Emma

Emma (1996) is a British costume romance you can watch online on iFILM. Young Emma Woodhouse is comfortable, certain she'll never marry, and convinced her real gift is arranging love matches for everyone around her. Modesty about that talent is not her strong suit.

Taking the artless Harriet Smith under her wing, Emma sets out to pair her with the parish vicar, Mr. Elton — and sets off a chain of mix-ups in which nearly everyone falls for the wrong person. The one man who sees straight through her, and says so plainly, is the family's old friend Mr. Knightley. Kate Beckinsale plays a heroine who reads every heart in the room except her own; Mark Strong is the one she notices last. Samantha Morton makes a tender, hopeful Harriet.

This version was made for British television by Diarmuid Lawrence from a script by Andrew Davies, the go-to adapter of Jane Austen. It arrived the same year as the better-known Hollywood Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow, and it wins on dry English wit and sharp characterization rather than gloss. A fine pick for anyone who likes their Austen unsweetened. Stream Emma (1996) online on iFILM.