of dust-sheeted furniture and bagged chandeliers as footmen light candles and his housekeeper teases him about never using his carriage.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, MRS REYNOLDS
Props: dust sheets; bagged chandeliers; candles
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Establishes Donwell's grandeur and Mr Knightley's habit of going on foot; pays off later when he 'arrives as a gentleman' in carriages.
Camera: Wide tracking shot down the long hall
Lighting: Scattered candle pools amid deep architectural shadow
Mood: Wry warmth

16EXT

pp. 11-11

DONWELL ABBEY - SUNSET

contentment

Mr Knightley sets off on foot through his sunset-gilded grounds, smiling and savouring the exercise.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide shot, figure small in the landscape walking away
Lighting: Low raking golden sunset
Mood: Contentment

17INT

EVENING

pp. 11-15

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM - AN HOUR LATER

verbal sparring

To seem occupied when Knightley arrives, Emma darts to the piano and strikes a deliberately discordant note like a rude sound effect just as he settles into his habitual chair.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, MR KNIGHTLEY, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: letter from Frank Churchill; piano; backgammon table; folding screen
Wardrobe: Mr Knightley's spotless boots
Notes: Knightley and Emma debate Frank Churchill's failure to attend the wedding; first real glimpse of their dynamic. Folding screen / draught running gag continues.
Camera: Wide two-shot across the room linking piano and chair
Lighting: Warm candlelight, pools of gold
Mood: Sparring

18INT

MORNING

pp. 15-15

HARTFIELD, EMMA'S ROOM

solitude

Dressed at last in layers of petticoats, Emma lifts her skirts to warm her bare bottom unselfconsciously at the grate, then stills, feeling utterly alone.

Characters: EMMA
Props: petticoats; gown; fire grate
Wardrobe: Emma in layers of petticoats then gauzy outermost gown
Notes: Famous unselfconscious image of Emma warming herself by the fire.
Camera: Medium full shot, respectful and discreet framing from behind
Lighting: Warm fire-glow from below, cool window light beyond
Mood: Solitude

19INT

MORNING

pp. 15-16

HARTFIELD DINING ROOM - A LITTLE LATER

absence

An empty chair sits between Emma and her father at breakfast where Miss Taylor used to be, as Mr Woodhouse makes Bartholomew press his hands to the wall to feel a phantom chill draught.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: newspaper; empty chair
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma introduces the topic of Harriet Smith. The empty chair marks Miss Taylor's departure.
Camera: Symmetrical wide down the table length
Lighting: Cool even morning light from tall windows
Mood: Absence

20EXT

DAY

pp. 16-17

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL

manipulation

On the school lawn Emma presumptuously persuades a hesitant Mrs Goddard to send the parentless Harriet to Hartfield.

Characters: EMMA, MRS GODDARD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Goddard's insincere curtsey signals her unease at Emma's interest in Harriet.
Camera: Medium two-shot, eye-level
Lighting: Soft open daylight
Mood: Manipulation

21EXT

DAY

pp. 17-17

EXT/INT. HARTFIELD COURTYARD / GREAT HALL - THE NEXT MORNING

intimidation

Tiny Harriet enters Hartfield alone, dwarfed by its stately grandeur, visibly losing her nerve.

Characters: HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide high-ceiling shot exaggerating scale, girl small and centred
Lighting: Cool morning light flooding from tall hall windows
Mood: Intimidation

22INT

DAY

pp. 17-19

HARTFIELD MINT DRAWING ROOM - A LITTLE LATER

snobbery and comedy

Terrified across the opulent drawing room, Harriet realises her finger is jammed in the delicate china teacup handle just as she must accept a plate of cake.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: trestle-table; tea-tray; urn; tea caddy; teacup; cake
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma cools Harriet's regard for farmer Robert Martin; establishes the Martins of Abbey Mill Farm and the class theme via the goose anecdote.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the girl, with insert emphasis on the stuck teacup
Lighting: Soft refined daylight
Mood: Mortified comedy

23INT

DAY

pp. 19-20

RANDALLS DRAWING ROOM

matchmaking

Emma seats Harriet beneath Frank Churchill's signed painting of Enscombe, engineering the room so Mr Elton can admire the living loveliness before him.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MRS WESTON, MR ELTON
Props: painting of Enscombe (signed F. CHURCHILL)
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Frank Churchill's painting of Enscombe established as a prop and class symbol.
Camera: Wide composed three-point shot
Lighting: Soft daytime interior light
Mood: Matchmaking

24EXT

DAY

pp. 20-21

HIGHBURY LANE, NEAR HARTFIELD - LATE AFTERNOON

self-possession

Reaching the Hartfield gates, Emma extends her hand regally for Harriet to take, every inch the mistress of her own house declaring she will never marry.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma's credo that she has none of the usual inducements of women to marry.
Camera: Medium two-shot, low angle favouring the young woman's command
Lighting: Warm low late-afternoon sun
Mood: Self-possession

25EXT

MORNING

pp. 20-20

HIGHBURY MARKET SQUARE - A FEW DAYS LATER

transition

Emma and Harriet stroll through the quaint Highbury town centre and turn into Ford's haberdasher.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide establishing shot following the pair across the square
Lighting: Bright clear morning light
Mood: Transition

26INT

DAY

pp. 20-22

FORD'S HABERDASHER - A LITTLE LATER

exasperation

Trapped at the counter, Emma seethes while Miss Bates pursues her around the shop with the breathless saga of Jane Fairfax's near-drowning and her rescue by Mr Dixon.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MISS BATES
Props: ribbons (dark blue and light); letter from Jane Fairfax
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Plants Jane Fairfax, the Campbells, Mr and Mrs Dixon, and the Weymouth water-party rescue, all of which pay off later.
Camera: Medium shot, slightly claustrophobic framing
Lighting: Soft shop daylight, dim corners
Mood: Exasperation

27EXT

DAY

pp. 22-24

HIGHBURY LANE - FIVE MINUTES LATER

disdain

Across a field the strapping farmer Robert Martin drops his plough and strides grinning to the fence to greet Harriet, while Emma looks on with cool disapproval.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, ROBERT MARTIN
Props: plough
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma dismisses Robert Martin as clownish; introduces him in person. Emma's hypocrisy about Miss Bates and Jane Fairfax flagged.
Camera: Medium wide across the fence-line dividing field and lane
Lighting: Open flat daylight
Mood: Disdain

28INT

EVENING

pp. 24-26

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

flattery and scheming

In the next room the apothecary Mr Perry plies Mr Woodhouse with potions while Emma drops her voice to plant the idea in Harriet that Mr Elton means to ingratiate himself.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR PERRY, MR WOODHOUSE
Props: letter from Frank Churchill; embroidered letter-case; potions and tinctures
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Introduces apothecary Mr Perry. Knightley notes Emma's vanity 'lies a different way'.
Camera: Medium with foreground whisper and background doorway action
Lighting: Layered candlelight, foreground warm, background dimmer
Mood: Scheming flattery

29INT

DAY

pp. 25-27

RANDALLS, SMALL HALL - THE NEXT DAY

concern

Fidgeting at the window seat, Mr Knightley confides to Mrs Weston his disapproval of Emma's intimacy with Harriet, calling Harriet's ignorance 'hourly flattery'.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, MRS WESTON
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Weston hints at 'wishes in this house respecting Emma's destiny' and glances at the Enscombe picture - early seeding of a Frank/Emma match.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the window seat
Lighting: Soft daylight through the window behind the figures
Mood: Concern

30INT

DAY

pp. 27-28

HARTFIELD MUSIC ROOM - A FEW DAYS LATER

manoeuvring

Mr Elton leafs through Emma's unfinished portfolio and gushes flattery as Emma steers him toward commissioning a likeness of Harriet.

Characters: EMMA, MR ELTON, HARRIET
Props: portfolio of sketches
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sets up the portrait subplot.
Camera: Medium three-figure shot
Lighting: Even soft daylight from tall windows
Mood: Manoeuvring

31INT

DAY

pp. 27-29

HARTFIELD MINT DRAWING ROOM - LATER

flushed hope

Emma paints at her easel while Harriet poses against a screen, and Mr Elton volunteers to gallop to London the instant he is asked to have the portrait framed.

Characters: EMMA, MR ELTON, HARRIET, MR WOODHOUSE, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: easel; portrait of Harriet; folding screen with pastoral scene; leather tube
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Knightley judges the portrait sceptically ('made her too tall'). The portrait becomes a recurring hero prop.
Camera: Wide composed shot taking in easel, model, and vicar
Lighting: Soft north-window painting light
Mood: Flushed hope

32EXT

pp. 30-30

ABBEY MILL LANE - VERY EARLY MORNING

warmth

Mr Knightley rides up to the flourishing, well-tended Martin farmhouse where Mrs Martin peels apples on the step and laundry flaps in the breeze.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, MRS MARTIN, ELIZABETH MARTIN, CATHERINE MARTIN, ROBERT MARTIN
Props: apples; laundry; horse
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Horse riding
Notes: Establishes the Martin family and Knightley's easy fondness for Robert; contrasts the cottage's lived-in warmth with Donwell's museum chill.
Camera: Wide farmyard shot, gentleman mounted foreground, cottage midground
Lighting: Soft warm early-morning sun, long gentle shadows
Mood: Warmth

33EXT

pp. 30-31

LANE NEAR ABBEY MILL FARM - NEARING SUNSET

trust

Driving a flock of sheep down a sunset road, Robert Martin nervously works up the courage to ask his landlord's advice about marrying.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, ROBERT MARTIN
Props: flock of sheep
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Sheep wrangling
Notes: Robert seeks Knightley's blessing to propose to Harriet.
Camera: Tracking medium-wide following the men through the flock
Lighting: Low golden sunset, dust-glow in the air
Mood: Trust

34INT

DAY

pp. 31-34

EMMA'S DRESSING ROOM AT HARTFIELD - THE NEXT DAY

control

Being fitted for a winter coat, Emma reads Robert Martin's proposal letter aloud while a hiccuping Harriet holds her nose, and coolly steers her toward refusing him.

Characters: EMMA, MRS FORD, HARRIET
Props: mock-up winter coat; secateurs/pins; Robert Martin's proposal letter
Wardrobe: Emma in a mocked-up winter coat being altered
Notes: Introduces haberdasher Mrs Ford. Emma manipulates Harriet into refusing a genuinely good letter. Hiccups as comic counterpoint.
Camera: Medium shot, the reading young woman central
Lighting: Soft window daylight
Mood: Control

35INT

DAY

pp. 33-34

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

comic absurdity

Over-eager servants box Mr Woodhouse in completely with folding screens to block the draught, plunging him into comic darkness until he barks for a candle.

Characters: MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW, CHARLES
Props: folding screens; candle
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Draught/screen running gag at its broadest.
Camera: Medium wide showing the screens closing him in
Lighting: Bright room beyond, near-darkness inside the screen enclosure, one candle spark
Mood: Comic absurdity

36INT

DAY

pp. 34-34

HARTFIELD STAIRCASE ENTRANCE - LATER

rising tension

Knightley steps in glowing with good news as Emma descends the staircase, only for her to pre-empt him with the news that Martin was already refused.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Leads directly into the central Emma/Knightley quarrel.
Camera: Wide shot along the staircase diagonal
Lighting: Cool daylight from the entrance, warmer interior glow above
Mood: Rising tension

37INT

DAY

pp. 34-35

HARTFIELD DINING ROOM - FIVE MINUTES LATER

confrontation

Emma and Knightley circle the table laid with freshly polished family silver as he accuses her of engineering Harriet's cruel refusal.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: Woodhouse family silver; inventory
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: First movement of the running quarrel that spills room to room.
Camera: Wide two-shot across the table dividing them
Lighting: Cool even daylight catching the silver
Mood: Confrontation

38INT

DAY

pp. 35-35

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

comic relief

Distressed by the open door, Mr Woodhouse cries out for his servants as Bartholomew sprints back with a candle to close it.

Characters: MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: candle; open door
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The quarrel is cross-cut with Mr Woodhouse's draught panic.
Camera: Medium wide capturing both door and old man
Lighting: Warm room interior, cool draught-light from the open doorway
Mood: Comic relief

39INT

DAY

pp. 35-37

HARTFIELD MUSIC ROOM

wounding

His harshest words yet land on Emma in the music room as Knightley pursues her about Harriet's obscure parentage and Mr Elton's mercenary nature.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Continuation of the quarrel; Knightley warns that Elton will never marry Harriet.
Camera: Medium tracking two-shot
Lighting: Even soft daylight
Mood: Wounding

40INT

DAY

pp. 37-37

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

comic interruption

Mid-argument Knightley bows tightly to a fretting Mr Woodhouse and closes the door before chasing Emma onward.

Characters: MR WOODHOUSE, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: door
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Cross-cut beat of the quarrel.
Camera: Medium shot capturing the curt bow at the door
Lighting: Warm interior daylight
Mood: Comic interruption

41INT

DAY

pp. 37-38

HARTFIELD DINING ROOM

rupture

Cornered at last, Emma faces Knightley fiercely and declares she is done with matchmaking, knowing even as she says it that she sounds selfish.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The quarrel ends with Knightley too disgusted to speak; he bows stiffly and leaves.
Camera: Tight two-shot, young woman cornered
Lighting: Cool even daylight
Mood: Rupture

42INT

DAY

pp. 37-38

HARTFIELD MINT DRAWING ROOM

cringe

Mr Elton unveils Harriet's framed portrait in a tasteless gilt frame, then cranks a hidden music box so a tinny tune warbles out, appalling Emma.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MR WOODHOUSE, MR ELTON
Props: framed portrait of Harriet; ornate gilt frame with hidden music box
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The ridiculous frame becomes a hero prop that recurs through the film.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the unveiled portrait and the appalled reaction
Lighting: Soft daylight glinting on the gilt frame
Mood: Cringe

43EXT

AFTERNOON

pp. 39-39

HARTFIELD - A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

comic chaos

A carriage turns into the drive amid unseen bedlam - crying children, John Knightley fuming over spilt milk on his trousers.

Characters: ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, HENRY, JOHN, BELLA
Props: carriage; spilt milk
Wardrobe: John Knightley's milk-stained trousers
Notes: Introduces the Knightley family arriving for Christmas (heard, not yet seen).
Camera: Wide shot of the carriage turning into the drive
Lighting: Flat cold winter-afternoon light
Mood: Comic chaos

44INT

AFTERNOON

pp. 39-39

HARTFIELD UPPER CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

facade

Through the upper-corridor glass we watch the family emerge from the carriage perfectly composed, their earlier chaos magically silenced.

Characters: MR WOODHOUSE, EMMA, ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, HENRY, JOHN, BELLA
Props: carriage; swaddling-cloth; baby
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Introduces Isabella Knightley (a fellow hypochondriac) and John Knightley properly. Their exclamations heard only mutedly through glass.
Camera: Medium shot from inside looking down through the corridor window
Lighting: Cool grey daylight, figures softened by the glass
Mood: Facade

45INT

AFTERNOON

pp. 40-42

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

reconciliation

Mr Knightley caresses the baby's face and tells little Emma her aunt was very wrong, just before the infant sicks up milk and the room dissolves into hypochondriac panic.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, MR KNIGHTLEY, ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY
Props: baby; vinaigrette
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Knightley and Emma reconcile via the baby. Sets up John Knightley's bitterness ('How I hate the childless').
Camera: Medium shot centred on the gentleman and baby
Lighting: Warm afternoon glow and candlelight
Mood: Reconciliation

46EXT

DAY

pp. 41-42

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL

grandeur

Opulently dressed in a fur-trimmed winter cape, Emma sweeps up the walk as star-struck schoolgirls race ahead of her.

Characters: EMMA
Wardrobe: Emma in a fur-trimmed winter cape
Notes: None
Camera: Medium tracking shot following her grand approach
Lighting: Crisp cold winter daylight
Mood: Grandeur

47INT

DAY

pp. 41-42

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL STAIRWELL

imposition

Mrs Goddard meets Emma in the hallway, plainly unprepared for this grand and unexpected visit.

Characters: EMMA, MRS GODDARD
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium two-shot in the narrow stairwell
Lighting: Plain daylight from a stair window
Mood: Imposition

48INT

DAY

pp. 41-42

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL, HARRIET'S ROOM

devotion

A feverish Harriet leaps up mortified that Emma has seen her humble room, almost fainting before Emma sends her back to bed.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Props: pocketbook of transcribed sermons
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma offers to transcribe Mr Elton's Christmas sermon for the ailing Harriet.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the rising girl
Lighting: Soft pale daylight, faintly cool sickroom tone
Mood: Devotion

49EXT

EVENING

pp. 42-42

RANDALLS - CHRISTMAS EVE

welcome

Beaming, Mr Weston comes out to greet three carriages turning into the Randalls driveway on Christmas Eve.

Characters: MR WESTON
Props: three carriages
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Christmas Eve party at Randalls begins.
Camera: Wide shot, doorway light against arriving carriages
Lighting: Warm doorway lamplight against cold night
Mood: Welcome

50INT

EVENING

pp. 42-44

RANDALLS DRAWING ROOM

bustle

Amid noisy reunions, Mr Elton picks judgementally through the mantelpiece trinkets while declaring Miss Smith 'will be missed every moment' moments before forgetting her for a glass of wine.

Characters: EMMA, ISABELLA, MRS WESTON, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WOODHOUSE, MR WESTON, MR ELTON
Props: trinkets on mantelpiece; tray of wine glasses; letter from Frank
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Weston reveals Frank is detained at Enscombe. Mr Elton's indifference to Harriet flagged.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the vicar at the mantel within the crowd
Lighting: Warm candlelight, mantel glow
Mood: Bustle

51INT

EVENING

pp. 44-45

RANDALLS DINING ROOM - LATER

prejudice

Alone in the set dining room, Emma re-reads Frank's letter while Knightley needles her about its professions and falsehoods.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: letter from Frank Churchill
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma admits her prejudice in Frank's favour; Knightley's against.
Camera: Intimate two-shot over the letter
Lighting: Warm single-candle pool, surrounding dimness
Mood: Prejudice

52INT

EVENING

pp. 46-47

RANDALLS DINING ROOM - A LITTLE LATER

creeping alarm

At Mr Elton's nervous mention of snow the whole table freezes and turns to Mr Woodhouse, who rises and looks to the window to find it really is snowing.

Characters: EMMA, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MR ELTON, MR WOODHOUSE, ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: dinner table; gong
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The Westons gossip about the jealous Mrs Churchill at Enscombe. Snow begins, triggering the chaos.
Camera: Wide table shot, all heads turned toward the rising old man
Lighting: Warm candlelight inside, cold blue snow-light at the window
Mood: Creeping alarm

53INT

EVENING

pp. 46-47

RANDALLS DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

panic

Everyone talks at once in snow-panic - Mr Woodhouse despairing 'It was snowing when your mother died' - while John Knightley needles and Knightley calmly takes charge.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, ISABELLA, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, MR ELTON
Props: vinaigrette
Wardrobe: Mr Knightley's shoulders dusted with snow
VFX/Stunts: Falling snow effect
Notes: The snow scramble; carriages called. Sets up Emma being trapped alone with Mr Elton.
Camera: Wide ensemble shot, calm figure centred amid the churn
Lighting: Warm candlelight, cold snow-tint on the standing figure
Mood: Panic

54EXT

NIGHT

pp. 47-48

RANDALLS

entrapment

In hard-falling snow with horses breathing plumes of steam, the carriages peel away one by one until Emma, appalled, realises she must ride home alone with Mr Elton.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, ISABELLA, MR KNIGHTLEY, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, MR ELTON
Props: three carriages; vinaigrette
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Heavy snow effect; Horses in cold (steam breath)
Notes: Mr Elton offers his hand at the door of the third carriage.
Camera: Wide shot of the snowy forecourt, young woman isolated at the third carriage
Lighting: Cold lamplight against night snow
Mood: Entrapment

55INT

NIGHT

pp. 48-51

WOODHOUSE CARRIAGE

humiliation

Wine-flushed Mr Elton leaps across the carriage to seize Emma's hand and declare his ardent love, and she wrenches free, horrified at the collapse of her whole scheme.

Characters: EMMA, MR ELTON
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Elton's disastrous proposal to Emma; he reveals he never cared for Harriet. He stops the carriage and storms out.
Camera: Tight two-shot across the carriage, charged diagonal
Lighting: Cold dim window-light, faces half in shadow
Mood: Humiliation

56INT

DAY

pp. 50-51

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL PARLOUR - CHRISTMAS DAY

dread arrival

Flour-faced, Harriet plunges her head into a pile of flour to retrieve a bullet with her teeth, then looks up to find the giggling girls horror-struck at the sight of an ashen Emma in the doorway.

Characters: HARRIET
Props: plate of flour; bullet; knife
Wardrobe: Harriet ill, flour all over her face
Notes: Comic game of the flour and bullet; Emma arrives to break bad news.
Camera: Medium wide, flour-faced girl foreground, doorway figure beyond
Lighting: Soft parlour daylight, doorway figure in cooler light
Mood: Dread arrival

57INT

DAY

pp. 50-52

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL, HARRIET'S ROOM

devastation

Tears streak through the flour on Harriet's face as she realises Mr Elton never loved her - he loved Emma - and Emma's matchmaking lies in ruins.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Props: portrait of Harriet in its ridiculous frame
Wardrobe: Harriet with a dusty halo of flour around her face
Notes: Emma confesses she was deceived; vows to keep the likeness and burn the frame. End of the Elton scheme.
Camera: Tight shot on the weeping flour-dusted girl
Lighting: Soft pale daylight
Mood: Devastation

58EXT

DAY

pp. 51-53

HARTFIELD - A FEW DAYS LATER

bittersweet farewell

As the Knightleys' carriage pulls away, John Knightley fixes Emma with a parting look of loathing - 'How I hate the childless' - and Mr Woodhouse is left unexpectedly weeping.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, HENRY, JOHN, BELLA
Props: carriage; handkerchief
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The Knightley family departs. Emma promises Mr Woodhouse she will never leave him - a vow that becomes the film's central obstacle.
Camera: Medium wide, carriage departing, two figures left on the drive
Lighting: Flat cold winter daylight
Mood: Bittersweet farewell

59EXT

DAY

pp. 52-53

HIGHBURY LANE - A FEW WEEKS LATER

release

Goaded past endurance by Harriet's endless Elton sermons, Emma snaps, and Harriet impulsively hurls her book of sermons into the river just as Miss Bates comes running with news of Jane.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MISS BATES
Props: book of sermons; handkerchief
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Miss Bates announces Jane Fairfax has arrived in Highbury.
Camera: Medium wide catching the book mid-throw
Lighting: Soft overcast daylight
Mood: Release

60INT

DAY

pp. 52-55

MRS BATES' ROOMS - TEN MINUTES LATER

wary scrutiny

In the Bateses' shabby first-floor rooms, the beautiful, pale, maddeningly composed Jane Fairfax sits unmoved while Miss Bates prattles and rattles her teacup.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MRS BATES, JANE FAIRFAX, MISS BATES
Props: teacups; baked apples reference
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Introduces Jane Fairfax in person; establishes the Bateses' genteel poverty. Jane's composure infuriates Emma.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the still young woman within the cramped room
Lighting: Thin weak daylight through a small window
Mood: Wary scrutiny

61INT

AFTERNOON

pp. 54-55

HARTFIELD GREAT HALL - A FEW DAYS LATER

competitiveness

Emma fusses over lavish floral arrangements throughout the great hall, gauging their effect, possibly overdoing it for the Bateses' visit.

Characters: EMMA
Props: floral arrangements
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium wide, young woman among the arrangements
Lighting: Warm afternoon light through hall windows
Mood: Competitiveness

62INT

NIGHT

pp. 54-56

HARTFIELD DINING ROOM

social manoeuvring

At a lavish dinner Mr Woodhouse polices everyone's plates while Miss Bates bellows at her deaf mother to sample the tart, startling the whole table.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, MRS BATES, MISS BATES, HARRIET, MRS GODDARD, JANE FAIRFAX, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: custard; tart; wine; ices
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma probes Jane about Frank Churchill at Weymouth; Jane deflects. Mr Woodhouse's appetite-policing on full display.
Camera: Wide table shot capturing both comic beats
Lighting: Warm candlelight along the table
Mood: Social manoeuvring

63INT

NIGHT

pp. 55-57

HARTFIELD MINT DRAWING ROOM - LATER

jealousy

Emma's competent piano playing gives way to Jane Fairfax's, whose brilliance is instantly, painfully superior, as Knightley watches Jane with frank appreciation.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, JANE FAIRFAX, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WOODHOUSE, MISS BATES
Props: piano; fan
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Knightley accuses Emma of disliking Jane; suggests Jane is the accomplished woman Emma wishes to be thought.
Camera: Medium wide linking pianist, jealous onlooker, and admiring gentleman
Lighting: Warm candlelight at the keyboard
Mood: Jealousy

64EXT

DAY

pp. 58-58

HIGHBURY MARKET SQUARE

transition

Rain hammers down on the deserted Highbury market square.

Characters: None
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Heavy rain
Notes: None
Camera: Wide static establishing shot of the empty square
Lighting: Flat grey rain-light
Mood: Transition

65INT

DAY

pp. 58-59

FORD'S HABERDASHER

awkward reunion

Sheltering from the rain, Harriet and Robert Martin startle red-faced at each other as the dripping Martin sisters press her to visit, with nowhere to hide.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, ELIZABETH MARTIN, CATHERINE MARTIN, ROBERT MARTIN
Props: ribbons
Wardrobe: Martins all very wet from the rain
Notes: Harriet cornered into accepting an invitation to the Martins.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the startled pair
Lighting: Dim grey rain-light from the shopfront window
Mood: Awkward reunion

66EXT

DAY

pp. 59-60

FORD'S HABERDASHER

tenderness

Robert Martin follows Harriet out into the rain, both quickly drenched, to tell her gently the near way is flooded and she should go round by the higher ground.

Characters: HARRIET, ROBERT MARTIN
Wardrobe: Both drenched in the rain
VFX/Stunts: Rain
Notes: A rain-soaked moment quietly romantic between Harriet and Robert.
Camera: Medium two-shot in the rain
Lighting: Flat grey rain-light, water glinting
Mood: Tenderness

67EXT

DAY

pp. 60-60

ABBEY MILL LANE - A FEW DAYS LATER

control

Emma's carriage halts on the lane to Abbey Mill as she coaches a nervous Harriet to keep the visit short and allow no dangerous reminiscences.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Props: carriage; muff
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sets up Harriet dropping the muff that Frank Churchill will later retrieve.
Camera: Medium two-shot inside the halted carriage
Lighting: Soft daylight through the carriage window
Mood: Control

68INT

DAY

pp. 60-61

EMMA'S CARRIAGE

enchantment

A dashing stranger in very tight trousers retrieves Harriet's dropped muff from the dirt and presents it to Emma through the carriage door like a prince in a fairy tale, the whole carriage tipping toward him.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, JAMES, FRANK CHURCHILL, MRS MARTIN, ELIZABETH MARTIN, CATHERINE MARTIN
Props: muff; carriage; coin
Wardrobe: Frank Churchill dashingly coiffed, in very tight trousers
VFX/Stunts: Horse riding / canter off
Notes: First meeting between Emma and Frank Churchill, before she knows who he is. Harriet visits the Martins meanwhile.
Camera: Medium shot through the open carriage door
Lighting: Warm daylight at the doorway, cabin softer
Mood: Enchantment

69INT

DAY

pp. 60-61

HARTFIELD HOTHOUSE - THE NEXT MORNING

recognition

Humming among the flowers, Emma sees the man from yesterday shimmer through the misted hothouse glass, as if conjured by her imagination, then realises with the Westons behind him exactly who he is.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON
Props: hothouse flowers; misted glass
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Echoes the opening hothouse scene; Frank revealed as the stranger.
Camera: Medium shot, young woman near foreground, figures softened through the glass
Lighting: Diffuse misted morning light
Mood: Recognition

70INT

DAY

pp. 62-62

HARTFIELD HOTHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

flirtation

Mr Weston proudly presents Frank to Emma in the hothouse, the two of them already sharing the private joke that they met yesterday, while Weston watches eagerly hoping they fall in love.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Weston invites Emma to walk to the village with them.
Camera: Medium three-shot among the flowers
Lighting: Soft daylight through the glass roof
Mood: Flirtation

71EXT

DAY

pp. 62-63

HIGHBURY BRIDGE - LATER

charm offensive

Frank Churchill throws his arms wide to the village, performing 'airy, cheerful, happy-seeming Highbury!' loud enough to send the crocodile of schoolgirls into giggles.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MRS GODDARD
Wardrobe: Frank Churchill in tight trousers
Notes: Frank deflects Emma's questions about Jane Fairfax at Weymouth; performs for the schoolgirls.
Camera: Wide shot capturing the theatrical gesture and the reacting girls
Lighting: Bright open daylight
Mood: Charm offensive

72INT

DAY

pp. 63-64

FORD'S HABERDASHER

complicity

Casually inspecting gloves at the counter, Frank disparages Jane Fairfax as a repulsively reserved person 'continually out of health', drawing a guilty Emma into unkindness.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL
Props: gloves
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Frank's coded misdirection about Jane; Emma flattered and guilty.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the shop counter
Lighting: Soft warm shop daylight
Mood: Complicity

73EXT

DAY

pp. 64-67

HIGHBURY MARKET SQUARE - LATER

exhilaration

Frank grabs Emma's hand and leads her in an impromptu dance through a forest of stacked chairs outside the Crown Inn, conjuring the idea of a ball where there is none.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, JANE FAIRFAX, MISS BATES
Props: stacks of chairs
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Frank secures the first two dances from Emma. Mr Weston mentions the Coles' supper-party. The Coles' low origins debated.
Camera: Tracking medium-wide following the impromptu dance through the chairs
Lighting: Bright open daylight
Mood: Exhilaration

74EXT

NIGHT

pp. 67-68

COLES' RESIDENCE

playful warmth

Emma, delighted, watches Mr Knightley step from his own carriage in his finest, teasing him that arriving by carriage at last makes him properly a gentleman.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: carriages
Wardrobe: Mr Knightley well dressed; Emma in evening dress
Notes: Knightley mocks Frank for riding sixteen miles to get a haircut; calls him a trifling, silly fop. Carriage detail pays off later.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the carriage step
Lighting: Warm entrance lamplight against night
Mood: Playful warmth

75INT

pp. 68-71

COLES' RESIDENCE - NIGHT - LATER

cruel gossip

While the whole village buzzes about the mysterious pianoforte sent anonymously to Jane, Frank and Emma trade cruel speculation that the secret giver is the married Mr Dixon.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR COLE, JANE FAIRFAX, MRS COLE, MRS COX, MISS GILBERT, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MISS BATES
Props: pianoforte (anonymous gift); violin; wine glasses
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Weston floats a Knightley/Jane match; Emma learns Knightley sent his carriage for Jane and walked himself, undercutting his earlier 'gentleman' arrival.
Camera: Medium shot of the conspiring pair within the party crowd
Lighting: Warm candlelight
Mood: Cruel gossip

76EXT

NIGHT

pp. 70-71

COLES' RESIDENCE

warmth from outside

The sound of the guests' lusty singing drifts out into the dark over the Coles' crowded driveway.

Characters: None
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide exterior shot of the lit house at night
Lighting: Warm window-glow against cold dark
Mood: Warmth from outside

77EXT

DAY

pp. 72-72

HARTFIELD

impulse

Bonnet half-tied, Emma intercepts a bewildered Harriet at the door and announces they are off to call on Jane Fairfax.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Props: bonnet
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium two-shot at the doorway
Lighting: Bright open daylight
Mood: Impulse

78INT

DAY

pp. 72-74

MRS BATES' ROOMS IN HIGHBURY

needling

Crammed into the tiny room dominated by the new pianoforte, Frank baits Jane by recalling a tune danced at Weymouth with Mr Dixon, and her hands falter on the keys.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, FRANK CHURCHILL, JANE FAIRFAX, MISS BATES, MRS BATES
Props: Mrs Bates' spectacles; rivet; pianoforte; Donwell apples
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Frank's pointed cruelty toward Jane; Emma whispers he speaks too plain. Knightley's gift of Donwell apples mentioned.
Camera: Medium shot crowded by the room's tightness
Lighting: Thin daylight through a small window
Mood: Needling

79INT

NIGHT

pp. 74-74

HARTFIELD, EMMA'S ROOM

self-doubt

In her nightgown at the window, doubting herself, Emma stares into a candle flame and then reaches out and snuffs it.

Characters: EMMA
Props: candle
Wardrobe: Emma in her nightgown
Notes: None
Camera: Intimate close shot on the woman and candle
Lighting: Single candle flame, cool window moonlight beyond
Mood: Self-doubt

80EXT

DAY

pp. 74-75

HARTFIELD SHRUBBERY - THE NEXT DAY

unspoken tension

Wind whips Emma's dress into the rose thorns as Frank, struggling to say something he cannot, takes his strained leave of her before being chased indoors by Mr Woodhouse.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON, MR WOODHOUSE
Props: roses; secateurs
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Frank departs for Richmond; clearly trying and failing to confess his engagement. Emma left puzzled.
Camera: Medium two-shot, wind-blown movement
Lighting: Bright breezy daylight
Mood: Unspoken tension

81INT

MORNING

pp. 75-76

HIGHBURY PARISH CHURCH

usurpation

Reaching the front pew, Emma is astonished to find it occupied by a showily dressed stranger who turns with a haughty smile - the new, triumphantly married Mrs Elton.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, HARRIET, MRS ELTON, MR ELTON
Props: blanket under the pew; scripture
Wardrobe: Mrs Elton very showily dressed
Notes: Introduces Mrs Augusta Elton, the social-climbing bride. She finds and claims the Woodhouse blanket.
Camera: Medium shot, the young woman discovering the occupied pew
Lighting: Soft daylight through leaded church windows
Mood: Usurpation

82INT

MORNING

pp. 76-76

HIGHBURY PARISH CHURCH - AN HOUR LATER

salt in the wound

At the church door the newly-wed Eltons station themselves to greet the departing congregation, Mrs Elton sweeping triumphantly after her husband as Harriet, distraught, breathes 'He is married!'

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MR ELTON, MRS ELTON, MR WOODHOUSE
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Elton presents Mrs Augusta Elton.
Camera: Medium wide capturing the greeting couple and the recoiling girl
Lighting: Soft morning daylight at the church door
Mood: Salt in the wound

83INT

DAY

pp. 77-78

HARTFIELD MINT DRAWING ROOM - A FEW DAYS LATER

smug intrusion

Side by side and equally triumphant - he vengeful, she lofty - the Eltons hold court on the Hartfield sofa as Mrs Elton incessantly likens the house to her brother's seat at Maple Grove.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MR WOODHOUSE, MR ELTON, MRS ELTON
Props: tea
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Elton name-drops Maple Grove and 'cara sposo'; her familiarity toward Mr Knightley flagged.
Camera: Medium shot facing the couple on the sofa
Lighting: Soft refined daylight
Mood: Smug intrusion

84EXT

DAY

pp. 78-79

HARTFIELD GROUNDS

jealous fury

Storming along the grounds, Emma savagely beheads a roadside flower as she rails against Mrs Elton's vulgar familiarity in calling Mr Knightley 'Knightley'.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MR WESTON
Props: letter from the Westons
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mr Weston brings news the Churchills have settled at Richmond - the ball is on. First flare of Emma's jealousy over Knightley.
Camera: Tracking medium shot following her storming walk
Lighting: Bright open daylight
Mood: Jealous fury

85INT

NIGHT

pp. 79-79

HARTFIELD, EMMA'S ROOM

girlish anticipation

In nightgowns with their hair down, Emma and Harriet practise their dance steps, Emma casting Harriet as 'Frank Churchill' as they bump and laugh.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Emma and Harriet in nightgowns, hair down
Notes: Rehearsing for the Crown ball.
Camera: Medium two-shot of the dance practice
Lighting: Warm candlelight
Mood: Girlish anticipation

86INT

NIGHT

pp. 79-83

CROWN BALLROOM

chivalry

When Mr Elton pointedly refuses to dance with the abandoned Harriet, Mr Knightley puts down his wine, crosses the floor and quietly extends his hand to her, and Emma goes weak with gratitude.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET, MISS BATES, MRS WESTON, MR WESTON, MRS ELTON, JANE FAIRFAX, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR ELTON, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: candlelight; wine glass; rug
Wardrobe: Mrs Weston six months pregnant; Mrs Elton in pearls
Notes: The Crown ball; Frank dances first with Emma but is distracted and counting beats. The Eltons cut Harriet; Knightley rescues her. Pivotal.
Camera: Wide ballroom shot resolving to the rescuing hand
Lighting: Massed warm candlelight
Mood: Chivalry

87INT

NIGHT

pp. 84-84

CROWN BALLROOM - LATER

growing accord

Emma thanks Knightley for his kindness to Harriet and confesses she was wholly mistaken about Mr Elton, as Knightley gently tells her she does Harriet credit.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WESTON, MRS ELTON, MR ELTON, FRANK CHURCHILL, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma admits her error about Elton; the warmth between her and Knightley deepens.
Camera: Medium two-shot within the ballroom
Lighting: Warm candlelight, softly lit background
Mood: Growing accord

88INT

NIGHT

pp. 84-85

CROWN BALLROOM - LATER

charged invitation

Emma asks Knightley to dance, dismissing the notion that they are too like brother and sister, and he laughs 'No indeed' as he takes her hand.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Sets up the central, near-wordless dance.
Camera: Medium two-shot on the invitation and the taken hand
Lighting: Warm candlelight
Mood: Charged invitation

89INT

NIGHT

pp. 85-85

CROWN BALLROOM - LATER

awakening

Dancing hand in hand, Emma and Knightley never break eye contact as their smiles fade and breath shortens - looking openly at one another for the first time in their lives.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The emotional turn of the film - the dance where they fall in love.
Camera: Slow tracking close two-shot circling the dancing pair
Lighting: Warm candlelight, soft-focus background
Mood: Awakening

90EXT

DAWN

pp. 85-85

CROWN INN

missed moment

Just as Emma's carriage pulls away at dawn, Knightley arrives at the door, tortured at having missed his moment, then sets off decisively after her.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, JAMES
Props: carriages
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The ball ends at dawn. Knightley chases the carriage.
Camera: Wide shot, gentleman at the door, carriage pulling out of frame
Lighting: Pale cool dawn light
Mood: Missed moment

91INT

DAWN

pp. 86-86

HARTFIELD GREAT HALL

unsettled

Emma steps into the deserted dawn-lit hall, peeling off her gloves, confused by all she is feeling.

Characters: EMMA
Props: gloves
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide shot, lone figure small in the empty hall
Lighting: Cool pale dawn light flooding the hall
Mood: Unsettled

92INT

DAWN

pp. 86-86

HARTFIELD, UPPER CORRIDOR

yearning

Too restless to sleep, Emma turns to the window to find Mr Knightley approaching outside; their eyes lock through the glass, her breath catches, and she runs downstairs.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: window seat
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Recurring window-seat motif.
Camera: Medium shot at the corridor window, figure beyond the glass
Lighting: Cool pale dawn light
Mood: Yearning

93EXT

DAWN

pp. 86-87

HARTFIELD COURTYARD

interrupted confession

As Emma and Knightley stand tongue-tied, Frank Churchill comes hurrying out of the dawn carrying an injured Harriet, who claims she was set upon by gypsies.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, FRANK CHURCHILL, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Carrying an injured person
Notes: Knightley senses something strange about Frank's gypsy story. Harriet whispers she is in love again - mistaken by Emma to mean Frank.
Camera: Wide shot, the tongue-tied pair and the entering rescuer
Lighting: Pale cool dawn light
Mood: Interrupted confession

94INT

DAWN

pp. 87-89

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

fond chaos

Frank lays the crying Harriet on the sofa with a turned ankle as a flustered Mr Woodhouse orders gruel and Bartholomew fumbles with the failing vinaigrette.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR KNIGHTLEY, HARRIET, MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: sofa; vinaigrette; gruel
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma resolves not to interfere again - then immediately drops hints encouraging Harriet's hopes. Knightley's contradictory hurt at Emma detaining Frank.
Camera: Medium wide of the sofa and the fussing cluster
Lighting: Warm interior gold meeting cool dawn through windows
Mood: Fond chaos

95INT

DAY

pp. 88-89

DONWELL ABBEY, MR KNIGHTLEY'S ROOM / DOUBLE CUBE - LATER

frustrated longing

Back in his room and furious with himself, Knightley can no longer bear the stricture of his cravat and waistcoat and begins tearing at his clothes.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: cravat; waistcoat
Wardrobe: Mr Knightley tearing at his cravat, jacket and waistcoat
Notes: Famous image of Knightley undone by feeling.
Camera: Medium close shot on the figure tearing at his clothes
Lighting: Warm low interior light
Mood: Frustrated longing

96INT

MORNING

pp. 88-89

HARTFIELD, EMMA'S ROOM

self-reckoning

Being dressed by her maid, Emma is lost in thought, examining her feelings and wondering if she dares admit them even to herself.

Characters: EMMA
Wardrobe: Emma being dressed by her maidservant
Notes: Mirror to scene 95 - both leads privately reckoning with feeling.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the thoughtful young woman
Lighting: Soft cool morning daylight
Mood: Self-reckoning

97INT

DAY

pp. 89-91

RANDALLS DINING ROOM

suspicion

Over a card game Mrs Elton officiously insists on managing Jane's post and her future, while Emma catches a charged glance pass between Jane and Mr Knightley.

Characters: EMMA, MRS ELTON, MR KNIGHTLEY, JANE FAIRFAX
Props: playing cards; tea
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mrs Elton angles for an invitation to Donwell; Knightley reveals he will only let 'Mrs Knightley' invite whom she pleases. Emma's jealousy of Jane sharpens.
Camera: Wide table shot catching the crossing glances
Lighting: Soft daytime interior light
Mood: Suspicion

98EXT

pp. 91-92

DONWELL ABBEY - DAY (SUMMER)

mounting strain

On a brilliant summer day the whole party roams the gloriously grand Donwell grounds, while Mrs Elton bullies Jane about a governess post until Jane flushes and bursts out asking to see the house.

Characters: MR KNIGHTLEY, HARRIET, EMMA, JANE FAIRFAX, MR ELTON, MRS ELTON, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MRS BATES, MISS BATES, MR WOODHOUSE
Wardrobe: Mrs Weston seven months pregnant
Notes: The Donwell strawberry-party. Jane's rare flash of spirit signals her breaking point.
Camera: Wide shot of the roaming party, tightening on the flushing young woman
Lighting: Bright clear summer sunlight
Mood: Mounting strain

99INT

DAY

pp. 91-92

DONWELL, DOUBLE CUBE

quiet desperation

Knightley pointedly escorts Harriet to admire the south prospect, leaving Emma alone before the vast wall of landscapes when a desperate Jane begs her to say she has gone home.

Characters: JANE FAIRFAX, MISS BATES, EMMA, HARRIET, MR WOODHOUSE, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MR ELTON, MRS ELTON, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: picture gallery; jet brooch reference
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Knightley's attentions to Harriet (which Harriet later misreads as courtship). Jane on the verge of confession but flees, exhausted in spirits.
Camera: Wide shot, figures small against the wall of paintings
Lighting: Cool even gallery daylight
Mood: Quiet desperation

100INT

DAY

pp. 92-94

DONWELL ABBEY, SINGLE CUBE / HALL OF STATUES - LATER

petulant unrest

Hot, cross and rumpled, Frank Churchill arrives mid-tour declaring he is sick of England and would leave it tomorrow, until Emma's mention of Box Hill coaxes him to stay.

Characters: MISS BATES, MRS BATES, EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, MR WESTON
Props: statues; tankard of beer
Wardrobe: Frank looking very hot and bothered
Notes: Miss Bates rhapsodises over the statue hall. Frank's bitterness foreshadows the secret-engagement strain. Box Hill set up for the next day.
Camera: Medium shot of the rumpled gentleman among the statues
Lighting: Cool diffuse hall light
Mood: Petulant unrest

101EXT

MORNING

pp. 94-95

BOX HILL CARRIAGE TURNOFF

outing begins

The carriages disgorge the whole party, who fan out across the field as the servants march ahead with the picnic.

Characters: MR ELTON, MRS ELTON, MISS BATES, JANE FAIRFAX, MR KNIGHTLEY, EMMA, HARRIET, MR WESTON, FRANK CHURCHILL
Props: carriages; picnic
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Arrival at Box Hill.
Camera: Wide establishing shot of the party fanning out
Lighting: Bright clear summer-morning light
Mood: Outing begins

102EXT

DAY

pp. 95-95

BOX HILL

discomfort

Sweating and out of breath, the party trudges up the hot, muggy hill, Miss Bates batting away bugs even as she calls it lovely.

Characters: MISS BATES, JANE FAIRFAX, MR ELTON, MRS ELTON, EMMA, HARRIET, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WESTON, FRANK CHURCHILL
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide shot of the party labouring up the hill
Lighting: Hot hazy overcast daylight, heat shimmer
Mood: Discomfort

103EXT

DAY

pp. 95-99

BOX HILL - A LITTLE LATER

cruelty

Egged on by Frank, Emma cruelly tells Miss Bates she will be limited to only three dull things at once, and the spinster's eyes fill with tears as she recoils as if slapped.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, HARRIET, MISS BATES, MR KNIGHTLEY, MRS ELTON, MR ELTON, MR WESTON, JANE FAIRFAX
Props: picnic; daisy chain
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The Box Hill humiliation of Miss Bates - the film's moral nadir for Emma. Mr Weston's 'M and A - Emma' conundrum lands amid the wreckage. The party fractures.
Camera: Medium shot favouring the wounded spinster's reaction
Lighting: Hot hazy daylight
Mood: Cruelty

104INT

DAY

pp. 99-100

EMMA'S CARRIAGE - LATER

rebuke

Knightley wrenches open the carriage door and rebukes Emma for her insolence to Miss Bates - 'It was badly done indeed!' - leaving her welling up but willing herself not to cry.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: carriage
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The decisive moral scolding from Knightley - the turning point in Emma's growth.
Camera: Medium shot through the open carriage door
Lighting: Bright daylight at the doorway, cabin softer
Mood: Rebuke

105INT

DAY

pp. 100-100

EMMA'S CARRIAGE - LATER

shame

Alone now, Emma sobs freely as the carriage rattles back toward Hartfield.

Characters: EMMA
Props: carriage
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Tight single shot on the weeping young woman
Lighting: Soft daylight through the carriage window
Mood: Shame

106INT

DAY

pp. 100-101

HARTFIELD, UPPER CORRIDOR WINDOW SEAT - LATER

remorse

Desolate at the window seat, Emma confesses to her father that she has been unpardonably vain and unfeeling, and he gently offers his vinaigrette and the simple comfort: 'Emma. You are young.'

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE
Props: vinaigrette
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Tender father-daughter beat after the disgrace.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the window seat
Lighting: Soft daylight through the corridor window
Mood: Remorse

107EXT

DAY

pp. 101-101

MRS BATES' ROOMS

atonement

Emma approaches the Bateses' humble front door clutching a gift basket of produce, steeling herself for an apology.

Characters: EMMA
Props: gift basket of produce
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium shot at the humble doorway
Lighting: Soft even daylight
Mood: Atonement

108INT

DAY

pp. 101-101

MRS BATES' ROOMS

hidden anguish

Jane Fairfax plays Beethoven's 'Appassionata' with stricken intensity while Miss Bates stands quietly by the window.

Characters: JANE FAIRFAX, MISS BATES
Props: pianoforte
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium shot favouring the intense pianist
Lighting: Soft window daylight on the keyboard
Mood: Hidden anguish

109INT

DAY

pp. 101-101

MRS BATES' ROOMS, STAIRWELL

grief

On the stairs, hearing Jane's passionate playing, Emma is overcome with sorrow and weeps before she can bring herself to knock - and the music stops at once.

Characters: EMMA
Props: gift basket
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Medium shot in the narrow stairwell
Lighting: Dim stairwell light with one soft shaft from above
Mood: Grief

110INT

DAY

pp. 101-102

MRS BATES' ROOMS

undeserved grace

Miss Bates gently shuts the door on the ailing Jane and takes Emma's basket, telling her kindly 'you are always kind' - a forgiveness that nearly breaks Emma all over again.

Characters: EMMA, MISS BATES
Props: gift basket
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Jane refuses to see Emma (a headache from writing long letters - a clue to the secret engagement). Emma's apology is met with kindness.
Camera: Medium two-shot at the closing inner door
Lighting: Soft window daylight
Mood: Undeserved grace

111INT

DAY

pp. 102-102

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

near-confession withdrawn

Knightley takes Emma's hand and seems about to press it to his lips, then drops it and bows, announcing abruptly that he is leaving for Brunswick Square.

Characters: EMMA, MR WOODHOUSE, MR KNIGHTLEY
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Knightley, believing Emma loves Frank, retreats to London. 'Goodbye, Emma.'
Camera: Medium two-shot on the held-then-dropped hand
Lighting: Soft warm daylight
Mood: Near-confession withdrawn

112EXT

DAY

pp. 102-102

HARTFIELD

transition

A blazing summer day blankets Hartfield.

Characters: None
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: None
Camera: Wide establishing shot of the house in summer
Lighting: Harsh bright midday summer sun
Mood: Transition

113INT

DAY

pp. 102-104

RANDALLS DRAWING ROOM - A FEW DAYS LATER

revelation

Propped up nine months pregnant, Mrs Weston haltingly reveals the bombshell that Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax have been secretly engaged since October, and Emma reels.

Characters: EMMA, MRS WESTON, MR WESTON
Props: day bed
Wardrobe: Mrs Weston nine months pregnant
Notes: Mrs Churchill is dead; the secret engagement exposed. Emma realises Frank sent the pianoforte. She reassures the Westons he did her no harm.
Camera: Medium two-shot, day bed and recoiling listener
Lighting: Soft daytime interior light
Mood: Revelation

114INT

DAY

pp. 104-107

MRS GODDARD'S SCHOOL, HARRIET'S ROOM - LATER

dawning horror

Coming to console Harriet over Frank, Emma instead learns to her horror that Harriet has set her heart on Mr Knightley - and that Harriet believes Emma approved.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The misunderstanding unravels: Harriet's 'service' was Knightley dancing with her, not Frank's rescue. Harriet names Knightley for herself.
Camera: Tight two-shot on the dawning horror
Lighting: Plain soft daylight
Mood: Dawning horror

115EXT

pp. 107-110

HARTFIELD - NEARING SUNSET

declaration

Wandering home morose, Emma encounters Knightley, and after circling agony he seizes her and declares 'If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more' - then a sudden nosebleed gives her a vampiric, blood-smeared look as she falters.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY
Props: handkerchief
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Practical nosebleed effect (blood)
Notes: Knightley's proposal. Emma's comic nosebleed; she balks because of Harriet's love for him. He learns the misunderstanding and resolves to send Robert Martin to Harriet again.
Camera: Tight two-shot on the declaration and the comic nosebleed
Lighting: Warm low golden-dusk light
Mood: Declaration

116EXT

DAY

pp. 110-111

ABBEY MILL LANE

rueful resolve

Lugging a gift basket that holds a dressed goose, Emma realises her gaffe as she meets a flock of live geese crowding the path, and sighs onward to the stables.

Characters: EMMA
Props: gift basket; dressed goose; lavender
Wardrobe: Standard
VFX/Stunts: Geese flock wrangling
Notes: Echoes the earlier goose anecdote. The basket secretly contains Emma's painting of Harriet, cut from the frame.
Camera: Medium wide, young woman amid the crowding geese
Lighting: Bright open daylight
Mood: Rueful resolve

117EXT

DAY

pp. 110-112

ABBEY MILL STABLES

humility

Emma haltingly makes her confession to an astonished Robert Martin, then, after she has gone, he unrolls from her basket the painting of Harriet cut from its frame.

Characters: EMMA, ROBERT MARTIN
Props: gift basket; roll of canvas (painting of Harriet); lavender; string
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Emma humbles herself to Robert Martin. The portrait, cut from the ridiculous frame, is gifted to him - resolving the portrait subplot.
Camera: Medium two-shot, with a closer beat on the unrolled canvas
Lighting: Warm natural daylight in the stable yard
Mood: Humility

118EXT

DAY

pp. 112-113

HIGHBURY LANE

reconciliation

Meeting Frank and Jane in mourning on the lane, Emma forgives Frank his deceptions and, taking Jane's hand, for the first time both women feel they might become friends.

Characters: EMMA, FRANK CHURCHILL, JANE FAIRFAX
Wardrobe: Frank and Jane dressed in mourning
Notes: Frank's apology; Jane's confession of her cold, deceitful manner. Emma hints she too will 'marry far better than herself'.
Camera: Medium three-shot on the reconciliation and the joined hands
Lighting: Soft even daylight
Mood: Reconciliation

119INT

DAY

pp. 113-114

HARTFIELD, EMMA'S ROOM

resolution and grace

The roles entirely reversed from her first arrival, a cool, controlled Harriet faces an apprehensive Emma and announces she has accepted Robert Martin - then reveals her father is a Bristol galosh-maker.

Characters: EMMA, HARRIET
Props: letter from Harriet's father
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: Mirrors scene 22. Harriet's true parentage revealed; Emma passes the final test by welcoming her father to Hartfield. The friendship is mended.
Camera: Medium two-shot, composed girl now the stronger figure
Lighting: Soft daytime light
Mood: Resolution and grace

120INT

NIGHT

pp. 114-115

HARTFIELD GOLD DRAWING ROOM

union

Knightley cunningly invents a chill draught so Bartholomew unfolds the screen, hiding Mr Woodhouse from view, and reaches across to take Emma's hand as they whisper of how never to leave her father - and at last they kiss.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WOODHOUSE, BARTHOLOMEW
Props: folding screen; handkerchiefs; vinaigrette
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The draught/screen running gag resolves as Knightley weaponises it for a stolen kiss. Knightley agrees to live at Hartfield with Mr Woodhouse.
Camera: Medium shot, the screen framing the stolen kiss
Lighting: Warm candlelight, intimate pools of glow
Mood: Union

121INT

pp. 115-115

HIGHBURY PARISH CHURCH - A DAY IN MIDSUMMER

joyful resolution

As the bells peal, a radiant Emma processes down the crowded midsummer aisle to Knightley, who can only have eyes for her, while Mrs Elton smugly claims to Miss Bates that she made the match herself.

Characters: EMMA, MR KNIGHTLEY, MR WOODHOUSE, HARRIET, ROBERT MARTIN, MRS GODDARD, ISABELLA, JOHN KNIGHTLEY, FRANK CHURCHILL, JANE FAIRFAX, MR WESTON, MRS WESTON, MISS BATES, MRS BATES, MRS ELTON, MR ELTON
Wardrobe: Standard
Notes: The closing wedding, mirroring the opening Westons' wedding. Mr Woodhouse, tearful but happy. Knightley wordlessly takes Emma's hand. 'The End.'
Camera: Wide down the aisle, resolving to the meeting of the couple's eyes
Lighting: Warm midsummer daylight, candle warmth at the altar
Mood: Joyful resolution

Locations

hartfield

A handsome, opulent country house in Sussex, the Woodhouse seat; many rooms including the hothouse, great hall, dining room, music room, the Gold and Mint drawing rooms, Emma's room and dressing room, Miss Taylor's room, the upper corridor with its window seat, the staircase entrance, courtyard, shrubbery, gardens and grounds.

BOTH49 scenes

DAWNMORNINGDAYEVENINGNIGHT

Set Requirements

•Working hothouse / conservatory full of exotic flowers
•Great hall with grand staircase and floral arrangements
•Gold and Mint drawing rooms (opulent period furnishing)
•Dining room with family silver
•Music room with piano
•Folding draught-screens (recurring gag)
•Backgammon table
•Bedrooms and dressing room
•Upper-corridor window seat (recurring motif)
•Courtyard, blue gates, shrubbery and grounds with roses

Key Visual Moments

S1Sunrise breaks over Hartfield, a handsome Sussex country house, in the silvered hush before dawn.
S2Emma moves through an explosion of scarlet and vermillion hothouse blooms by lantern-light, imperiously selecting the choicest flowers while a sleepy manservant holds the lamp.
S3Through a closed door, Emma and Miss Taylor press their faces close and whisper a tender farewell as Emma offers up the exquisite bouquet.
S4Emma fits a sprig of flowers into her fretful father's lapel while two competitive manservants brush his coat and fill his perforated, salt-shaker cane with lavender.
S5The Woodhouse carriage waits at the door, coachman James standing ready by the open carriage door.
S7Two footmen swing open the blue gates and curtseying maidservants laden with flowers part as the carriage sweeps through.
S17To seem occupied when Knightley arrives, Emma darts to the piano and strikes a deliberately discordant note like a rude sound effect just as he settles into his habitual chair.
S18Dressed at last in layers of petticoats, Emma lifts her skirts to warm her bare bottom unselfconsciously at the grate, then stills, feeling utterly alone.
S19An empty chair sits between Emma and her father at breakfast where Miss Taylor used to be, as Mr Woodhouse makes Bartholomew press his hands to the wall to feel a phantom chill draught.
S21Tiny Harriet enters Hartfield alone, dwarfed by its stately grandeur, visibly losing her nerve.
S22Terrified across the opulent drawing room, Harriet realises her finger is jammed in the delicate china teacup handle just as she must accept a plate of cake.
S28In the next room the apothecary Mr Perry plies Mr Woodhouse with potions while Emma drops her voice to plant the idea in Harriet that Mr Elton means to ingratiate himself.
S30Mr Elton leafs through Emma's unfinished portfolio and gushes flattery as Emma steers him toward commissioning a likeness of Harriet.
S31Emma paints at her easel while Harriet poses against a screen, and Mr Elton volunteers to gallop to London the instant he is asked to have the portrait framed.
S34Being fitted for a winter coat, Emma reads Robert Martin's proposal letter aloud while a hiccuping Harriet holds her nose, and coolly steers her toward refusing him.
S35Over-eager servants box Mr Woodhouse in completely with folding screens to block the draught, plunging him into comic darkness until he barks for a candle.
S36Knightley steps in glowing with good news as Emma descends the staircase, only for her to pre-empt him with the news that Martin was already refused.
S37Emma and Knightley circle the table laid with freshly polished family silver as he accuses her of engineering Harriet's cruel refusal.
S38Distressed by the open door, Mr Woodhouse cries out for his servants as Bartholomew sprints back with a candle to close it.
S39His harshest words yet land on Emma in the music room as Knightley pursues her about Harriet's obscure parentage and Mr Elton's mercenary nature.
S40Mid-argument Knightley bows tightly to a fretting Mr Woodhouse and closes the door before chasing Emma onward.
S41Cornered at last, Emma faces Knightley fiercely and declares she is done with matchmaking, knowing even as she says it that she sounds selfish.
S42Mr Elton unveils Harriet's framed portrait in a tasteless gilt frame, then cranks a hidden music box so a tinny tune warbles out, appalling Emma.
S43A carriage turns into the drive amid unseen bedlam - crying children, John Knightley fuming over spilt milk on his trousers.
S44Through the upper-corridor glass we watch the family emerge from the carriage perfectly composed, their earlier chaos magically silenced.
S45Mr Knightley caresses the baby's face and tells little Emma her aunt was very wrong, just before the infant sicks up milk and the room dissolves into hypochondriac panic.
S58As the Knightleys' carriage pulls away, John Knightley fixes Emma with a parting look of loathing - 'How I hate the childless' - and Mr Woodhouse is left unexpectedly weeping.
S61Emma fusses over lavish floral arrangements throughout the great hall, gauging their effect, possibly overdoing it for the Bateses' visit.
S62At a lavish dinner Mr Woodhouse polices everyone's plates while Miss Bates bellows at her deaf mother to sample the tart, startling the whole table.
S63Emma's competent piano playing gives way to Jane Fairfax's, whose brilliance is instantly, painfully superior, as Knightley watches Jane with frank appreciation.
S69Humming among the flowers, Emma sees the man from yesterday shimmer through the misted hothouse glass, as if conjured by her imagination, then realises with the Westons behind him exactly who he is.
S70Mr Weston proudly presents Frank to Emma in the hothouse, the two of them already sharing the private joke that they met yesterday, while Weston watches eagerly hoping they fall in love.
S77Bonnet half-tied, Emma intercepts a bewildered Harriet at the door and announces they are off to call on Jane Fairfax.
S79In her nightgown at the window, doubting herself, Emma stares into a candle flame and then reaches out and snuffs it.
S80Wind whips Emma's dress into the rose thorns as Frank, struggling to say something he cannot, takes his strained leave of her before being chased indoors by Mr Woodhouse.
S83Side by side and equally triumphant - he vengeful, she lofty - the Eltons hold court on the Hartfield sofa as Mrs Elton incessantly likens the house to her brother's seat at Maple Grove.
S84Storming along the grounds, Emma savagely beheads a roadside flower as she rails against Mrs Elton's vulgar familiarity in calling Mr Knightley 'Knightley'.
S85In nightgowns with their hair down, Emma and Harriet practise their dance steps, Emma casting Harriet as 'Frank Churchill' as they bump and laugh.
S91Emma steps into the deserted dawn-lit hall, peeling off her gloves, confused by all she is feeling.
S92Too restless to sleep, Emma turns to the window to find Mr Knightley approaching outside; their eyes lock through the glass, her breath catches, and she runs downstairs.
S93As Emma and Knightley stand tongue-tied, Frank Churchill comes hurrying out of the dawn carrying an injured Harriet, who claims she was set upon by gypsies.
S94Frank lays the crying Harriet on the sofa with a turned ankle as a flustered Mr Woodhouse orders gruel and Bartholomew fumbles with the failing vinaigrette.
S96Being dressed by her maid, Emma is lost in thought, examining her feelings and wondering if she dares admit them even to herself.
S106Desolate at the window seat, Emma confesses to her father that she has been unpardonably vain and unfeeling, and he gently offers his vinaigrette and the simple comfort: 'Emma. You are young.'
S111Knightley takes Emma's hand and seems about to press it to his lips, then drops it and bows, announcing abruptly that he is leaving for Brunswick Square.
S112A blazing summer day blankets Hartfield.
S116Lugging a gift basket that holds a dressed goose, Emma realises her gaffe as she meets a flock of live geese crowding the path, and sighs onward to the stables.
S119The roles entirely reversed from her first arrival, a cool, controlled Harriet faces an apprehensive Emma and announces she has accepted Robert Martin - then reveals her father is a Bristol galosh-maker.
S120Knightley cunningly invents a chill draught so Bartholomew unfolds the screen, hiding Mr Woodhouse from view, and reaches across to take Emma's hand as they whisper of how never to leave her father - and at last they kiss.

woodhouse carriage

The Woodhouse family carriage, the only one in Highbury used as a matter of course; interior used for travel scenes to and from church and around the village.

BOTH3 scenes

MORNINGNIGHT

Set Requirements

•Period carriage interior practical for two-shot dialogue
•Used both day and snowy night (the Mr Elton proposal)

Key Visual Moments

S6Mr Woodhouse gazes out the carriage window scheming to delay the wedding as Emma takes proud credit for having made the match.
S9Spying Mr Elton through the carriage glass, Emma sits back radiant with a new matchmaking scheme already forming.
S55Wine-flushed Mr Elton leaps across the carriage to seize Emma's hand and declare his ardent love, and she wrenches free, horrified at the collapse of her whole scheme.

highbury village

The quaint town centre of Highbury and its surrounding lanes, market square and bridge; the everyday public world of the film.

EXT9 scenes

MORNINGDAY

Set Requirements

•Highbury Lane (incl. near Hartfield and by the river)
•Market square (period shopfronts; rain plate)
•Highbury bridge
•Crocodile of red-caped schoolgirls dressing

Key Visual Moments

S8The unctuous vicar Mr Elton sweeps past a crocodile of red-caped schoolgirls who swoon at the most eligible bachelor in town.
S24Reaching the Hartfield gates, Emma extends her hand regally for Harriet to take, every inch the mistress of her own house declaring she will never marry.
S25Emma and Harriet stroll through the quaint Highbury town centre and turn into Ford's haberdasher.
S27Across a field the strapping farmer Robert Martin drops his plough and strides grinning to the fence to greet Harriet, while Emma looks on with cool disapproval.
S59Goaded past endurance by Harriet's endless Elton sermons, Emma snaps, and Harriet impulsively hurls her book of sermons into the river just as Miss Bates comes running with news of Jane.
S71Frank Churchill throws his arms wide to the village, performing 'airy, cheerful, happy-seeming Highbury!' loud enough to send the crocodile of schoolgirls into giggles.
S73Frank grabs Emma's hand and leads her in an impromptu dance through a forest of stacked chairs outside the Crown Inn, conjuring the idea of a ball where there is none.
S84Storming along the grounds, Emma savagely beheads a roadside flower as she rails against Mrs Elton's vulgar familiarity in calling Mr Knightley 'Knightley'.
S118Meeting Frank and Jane in mourning on the lane, Emma forgives Frank his deceptions and, taking Jane's hand, for the first time both women feel they might become friends.

highbury parish church

The Highbury parish church, exterior and interior; site of the Westons' wedding, ordinary Sunday services, and the closing midsummer wedding.

BOTH5 scenes

MORNINGDAY

Set Requirements

•Period church interior with front and humble pews
•Altar with altar cloth
•Blanket stored under the Woodhouse pew (recurring prop)
•Able to dress for two weddings nine months apart

Key Visual Moments

S10The Woodhouse carriage stands alone outside the church while everyone else arrives on foot, James handing Emma and her father down.
S11Miss Taylor processes radiantly down the aisle clutching Emma's bouquet, while Emma checks the closing door one last time for a Frank Churchill who never comes.
S81Reaching the front pew, Emma is astonished to find it occupied by a showily dressed stranger who turns with a haughty smile - the new, triumphantly married Mrs Elton.
S82At the church door the newly-wed Eltons station themselves to greet the departing congregation, Mrs Elton sweeping triumphantly after her husband as Harriet, distraught, breathes 'He is married!'
S121As the bells peal, a radiant Emma processes down the crowded midsummer aisle to Knightley, who can only have eyes for her, while Mrs Elton smugly claims to Miss Bates that she made the match herself.

randalls

The Westons' residence in Highbury; plain, homely bachelor's house with recent feminine touches, including a drawing room, small hall and dining room; site of the wedding breakfast, the Christmas Eve party, and the secret-engagement revelation.

BOTH11 scenes

DAYEVENINGNIGHT

Set Requirements

•Drawing room (bachelor's taste with feminine additions)
•Dining room (set for festive dinner; snowfall through windows)
•Small hall with window seat
•Day bed for the pregnant Mrs Weston
•Exterior driveway for multi-carriage arrivals

Key Visual Moments

S12At the wedding breakfast, Mr Woodhouse intercepts Miss Bates's plate of wedding-cake, and she sets it sadly back as Emma watches, feeling lonelier than ever.
S23Emma seats Harriet beneath Frank Churchill's signed painting of Enscombe, engineering the room so Mr Elton can admire the living loveliness before him.
S29Fidgeting at the window seat, Mr Knightley confides to Mrs Weston his disapproval of Emma's intimacy with Harriet, calling Harriet's ignorance 'hourly flattery'.
S49Beaming, Mr Weston comes out to greet three carriages turning into the Randalls driveway on Christmas Eve.
S50Amid noisy reunions, Mr Elton picks judgementally through the mantelpiece trinkets while declaring Miss Smith 'will be missed every moment' moments before forgetting her for a glass of wine.
S51Alone in the set dining room, Emma re-reads Frank's letter while Knightley needles her about its professions and falsehoods.
S52At Mr Elton's nervous mention of snow the whole table freezes and turns to Mr Woodhouse, who rises and looks to the window to find it really is snowing.
S53Everyone talks at once in snow-panic - Mr Woodhouse despairing 'It was snowing when your mother died' - while John Knightley needles and Knightley calmly takes charge.
S54In hard-falling snow with horses breathing plumes of steam, the carriages peel away one by one until Emma, appalled, realises she must ride home alone with Mr Elton.
S97Over a card game Mrs Elton officiously insists on managing Jane's post and her future, while Emma catches a charged glance pass between Jane and Mr Knightley.
S113Propped up nine months pregnant, Mrs Weston haltingly reveals the bombshell that Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax have been secretly engaged since October, and Emma reels.

donwell abbey

Mr Knightley's grand, Gothic, museum-like estate, grander than Hartfield and looking preserved rather than lived-in; dust-sheeted furniture, bagged chandeliers, a double cube, single cube, statue hall and picture gallery, with extensive grounds.

BOTH8 scenes

LATE AFTERNOONSUNSETDAY

Set Requirements

•Cavernous double cube / single cube / hall of statues with classical statuary and picture gallery of landscapes
•Dust sheets and bagged chandeliers (museum state) that can be struck for the summer party
•Mr Knightley's cosy, book-strewn private room
•Shaded approach avenue and grand summer grounds

Key Visual Moments

S13A sweaty George Knightley gallops down a shaded avenue to the grand, Gothic, museum-like Donwell Abbey and hands his horse to a waiting groom.
S14Bathed and at ease, Mr Knightley is dressed by his valet in a cosy room cluttered with books and papers, the one truly inhabited corner of the museum-house.
S15Mr Knightley walks the cavernous statue hall of dust-sheeted furniture and bagged chandeliers as footmen light candles and his housekeeper teases him about never using his carriage.
S16Mr Knightley sets off on foot through his sunset-gilded grounds, smiling and savouring the exercise.
S95Back in his room and furious with himself, Knightley can no longer bear the stricture of his cravat and waistcoat and begins tearing at his clothes.
S98On a brilliant summer day the whole party roams the gloriously grand Donwell grounds, while Mrs Elton bullies Jane about a governess post until Jane flushes and bursts out asking to see the house.
S99Knightley pointedly escorts Harriet to admire the south prospect, leaving Emma alone before the vast wall of landscapes when a desperate Jane begs her to say she has gone home.
S100Hot, cross and rumpled, Frank Churchill arrives mid-tour declaring he is sick of England and would leave it tomorrow, until Emma's mention of Box Hill coaxes him to stay.

mrs goddard's school

The Highbury girls' school run by Mrs Goddard; lawn, stairwell, Harriet's humble room and a parlour, home to a crocodile of red-caped schoolgirls.

BOTH7 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Lawn in front of the school
•Stairwell and hallway
•Harriet's plain bedroom
•Parlour (flour-and-bullet game set-up)

Key Visual Moments

S20On the school lawn Emma presumptuously persuades a hesitant Mrs Goddard to send the parentless Harriet to Hartfield.
S46Opulently dressed in a fur-trimmed winter cape, Emma sweeps up the walk as star-struck schoolgirls race ahead of her.
S47Mrs Goddard meets Emma in the hallway, plainly unprepared for this grand and unexpected visit.
S48A feverish Harriet leaps up mortified that Emma has seen her humble room, almost fainting before Emma sends her back to bed.
S56Flour-faced, Harriet plunges her head into a pile of flour to retrieve a bullet with her teeth, then looks up to find the giggling girls horror-struck at the sight of an ashen Emma in the doorway.
S57Tears streak through the flour on Harriet's face as she realises Mr Elton never loved her - he loved Emma - and Emma's matchmaking lies in ruins.
S114Coming to console Harriet over Frank, Emma instead learns to her horror that Harriet has set her heart on Mr Knightley - and that Harriet believes Emma approved.

ford's haberdasher

Ford's, the Highbury haberdasher and general shop run by the Fords; counter, ribbons, gloves, interior and exterior in the market square.

BOTH4 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Period shop counter dressed with ribbons and gloves
•Shopfront exterior (rain plates)

Key Visual Moments

S26Trapped at the counter, Emma seethes while Miss Bates pursues her around the shop with the breathless saga of Jane Fairfax's near-drowning and her rescue by Mr Dixon.
S65Sheltering from the rain, Harriet and Robert Martin startle red-faced at each other as the dripping Martin sisters press her to visit, with nowhere to hide.
S66Robert Martin follows Harriet out into the rain, both quickly drenched, to tell her gently the near way is flooded and she should go round by the higher ground.
S72Casually inspecting gloves at the counter, Frank disparages Jane Fairfax as a repulsively reserved person 'continually out of health', drawing a guilty Emma into unkindness.

abbey mill farm

Robert Martin's modest, comfortably lived-in tenant farm at the end of Abbey Mill Lane, rented from Mr Knightley; flourishing cottage garden, yard with geese and hens, barn and stables, set against surrounding lanes and fields.

EXT5 scenes

MORNINGNEARING SUNSETDAY

Set Requirements

•Working farmhouse with flourishing cottage garden, pegged laundry, geese and hens
•Barn and stables
•Surrounding country lanes and fields (ploughing, sheep)
•Live geese flock for the basket gag

Key Visual Moments

S32Mr Knightley rides up to the flourishing, well-tended Martin farmhouse where Mrs Martin peels apples on the step and laundry flaps in the breeze.
S33Driving a flock of sheep down a sunset road, Robert Martin nervously works up the courage to ask his landlord's advice about marrying.
S67Emma's carriage halts on the lane to Abbey Mill as she coaches a nervous Harriet to keep the visit short and allow no dangerous reminiscences.
S116Lugging a gift basket that holds a dressed goose, Emma realises her gaffe as she meets a flock of live geese crowding the path, and sighs onward to the stables.
S117Emma haltingly makes her confession to an astonished Robert Martin, then, after she has gone, he unrolls from her basket the painting of Harriet cut from its frame.

emma's carriage

Emma's own carriage, used for village visits and the journeys to and from Box Hill and Abbey Mill; interior used for the first sight of Frank Churchill and Knightley's Box Hill rebuke.

INT3 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Period carriage interior that visibly leans/tips when someone steps on the footplate
•Practical window for the muff exchange

Key Visual Moments

S68A dashing stranger in very tight trousers retrieves Harriet's dropped muff from the dirt and presents it to Emma through the carriage door like a prince in a fairy tale, the whole carriage tipping toward him.
S104Knightley wrenches open the carriage door and rebukes Emma for her insolence to Miss Bates - 'It was badly done indeed!' - leaving her welling up but willing herself not to cry.
S105Alone now, Emma sobs freely as the carriage rattles back toward Hartfield.

mrs bates' rooms

The Bateses' very humble first-floor rooms in Highbury, a household only just scraping by; cramped enough that the new pianoforte dominates the space, with a stairwell leading up.

BOTH6 scenes

DAY

Set Requirements

•Cramped, shabby genteel sitting room around a fireplace
•A pianoforte that overwhelms the small room
•Narrow stairwell with audible acoustics
•Front door / street approach

Key Visual Moments

S60In the Bateses' shabby first-floor rooms, the beautiful, pale, maddeningly composed Jane Fairfax sits unmoved while Miss Bates prattles and rattles her teacup.
S78Crammed into the tiny room dominated by the new pianoforte, Frank baits Jane by recalling a tune danced at Weymouth with Mr Dixon, and her hands falter on the keys.
S107Emma approaches the Bateses' humble front door clutching a gift basket of produce, steeling herself for an apology.
S108Jane Fairfax plays Beethoven's 'Appassionata' with stricken intensity while Miss Bates stands quietly by the window.
S109On the stairs, hearing Jane's passionate playing, Emma is overcome with sorrow and weeps before she can bring herself to knock - and the music stops at once.
S110Miss Bates gently shuts the door on the ailing Jane and takes Emma's basket, telling her kindly 'you are always kind' - a forgiveness that nearly breaks Emma all over again.

coles' residence

The home of the nouveau-riche Coles, with a crowded driveway and reception rooms; site of the supper-party in Frank's honour where Jane's mysterious pianoforte is the talk of the town.

BOTH3 scenes

NIGHT

Set Requirements

•Crowded carriage driveway and entrance stairs
•Reception/dining rooms for a supper-party with piano and impromptu music
•Period 'new money' decor

Key Visual Moments

S74Emma, delighted, watches Mr Knightley step from his own carriage in his finest, teasing him that arriving by carriage at last makes him properly a gentleman.
S75While the whole village buzzes about the mysterious pianoforte sent anonymously to Jane, Frank and Emma trade cruel speculation that the secret giver is the married Mr Dixon.
S76The sound of the guests' lusty singing drifts out into the dark over the Coles' crowded driveway.

crown inn

The Crown Inn in Highbury, with its ball-room and exterior yard; chairs stacked outside early on, later transformed by candlelight into the setting for the Crown ball.

BOTH6 scenes

DAYNIGHTDAWN

Set Requirements

•Ball-room that can be dressed and lit by candlelight for the ball
•Stacks of chairs piled outside (the imagined-dance scene)
•Exterior yard for dawn carriage departures
•Musicians and dance-floor staging

Key Visual Moments

S73Frank grabs Emma's hand and leads her in an impromptu dance through a forest of stacked chairs outside the Crown Inn, conjuring the idea of a ball where there is none.
S86When Mr Elton pointedly refuses to dance with the abandoned Harriet, Mr Knightley puts down his wine, crosses the floor and quietly extends his hand to her, and Emma goes weak with gratitude.
S87Emma thanks Knightley for his kindness to Harriet and confesses she was wholly mistaken about Mr Elton, as Knightley gently tells her she does Harriet credit.
S88Emma asks Knightley to dance, dismissing the notion that they are too like brother and sister, and he laughs 'No indeed' as he takes her hand.
S89Dancing hand in hand, Emma and Knightley never break eye contact as their smiles fade and breath shortens - looking openly at one another for the first time in their lives.
S90Just as Emma's carriage pulls away at dawn, Knightley arrives at the door, tortured at having missed his moment, then sets off decisively after her.

box hill

Box Hill, a scenic summer viewpoint reached by carriage; a hot, muggy, bug-ridden hillside where the disastrous picnic plays out.

EXT3 scenes

MORNINGDAY

Set Requirements

•Open hillside with a view, dressed for a period picnic
•Carriage turn-off / arrival point
•Hot-day atmosphere (bugs, heat haze)

Key Visual Moments

S101The carriages disgorge the whole party, who fan out across the field as the servants march ahead with the picnic.
S102Sweating and out of breath, the party trudges up the hot, muggy hill, Miss Bates batting away bugs even as she calls it lovely.
S103Egged on by Frank, Emma cruelly tells Miss Bates she will be limited to only three dull things at once, and the spinster's eyes fill with tears as she recoils as if slapped.

Cast

EMMA WOODHOUSE

21, an intelligent, spirited, self-satisfied young woman; handsome, mistress of Hartfield and her doting father's house.

A clever, vain young matchmaker whose meddling humiliates those around her, until heartbreak and her own cruelty teach her humility, self-knowledge and love for Mr Knightley.

96 scenes·14 wardrobe changes

MR WOODHOUSE

60s-70s, a dashing, fastidious, fretful valetudinarian; Emma's hypochondriac father obsessed with draughts, health and food.

A clinging hypochondriac father whose fear of change is the chief obstacle to Emma's marriage, finally appeased when Knightley agrees to live with him.

29 scenes·5 wardrobe changes

MR KNIGHTLEY

30s, a cheerful, intelligent, morally conscious man; owner of the grand, museum-like Donwell Abbey and a longstanding family friend.

Emma's principled friend and conscience who alone challenges her, gradually realising and finally declaring his love, sacrificing his independence to live at Hartfield for her.

44 scenes·6 wardrobe changes

HARRIET SMITH

17, a very pretty, naive, innocent girl of unknown parentage, profoundly lacking in self-confidence despite her good looks; a parlour-boarder at Mrs Goddard's school.

A naive girl whom Emma elevates and misguides through three failed attachments, until she comes into her own, refuses to be Emma's puppet, and finally marries the farmer Robert Martin.

43 scenes·6 wardrobe changes

MR ELTON

Mid-20s, a very good-looking, unctuous, deeply mercenary man; the vicar of Highbury and the most eligible bachelor in town.

A vain, social-climbing vicar who pursues Emma rather than the Harriet she intends for him, and after rejection returns triumphantly with a brash, wealthy wife to lord it over them.

23 scenes·4 wardrobe changes

MISS BATES

40s, a kind-hearted, fast-talking spinster of genteel poverty; devoted to her deaf, frail mother and her niece Jane Fairfax.

A garrulous, good-hearted spinster whose endless chatter exasperates Emma until Emma's public cruelty at Box Hill makes her the instrument of Emma's moral reckoning.

19 scenes·3 wardrobe changes

JANE FAIRFAX

Early 20s, a very composed, reserved young woman, beautiful but pale and without animation; Miss Bates's orphaned, accomplished niece.

An accomplished, impoverished orphan whose icy reserve masks a secret engagement to Frank Churchill; nearly broken by the strain, she is finally freed to marry him and to befriend Emma.

15 scenes·4 wardrobe changes

FRANK CHURCHILL

A handsome, dashingly coiffed young man in very tight trousers; Mr Weston's son, raised by and heir to his wealthy uncle Churchill, charming, flamboyant and capricious.

A charming, secretly-engaged flirt who uses an apparent courtship of Emma as cover, causing damage all round, before his aunt's death frees him to marry Jane Fairfax and seek forgiveness.

15 scenes·4 wardrobe changes

MRS WESTON

Late 30s, a kind, gentle, respectable woman; formerly Miss Taylor, Emma's beloved governess, who marries Mr Weston at the film's opening.

Emma's gentle former governess and confidante, newly married and pregnant through the film, who quietly hopes for Emma's happiness and delivers the news of Frank's secret engagement.

22 scenes·5 wardrobe changes

MISS TAYLOR

Emma's governess (the same character who becomes Mrs Weston); a kind, gentle, respectable woman, late 30s.

Seen only in the opening as she leaves Hartfield to wed Mr Weston, becoming Mrs Weston thereafter.

2 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

MR WESTON

50s, a bluff, well-meaning, slightly gossipy man; master of Randalls, who marries Miss Taylor and is Frank Churchill's doting father.

An ebullient, optimistic father who marries Miss Taylor and yearns for his son Frank to match with Emma, only to learn of Frank's secret engagement to Jane.

23 scenes·4 wardrobe changes

MRS ELTON

A social climber: competitive, modern, brash, self-serving and triumphantly married; the vicar's new wife, born Augusta, with a wealthy brother at Maple Grove.

A brash, name-dropping social climber who marries Mr Elton and inserts herself as the village's self-appointed grande dame, patronising Jane and rivalling Emma's status.

12 scenes·4 wardrobe changes

ISABELLA KNIGHTLEY

Late 20s, like her father a fellow hypochondriac; Emma's married sister and mother of several children.

Emma's anxious, child-fussing hypochondriac sister, glimpsed at Christmas and at the closing wedding.

9 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

JOHN KNIGHTLEY

Early 30s, a lawyer, rather bad-tempered and judgmental; Mr Knightley's brother and Isabella's husband.

Mr Knightley's irritable, acid-tongued lawyer brother, briefly present at Christmas, hostile to society and the childless.

9 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

MRS GODDARD

The schoolmistress of Highbury, who leads a crocodile of red-caped schoolgirls; guardian of the parentless Harriet.

Harriet's wary schoolmistress, repeatedly uneasy at Emma's presumptuous interest in her charge.

8 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

ROBERT MARTIN

A strapping, hard-working young tenant farmer of Abbey Mill Farm, well-read and genuine; renting his land from Mr Knightley.

A worthy, steadfast farmer twice spurned at Emma's instigation, who finally wins and marries Harriet once Emma learns humility.

5 scenes·2 wardrobe changes

MRS BATES

70s, frail and very deaf; Miss Bates's mother and Jane Fairfax's grandmother.

Miss Bates's deaf, frail mother, a quiet fixture of the Bateses' impoverished household.

8 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MR PERRY

The Highbury apothecary, supplier of Mr Woodhouse's endless potions and tinctures.

The apothecary who indulges Mr Woodhouse's hypochondria, glimpsed dispensing remedies.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

BARTHOLOMEW

An eager young manservant of Hartfield, perpetually at Mr Woodhouse's beck and competing with the other servants to please him.

The devoted, over-eager Hartfield manservant who scrambles after Mr Woodhouse's every fussy demand throughout.

9 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

CHARLES

Another Hartfield manservant, rival to Bartholomew in serving Mr Woodhouse; fills the perforated cane with lavender.

A Hartfield manservant competing with Bartholomew to attend Mr Woodhouse.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

JAMES

The Woodhouse coachman, trusted driver in all seasons.

The reliable Woodhouse coachman who ferries the family and is praised as an excellent driver even in snow.

4 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MRS REYNOLDS

Mr Knightley's housekeeper at Donwell Abbey, fond and gently teasing.

Knightley's affectionate housekeeper, who chides him for never using his carriage.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MRS MARTIN

Robert Martin's mother, mistress of the warm, flourishing Abbey Mill farmhouse; seen peeling apples on the step.

The warm matriarch of the Martin farm whose hospitality once charmed Harriet.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

ELIZABETH MARTIN

One of Robert Martin's sisters at Abbey Mill Farm; warm and welcoming toward Harriet.

Robert Martin's friendly sister who keeps reaching out to the wavering Harriet.

3 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

CATHERINE MARTIN

Another of Robert Martin's sisters at Abbey Mill Farm.

Robert Martin's sister, part of the warm Martin household.

3 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MR COLE

A genial member of the town's 'new money', a merchant of low origins eager to host the gentry.

An affable nouveau-riche merchant whose supper-party Emma snobbishly attends, prone to awkward small talk.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MRS COLE

Mr Cole's wife, of the town's 'new money'; an avid gossip.

The gossiping merchant's wife who relays the village buzz about Jane's mysterious pianoforte.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MRS COX

A Highbury gossip among the village women.

A village gossip who fuels the talk about Jane Fairfax's anonymous gift.

2 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

MISS GILBERT

A Highbury village woman, part of the gossiping circle at the Coles'.

A minor village figure caught up in the pianoforte gossip and the ball.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

VALET

Mr Knightley's manservant at Donwell Abbey, who dresses him.

Knightley's valet, glimpsed dressing his master.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

GROOM

A stable hand at Donwell Abbey who takes Mr Knightley's horse.

The Donwell groom who tends Knightley's horse on his return.

1 scenes·1 wardrobe changes

Production Design · Props

hothouse flowers / bouquet

Hero

4 scenes

Emma cuts the bouquet at dawn; it becomes Miss Taylor's radiant wedding bouquet. The hothouse motif recurs when Frank appears through the misted glass.

S2S3S11S69

perforated lavender cane

Hero

2 scenes

Mr Woodhouse's salt-shaker-style cane filled with lavender; close-up as he inhales to steady his nerves. Character-defining prop.

S4S11

folding draught-screen

Hero

5 scenes

Running visual gag of Mr Woodhouse's fear of draughts; weaponised by Knightley in the finale to hide Mr Woodhouse and steal a kiss.

S17S35S38S40S120

Frank Churchill's letters

Hero

6 scenes

The 'fine flourishing' letters Emma re-reads; signed 'Mr F. C. Weston Churchill'. Kept in an embroidered letter-case. Recurring object of debate with Knightley.

S12S17S28S50S51S54

painting of Enscombe (signed F. CHURCHILL)

Hero

2 scenes

Frank's signed painting of his Yorkshire estate, used by Emma to seat Harriet and a class/status symbol; Mrs Weston glances at it when hinting at Emma's destiny.

S23S29

portrait of Harriet

Hero

4 scenes

Emma paints it ('too tall'); Mr Elton frames it tastelessly with a hidden music box; later cut from its frame and gifted to Robert Martin. Resolves a subplot.

S31S42S57S117

ornate gilt frame with hidden music box

Hero

2 scenes

Mr Elton's tasteless, too-heavy frame that plays a tinny tune when a tiny handle is cranked. Comic hero prop.

S42S57

Robert Martin's proposal letter

Hero

1 scene

A surprisingly good letter Emma manipulates Harriet into refusing. Plot device.

S34

anonymous pianoforte

Hero

3 scenes

The elegant pianoforte sent to Jane with no return address; the talk of the village; revealed in the finale to be Frank's secret gift to his fiancée.

S75S78S113

vinaigrette

Hero

6 scenes

Mr Woodhouse's smelling-salts; recurring through the family's hypochondria; he offers it to a grieving Emma.

S45S53S54S94S106S120

gift basket (produce / dressed goose / lavender / hidden painting)

Hero

3 scenes

Emma's basket of atonement; later carries the dressed goose (echoing the goose anecdote) and conceals the painting of Harriet for Robert Martin.

S107S116S117

Harriet's muff

Hero

2 scenes

Dropped by Harriet, retrieved from the dirt by Frank Churchill and presented to Emma 'like a prince in a fairy tale'. Engineers their first meeting.

S67S68

blanket under the Woodhouse pew

2 scenes

Mr Woodhouse tucks it over Emma at the first wedding; later claimed with satisfaction by the usurping Mrs Elton.

S11S81

ribbons

2 scenes

Dark blue vs light ribbons Harriet dithers over at Ford's; a comic emblem of her indecision.

S26S65

Mr Woodhouse's family silver

1 scene

Freshly cleaned silver Emma inventories to occupy herself during the Knightley quarrel.

S37

potions and tinctures

1 scene

Mr Perry's remedies for Mr Woodhouse; props of the hypochondria theme.

S28

book of sermons / pocketbook

2 scenes

Harriet's transcribed Elton sermons; she finally hurls the book into the river to be free of him.

S48S59

plate of flour and bullet

1 scene

The schoolgirls' game; Harriet retrieves the bullet with her mouth, flour-faced, just as Emma arrives with bad news.

S56

Donwell apples

1 scene

Knightley's gift of apples to the Bateses 'with his very special compliments'; a quiet sign of his generosity.

S78

candle

4 scenes

Recurs in the draught/light comedy and in Emma's reflective snuffing of the flame as she doubts herself.

S35S36S38S79

letter from Harriet's father

1 scene

Reveals Harriet's father is a Bristol tradesman who makes galoshes; the final test of Emma's grown character.

S119

Poster Concepts

Character-Driven

The Mistress of Hartfield

“She arranged everyone's heart but her own.”

A young woman in a high-waisted Regency gown fills the lower third, chin slightly lifted, one gloved hand extended palm-up as if waiting for someone to take it. Behind her, the soft-focus great hall of an opulent country house recedes into gold light. She owns the frame; everyone else is blur. Generous negative space above her head for the title.

Character-Driven

Two Who Won't Say It

“Friends for life. Strangers for one dance.”

The frame divided vertically by a thin seam of candlelight. Left, a young woman in profile, mouth set, looking right. Right, a man in a dark coat and cravat in profile, looking left. Their faces almost meet at the seam but their eyes don't quite align — the near-miss is the whole image. Mid-air between them, a single hand from each side reaches as if to begin a dance.

Character-Driven

Undone by Feeling

“Composure is the first thing love takes.”

A man alone in a dim, cavernous room of dust-sheeted furniture, caught tearing open his own cravat and waistcoat, head bowed, the picture of a contained man losing the fight with himself. Shafts of late light cut the gloom. He is small against the vast cold grandeur of the room — feeling overwhelming station.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

The Folding Screen

“Every proper room has a place to hide.”

A tall folding draught-screen stands center frame, its panels painted with a pastoral scene. It is angled so it both conceals and reveals — through the gap between two panels we glimpse two hands reaching to touch. The screen is the device that hides and the device that permits. Candle glow leaks around its edges.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

The Cut Portrait

“What's worth keeping never needed the frame.”

A small oil portrait of a pretty young woman, rolled loose from its frame, lying in a country basket among lavender sprigs and a dressed goose. Beside it, the discarded ornate gilt frame lies face-down, a tiny crank handle protruding. The plain rolled canvas beside the gaudy empty frame says everything: the gift stripped of vanity.

Symbolic/Metaphorical

Hothouse Bloom

“She liked arranging things best of all.”

A close, lush mass of scarlet and vermillion hothouse blooms fills the frame edge to edge, lit by a single lantern from within so the petals glow like coals. A pair of secateurs rests half-buried among them, a few stems freshly cut. Beauty that someone has been imperiously pruning — appetite made floral.

Scene-Based

The Dance Where Everything Changed

“One turn of the floor and the whole world tilted.”

A candlelit inn ball-room. A man and woman dance hand-in-hand, mid-turn, the only sharp figures in a swirl of motion-blurred dancers around them. They are looking openly at each other for the first time, smiles fading. The whole crowded room exists only to throw light on the space between their eyes.

Scene-Based

Trapped in the Snow Carriage

“The longest ride home of her life.”

The dark interior of a carriage at night, snow visible through the fogged window. A man lunges across the bench to seize a woman's hand; she recoils flat against the far door, face appalled. Steam from horses breathes past the glass outside. The most comic-horror beat of the film — courtship as ambush, locked in a moving box.

Scene-Based

Box Hill

“The day she went too far in front of everyone.”

A hot, hazy hillside picnic. The party is scattered across the grass, but the composition isolates one cruel beat: a young woman mid-sentence, careless, and a kind older spinster a few feet off, just struck silent, eyes filling. Everyone else looks away or doesn't notice. The bright summer day curdles. A daisy chain lies abandoned in the foreground grass.

Minimalist/Typographic

M and A

“A riddle two letters long, and she got it wrong.”

A vast cream field. Centered, two enormous engraved capital letters — M and A — set close, with a hairline gap between them. In the negative space of that gap, tiny, two figures stand turned slightly apart. The whole poster is a courtship word-game scaled to wall size; the people are the smallest thing on it.

Minimalist/Typographic

The Empty Chair

“A full house can still feel like one place too few.”

A wide, near-empty composition of a formal breakfast table. Two place settings face each other — and a third chair between them, empty, pulled slightly out. Almost all negative space: pale wall, pale cloth, the lonely geometry of a household one person short. The absence is the subject.

Mood/Atmospheric

Just Before Dawn

“Every scheme has to start somewhere quiet.”

A handsome country house seen across its grounds in the silvered blue minute before sunrise, every window dark but one, where a single lantern burns. Mist sits low on the lawn. No people. Pure atmosphere — the held breath of a house about to wake into a day of schemes. The faint warmth of that one lit window is the only promise of comedy in all the cool blue.

Mood/Atmospheric

Appetite and Candlelight

“In this house, even hunger had rules.”

An overhead-leaning, candle-lit close-up of a lavish dinner table fragment: cake, custard, a glass of wine, ices melting, a perforated cane laid across the cloth, a vinaigrette bottle. Hands hover at the frame edges — one reaching for a plate, another withdrawing it. The film's theme of policed appetite rendered as warm, greedy, interrupted abundance.

Collage/Ensemble

The Whole Village Watching

“One small town. A dozen lives she was sure she could improve.”

A symmetrical, storybook tier of Highbury's people arranged like a wedding-cake of society: at the top center, the young matchmaker, poised; flanking her in descending tiers, the showy vicar and his lofty bride, the chattering spinster, the composed accomplished orphan, the dashing young man in tight trousers, the kind farmer with his flock, the fretful father with his lavender cane. Each in their own little pastel cell, all subtly turned toward — or away from — the woman at the top.

Collage/Ensemble

Letters, Frames and Flowers

“Everything she touched. Nothing she understood.”

An overhead arrangement of the film's hero objects on a cream cloth: a sealed letter in a flourishing hand, a hothouse bouquet, the gilt frame with its little crank, a folding fan, a teacup with a finger jammed in the handle, a muff, a perforated cane, a smelling-salts bottle. No people at all — the story told entirely through what its characters carry, give, hide and fuss over.