I’ve waxed poetic many times about how much I love the A&E 6-hour marathon that is “Pride & Prejudice”. It will be hard to beat that masterpiece of storytelling. But Keira Knightley’s version comes pretty darn close.
And not because of her, but rather because of Matthew MacFadyen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy. I admit that I didn’t like the bulk of his performance. You can’t help but compare him to Colin Firth, and for the most part I think Colin Firth was infinitely better. But when the closing credits rolled last night I was shocked to realize that my two favorite scenes in this retelling were the two more important scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett: First when Darcy initially declares his love for Elizabeth, only to be rejected when he insults her and her entire family; and secondly when he comes back to her again months later for one last declaration of love in the hopes that now she returns that affection. In those two scenes Matthew MacFayden was amazing and I rather wish that Colin Firth had opted to take the emotional route that MMacF did. Then the A&E version would truly be PERFECT.
Colin Firth’s Darcy was brash and incredibly arrogant to the point of being pompous. Matthew MacFadyen’s was quiet, intense and more than a bit awkward. And in those two scenes I mentioned above that awkwardness WORKED. I watched those scenes twice more last night once the movie was done. It was captivating.
Is it better than the A&E version? Of course not – this is like the Cliff’s Notes version; just kind of giving you the highlights of a great story. But those two scenes? Brilliant.
4 soulful glances out of five.
I LOVE that movie and those two scenes make the whole movie worth it. I also rewatch just those scenes. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that first one when he says he loves her. I can not take my eyes off the screen when it is on.
But…Colin Firth played Darcy the way he was written by Jane Austen…he’s supposed to be an arrogant snob who was supremely confident in society and “lively enough in other places” according to Colonel Fitzwilliam. Darcy was never awkward or shy until he was taken down a peg by Elizabeth! Yes, the awkwardness worked…but for some character other than Darcy! Somehow it doesn’t seem as romantic to me for Elizabeth to have merely won over a sulking, awkward snd somewhat shy man, when Darcy was supposed to be this prominent and unattainable person because of his “position” in life. Oh well…I guess that’s my “prejudice.”
Blair – and I agree with you. In my post I said that Colin Firth’s performance was PERFECT except my preference for MacFadyen’s was in those two particular scenes where he portrayed vulnerability. Darcy was the most proud man, but he was opening himself up tremendously to declare love for a woman that for all intents and purposes he should have loathed. That’s the height of vulnerability, in my mind. It would have been one thing for him to say, “Okay, I feel sorry for you that you aren’t as good as me, so I’ll give you a chance and marry you.” THAT would have been true arrogance. But that’s not what he did. He admitted he LOVED her – the most honest and vulnerable confession he could have made to a woman he considered “beneath” him, whatever the reaction he expected (gratitude, humility, a return of affection). That’s why I liked MacFadyen – he played that honest vulnerability perfectly and showed that Darcy, despite being a pompous snob to the highest degree, was also emotionally frail.
This is sort of interesting…because we’ve both seen the same thing and yet our perceptions are just slightly different. I really don’t disagree with you at all, except that I have always felt that Firth’s proposal scene was absolutely devastating for him as well and that he showed the same degree of pain. I thought there was a heartfelt declaration of love there too. You may be right and perhaps I would have felt that MacFadyen’s scene was emotionally preferrable if the film makers hadn’t tarted it up with that “almost kiss.” One can argue that love and hate are close emotions, but Elizabeth absolutely detested him at that point and, to me, even though it might have tugged at the heartstrings, it seeemed like an out-of-place contivance. On the other hand, maybe because of the shortened script, they felt they had to make itmore iffy and involving for people. Anyway, about the second proposal, I’ve always resented the rushed wrap-up of the BBC version. That could have definitely been handled better with a bigger pay-off for our 6 hour involvement!
Blair
Blair, I agree in your assessment of the quick wrapup of the 6-hr version! I did like the end of the new version though – with the happy couple discussing pet names. It shows that they were comfortable with each other and that Darcy wasn’t quite the bore he seemed. :up: