Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽’s review of Pride and Prejudice > Likes and Comments
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Colin Firth! Also Lost in Austen Darcy was pretty good. I haven't seen the 1980 version in full and Matthew Macfadyen just isn't Darcy material. Olivier can't help the material he was given but Darcy is not supposed to be shy-just reserved and stand-offish.
QNPoohBear wrote: "Colin Firth! Also Lost in Austen Darcy was pretty good. I haven't seen the 1980 version in full and Matthew Macfadyen just isn't Darcy material. Olivier can't help the material he was given but Dar..."
Good point! I still haven't seen Lost in Austen (really need to do that sometime) but I did think about Bride and Prejudice, the Bollywood version. The thing about that one is, the only really memorable part for me was the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai as the Lizzy character. I don't have any particular recollection of Martin Henderson as Darcy. But he was very cute.
Here's your Lost in Austen guy, Elliot Cowan:
LOLZ at the wet shirt scene!
Colin Firth is my era and I remember the production fondly, although when I tried a rewatch I found it much slower than I remembered. The Macfadyen film has a very Brontë-esque vibe, it doesn't feel like an Austen story at all - all the lightness and humor hoovered out of it.
If I remember correctly, there was NO KISS at the end of the 1980 version. I don't care if its authentic or what have you. If I'm watching it, I want a kiss. :) Colin Firth will always be Mr. Darcy for me. The 2005 movie only gets my vote for the beautiful soundtrack.
I have a fondness for the 2005 version (warts and all) but I think Colin Firth is the best portrayal (I have to watch the 1940, 1980 and Lost in Austen. The Bride and Prejudice one was the worst part of the film. The Lizzie Bennet guy does a good job.
Palindrome310 wrote: "I have a fondness for the 2005 version (warts and all)..."
Oh the 1995 version! What do you mean warts? What am I missing ? ;)
I think it might be in my top 5 of all movies in my lifetime (even not counting Colin)
Beige, I thought it was an expression "warts and all". Sorry for not being clear, I'm not an English native speaker
"Warts and all" is the correct expression, Palindrome. I could name several warts in the 2005 movie: Kiera is too gorgeous for Lizzie, the makeup is too much for the era, I don't particularly care for Macfadyen as Darcy, I didn't think all the livestock running around their home was historically accurate (in any case it was a distraction for me), Mr Bennet's unshaven face and brilliant white teeth ...
Colin Firth is Mr Darcy to me, he just got it right.
@ Palindrome - Oops stayed up too late reading. I thought you said the 1995 version had warts. Warts and all is a fabulous phrase ;)
Fun!
Okay since you asked:
This opinion is not based on any research but just my observation: I believe that Laurence Olivier either HATED the movie, or wasn't getting paid enough or something, but to me his portrayal of Darcy was a deliberate parody. I mean we know the man can act! I just loathe that version for lots of reasons, but mostly for what I call its "Sissy Darcy."
I agree with you that about the BBC version. It was a very competent production, but it seemed to suck the sparkle of the story. David Rentoul was possibly the most accurate Darcy, but certainly not the most romantic.
I love every second of the 1995 version. I owned it in VCR and now CD format and always watch it as the high point of my latest Austen Binge. Colin Firth. Sigh. He OWNS Darcy.
Matthew MacFayden. I was surprised at how much I liked him as Darcy. It's like this character alone gave him a one-time hotness he doesn't otherwise possess (kind of like, IMHO, Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans.) Anyway, I am not a huge fan of this one. I feel they took WAY too many liberties with the dialogue (JAs dialogue needs NO rewriting!!) and the plot. There were so many excellent actors in it, so I can almost enjoy it if I pretend it's NOT P&P but some other movie that I take on its own merit.
Forgot to mention that coincidentally before I read your review and sat down to write this, I was just about to watch the most recent BBC version of "Sense and Sensibility" which I just got today from the library; I was in the mood to see it gain because I just finished "Sense and Sensibility" for the umpteenth time. I don't remember who played Edward in this version, but that character just doesn't inspire the kind of "Who played him best?" debate that Darcy does it? (Although now that I think of it, I love Hugh Grant but feel like he was miscast in the Emma Thompson version.)
Tadiana, I totally agree. Colin Firth is my Darcy.
David Rintoul has always seemed a perfect Mr Darcy to me. Perhaps he errs slightly too much on the stiff side, but he feels closest to the book. Despite its dated production values, that BBC version seems not only the closest to the book, but almost perfectly cast. The one reservation I have is that Mrs Bennett seems a bit too old and frumpy, but otherwise, the cast seems pitch-perfect to me, especially Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul.
Roslyn wrote: "David Rintoul has always seemed a perfect Mr Darcy to me. Perhaps he errs slightly too much on the stiff side, but he feels closest to the book. Despite its dated production values, that BBC versio..."
That 1980 BBC version definitely has some good points. It has probably my favorite portrayal of Elizabeth, and I thought the actor who played Mr Collins did a wonderful job.
@Ange: I love both the Emma Thompson and the recent BBC version of S&S. I'm not sure which version I like better! Emma's too old, admittedly (not her fault; the producers insisted that she play Elinor), but she did a great job, and I actually really liked Hugh Grant in that movie role.
Tadiana,
I agree, I agree, I agree!! On my deathbed, when my long wonderful life passes before my eyes, one of those images will be of Colin Firth, hair wet on his neck, white shirt clinging to his chest.
Agree with you Tadiana, Colin Firth is my favourite Darcy as well! And overall, I am not a fan of the Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen version as I feel so many things are missing in it from my reader's version of it!
Even my mother thought Colin Firth was the best and she has lived through ALL these versions. She referred to the "smouldering" way he looked at Jane. Talk about sparks flying!
My favourite Jane Austen novel. Possibly her most famous, but with good reason.
Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward. I love the Emma Thompson movie, except that Hugh Grant was miscast IMO.
Palindrome310 wrote: "Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward. I love the Emma Thompson movie, except that Hugh Grant was miscast IMO."
You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant in S&S, so I'm outvoted (at least so far). But I thought his brand of hesitant acting fit well with the character of Edward Ferrars. (view spoiler)
D'aww!
Palindrome310 wrote: "Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward.
Yes! I was happy to realize that when I started watching...and Captain Wentworth looked SO familiar but I couldn't place him then I realized he was the Governor from The Walking Dead! I don't like the Willoughby in this version.
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant..." I love him! I felt that he was just too boyishly handsome to be paired with Emma Thompson (as you point out, she was too old for the role in the first place) so it didn't work for me.
Ange H wrote: "Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant..." I love him! I felt that he was just too boyishly handsome to be paired with Emma Thompson (as you point out, she was too old for the role..."
I just did some age-checking: Emma Thompson is 2 1/2 years older than Hugh Grant -- which is not unreasonable, but as you point out, he is very boyish-looking. For the movie I think Emma was supposed to be in her late 20's (she was 35 at the time), even though in the original S&S Elinor is only like 19.
It's even more interesting to think that she ended up marrying Greg Wise, who played Willoughby -- and he's 8 years younger than Emma. They've been together over 20 years now.
I remember watching S&S with my boyfriend of the time, and he was really confused because he thought that Elinor was Marianne and Margaret's Mother.
I saw THE SHIRT in Washington, DC at the Folger Shakespeare Library in an amazing exhibit on the enduring legacy of Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. The curators were a hoot. They said people liked to take "shirties" (shirt + selfie) with the shirt. Men liked to stand behind it and pretend to be Darcy. Emma Thompson also contributed her screenplay for S&S with her own handwritten notes.
As for S&S who was better-Hugh Grant's bumbling Edward was more true to the character and Dan Stevens was TOO pretty to be a clergyman. There's no way he'd stay single for long. Move over Lucy Steele. Andrew Davies put him in a wet shirt too but somehow it didn't catch on like P&P. Dan Stevens had to wait to gain a following until he appeared in Downton Abbey.
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: ".t's even more interesting to think that she ended up marrying Greg Wise, who played Willoughby -- and he's 8 years younger than Emma. They've been together over 20 years now. .."
Emma Thompson, reading my earlier comment: "So, Hugh Grant was too young and cute for me? Bite me, I married the even younger and cuter guy!"
Thank you Tatiana for that interesting bit of trivia, I did not know that! (And apologies for detouring your P&P thread into a discussion of Emma Thompson's love life:)
No problem! Some of the best discussions on GR are when people go off on tangents. ;)
About Elizabeth looks, I actually think Knightley is consider pretty by our standarda but not for those of that period. Also, I haven't re-read P&P lately (the horror!) but I don't remember Elizabeth being described as plain, so we could let her be smart and beautiful ;) Rai is gorgeous
I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book. Jennifer Ehle is altogether more reserved and stately.
Jennifer wrote: "I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book..."
I need to watch both of the old miniseries again! I don't remember Garvie's performance all that well; it's been too long since I saw it. But the urge has definitely struck since I finished rereading P&P.
Palindrome310 wrote: "About Elizabeth looks, I actually think Knightley is consider pretty by our standards but not for those of that period. Also, I haven't re-read P&P lately (the horror!) but I don't remember Elizabe..."
Hmm, interesting point about Knightley's looks. We don't know a whole lot about Elizabeth's appearance from the book itself, except that (1) at one point, Darcy describes her dismissively as "not handsome enough to tempt me" (which comment arguably shouldn't be taken at face value; he wasn't in the best of moods at the time) (2) he soon after falls for her "fine eyes" and lively, intelligent expression, and (3) Caroline Bingley describes Elizabeth as having a thin face. That's pretty much it. Oh, and she has a fairly slim shape; that's noticed by Darcy at one point too.
Jennifer wrote: "I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book..." Great, term, "imprinted." That's me with the '95 version. I would like to rewatch the 80's version again, too to give it another chance. I have a strong memory of being repulsed by some of clothes they had the poor women traipsing around in - just godawful IMHO. (I wonder if they were more true to the period, but wow - ugly.)
One thing I remember clearly about that 1980 P&P version is just how good I thought the Mr Collins actor was. So smarmy!!
Judging from that photo, he seems to be the perfect Mr Collins!! Hahaha!
Tadiana, have you heard the news that ITV is adapting P&P as a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version. Not sure how I feel about this, the last ITV adaptations aren't great. S&S has some good acting but the script is a mess, same with MP and Persuasion. NA is the strongest of that group.
Tom Hollander (2005) is my fav Mr. Collins because he understood that Mr. Collins takes himself seriously but ends up ridiculous but not in a stand-up comedy way.
I had not heard! I actually really loved ITV's 2008 version of S&S--but at the time I watched it, it had been many years since I'd read S&S, so maybe I was more forgiving of the script than I might be now.
I don't particularly remember Tom Hollander's take on Mr Collins. I may have to go watch some clips to refresh my recollection. :)
Elizabeth Garvie is my all time favorite Lizzie too.
Jennifer Ehle is the best Lizzie I have seen. She's sparkling, witty and loving towards Jane, just as she should be. A mite old though. The one thing wrong with Jennifer Ehle is that she's a natural blond. Maybe they could have made Lizzie's hair a little lighter and more natural looking. That's a minor quibble.
A a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version? What the heck? How? The book is supposed to be rather "light and bright and sparkling." Happily ever after and all that. What dark side of Jane Austen? Have they been listening to that person who goes on about "shadow stories"? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/...
I'm all in for Season 4 of Poldark though! There's one adaptation that has so far stayed true to the novels. I hope it continues to stay that way.
QNPoohBear wrote: "Jennifer Ehle is the best Lizzie I have seen. She's sparkling, witty and loving towards Jane, just as she should be. A mite old though. The one thing wrong with Jennifer Ehle is that she's a natura..."
I've been trying for years to figure out exactly what bugs me about Ehle's look in P&P. The unflattering hairdo is part of it, and I think you've got a point about the unnatural darkness of her hair as well. Huh. And the lipstick looks unnatural and makes her lips look smaller and pursed, which is weird because she looks good in her normal (non-Lizzy) photos. Shallow, I know. :)
Not shallow. Appearance is everything in movies. Look at the muddy hem version-all that mud, pigs, Keira's teeth = all visual turn offs.
Palindrome310 wrote: "Tadiana, have you heard the news that ITV is adapting P&P as a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version. ..." Is this really necessary?! There is already "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" which couldn't be more dark or bonnetless. (I hated it. Despite my love of both Jane Austen and zombies, I guess I don't love them as a mashup.)
Yes! Yes! Yes! Great review of the book and totally agree with your ratings of the different Elizabeths and Darcys, include the honorable mention of "Bride and Prejudice" which I also enjoyed watching. This also is my favorite book of all time. It is the gold standard.
Agree and Disagree. I loved both Garvie and Ehle as Elizabeth. Loved both Firth and Macfayden as Darcy. Pretty much equally. The one Darcy that really bothers me is Rintoul. To me, he is a major problem in an other wise superb version. He is as stiff and expressionless as a board. And that would have been absolutely fine, had he unbent at the end. Had he finally softened and shown some emotion, the contrast would have even been thrilling, and maybe pushed the version to be equal to the Ehle-Firth production. But nope. So frustrating.
Hmm, you may be right about Rintoul. It’s been a lot of years since I watched that particular version of P&P. I do remember being especially impressed by the Mr. Collins in that version, but the ending is mostly forgettable compared to others.
Loved your review and your rating of actors portraying Lizzie and Darcy.
I agree with you on most of the actors. Maybe because my first movie experience of P&P was the Knightley/MacFayden version, I actually like those two. But I will say that MacFayden does have a constant worried look. Lol.
And I love Bride and Prejudice. That's one of the cutest adaptations of P&P.
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QNPoohBear
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Aug 03, 2017 02:55PM
Colin Firth! Also Lost in Austen Darcy was pretty good. I haven't seen the 1980 version in full and Matthew Macfadyen just isn't Darcy material. Olivier can't help the material he was given but Darcy is not supposed to be shy-just reserved and stand-offish.
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QNPoohBear wrote: "Colin Firth! Also Lost in Austen Darcy was pretty good. I haven't seen the 1980 version in full and Matthew Macfadyen just isn't Darcy material. Olivier can't help the material he was given but Dar..."Good point! I still haven't seen Lost in Austen (really need to do that sometime) but I did think about Bride and Prejudice, the Bollywood version. The thing about that one is, the only really memorable part for me was the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai as the Lizzy character. I don't have any particular recollection of Martin Henderson as Darcy. But he was very cute.
Here's your Lost in Austen guy, Elliot Cowan:LOLZ at the wet shirt scene!
Colin Firth is my era and I remember the production fondly, although when I tried a rewatch I found it much slower than I remembered. The Macfadyen film has a very Brontë-esque vibe, it doesn't feel like an Austen story at all - all the lightness and humor hoovered out of it.
If I remember correctly, there was NO KISS at the end of the 1980 version. I don't care if its authentic or what have you. If I'm watching it, I want a kiss. :) Colin Firth will always be Mr. Darcy for me. The 2005 movie only gets my vote for the beautiful soundtrack.
I have a fondness for the 2005 version (warts and all) but I think Colin Firth is the best portrayal (I have to watch the 1940, 1980 and Lost in Austen. The Bride and Prejudice one was the worst part of the film. The Lizzie Bennet guy does a good job.
Palindrome310 wrote: "I have a fondness for the 2005 version (warts and all)..."Oh the 1995 version! What do you mean warts? What am I missing ? ;)
I think it might be in my top 5 of all movies in my lifetime (even not counting Colin)
Beige, I thought it was an expression "warts and all". Sorry for not being clear, I'm not an English native speaker
"Warts and all" is the correct expression, Palindrome. I could name several warts in the 2005 movie: Kiera is too gorgeous for Lizzie, the makeup is too much for the era, I don't particularly care for Macfadyen as Darcy, I didn't think all the livestock running around their home was historically accurate (in any case it was a distraction for me), Mr Bennet's unshaven face and brilliant white teeth ...
Colin Firth is Mr Darcy to me, he just got it right.
@ Palindrome - Oops stayed up too late reading. I thought you said the 1995 version had warts. Warts and all is a fabulous phrase ;)
Fun! Okay since you asked:
This opinion is not based on any research but just my observation: I believe that Laurence Olivier either HATED the movie, or wasn't getting paid enough or something, but to me his portrayal of Darcy was a deliberate parody. I mean we know the man can act! I just loathe that version for lots of reasons, but mostly for what I call its "Sissy Darcy."
I agree with you that about the BBC version. It was a very competent production, but it seemed to suck the sparkle of the story. David Rentoul was possibly the most accurate Darcy, but certainly not the most romantic.
I love every second of the 1995 version. I owned it in VCR and now CD format and always watch it as the high point of my latest Austen Binge. Colin Firth. Sigh. He OWNS Darcy.
Matthew MacFayden. I was surprised at how much I liked him as Darcy. It's like this character alone gave him a one-time hotness he doesn't otherwise possess (kind of like, IMHO, Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans.) Anyway, I am not a huge fan of this one. I feel they took WAY too many liberties with the dialogue (JAs dialogue needs NO rewriting!!) and the plot. There were so many excellent actors in it, so I can almost enjoy it if I pretend it's NOT P&P but some other movie that I take on its own merit.
Forgot to mention that coincidentally before I read your review and sat down to write this, I was just about to watch the most recent BBC version of "Sense and Sensibility" which I just got today from the library; I was in the mood to see it gain because I just finished "Sense and Sensibility" for the umpteenth time. I don't remember who played Edward in this version, but that character just doesn't inspire the kind of "Who played him best?" debate that Darcy does it? (Although now that I think of it, I love Hugh Grant but feel like he was miscast in the Emma Thompson version.)
Tadiana, I totally agree. Colin Firth is my Darcy.
David Rintoul has always seemed a perfect Mr Darcy to me. Perhaps he errs slightly too much on the stiff side, but he feels closest to the book. Despite its dated production values, that BBC version seems not only the closest to the book, but almost perfectly cast. The one reservation I have is that Mrs Bennett seems a bit too old and frumpy, but otherwise, the cast seems pitch-perfect to me, especially Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul.
Roslyn wrote: "David Rintoul has always seemed a perfect Mr Darcy to me. Perhaps he errs slightly too much on the stiff side, but he feels closest to the book. Despite its dated production values, that BBC versio..."That 1980 BBC version definitely has some good points. It has probably my favorite portrayal of Elizabeth, and I thought the actor who played Mr Collins did a wonderful job.
@Ange: I love both the Emma Thompson and the recent BBC version of S&S. I'm not sure which version I like better! Emma's too old, admittedly (not her fault; the producers insisted that she play Elinor), but she did a great job, and I actually really liked Hugh Grant in that movie role.
Tadiana,I agree, I agree, I agree!! On my deathbed, when my long wonderful life passes before my eyes, one of those images will be of Colin Firth, hair wet on his neck, white shirt clinging to his chest.
Agree with you Tadiana, Colin Firth is my favourite Darcy as well! And overall, I am not a fan of the Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen version as I feel so many things are missing in it from my reader's version of it!
Even my mother thought Colin Firth was the best and she has lived through ALL these versions. She referred to the "smouldering" way he looked at Jane. Talk about sparks flying!
My favourite Jane Austen novel. Possibly her most famous, but with good reason.
Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward. I love the Emma Thompson movie, except that Hugh Grant was miscast IMO.
Palindrome310 wrote: "Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward. I love the Emma Thompson movie, except that Hugh Grant was miscast IMO."You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant in S&S, so I'm outvoted (at least so far). But I thought his brand of hesitant acting fit well with the character of Edward Ferrars. (view spoiler)
D'aww!
Palindrome310 wrote: "Ange H, I think you are refering to the version where Dan Stevens played Edward.Yes! I was happy to realize that when I started watching...and Captain Wentworth looked SO familiar but I couldn't place him then I realized he was the Governor from The Walking Dead! I don't like the Willoughby in this version.
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant..." I love him! I felt that he was just too boyishly handsome to be paired with Emma Thompson (as you point out, she was too old for the role in the first place) so it didn't work for me.
Ange H wrote: "Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "You and Ange both disliked Hugh Grant..." I love him! I felt that he was just too boyishly handsome to be paired with Emma Thompson (as you point out, she was too old for the role..."I just did some age-checking: Emma Thompson is 2 1/2 years older than Hugh Grant -- which is not unreasonable, but as you point out, he is very boyish-looking. For the movie I think Emma was supposed to be in her late 20's (she was 35 at the time), even though in the original S&S Elinor is only like 19.
It's even more interesting to think that she ended up marrying Greg Wise, who played Willoughby -- and he's 8 years younger than Emma. They've been together over 20 years now.
I remember watching S&S with my boyfriend of the time, and he was really confused because he thought that Elinor was Marianne and Margaret's Mother.
I saw THE SHIRT in Washington, DC at the Folger Shakespeare Library in an amazing exhibit on the enduring legacy of Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. The curators were a hoot. They said people liked to take "shirties" (shirt + selfie) with the shirt. Men liked to stand behind it and pretend to be Darcy. Emma Thompson also contributed her screenplay for S&S with her own handwritten notes.As for S&S who was better-Hugh Grant's bumbling Edward was more true to the character and Dan Stevens was TOO pretty to be a clergyman. There's no way he'd stay single for long. Move over Lucy Steele. Andrew Davies put him in a wet shirt too but somehow it didn't catch on like P&P. Dan Stevens had to wait to gain a following until he appeared in Downton Abbey.
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: ".t's even more interesting to think that she ended up marrying Greg Wise, who played Willoughby -- and he's 8 years younger than Emma. They've been together over 20 years now. .." Emma Thompson, reading my earlier comment: "So, Hugh Grant was too young and cute for me? Bite me, I married the even younger and cuter guy!"
Thank you Tatiana for that interesting bit of trivia, I did not know that! (And apologies for detouring your P&P thread into a discussion of Emma Thompson's love life:)
No problem! Some of the best discussions on GR are when people go off on tangents. ;)
About Elizabeth looks, I actually think Knightley is consider pretty by our standarda but not for those of that period. Also, I haven't re-read P&P lately (the horror!) but I don't remember Elizabeth being described as plain, so we could let her be smart and beautiful ;) Rai is gorgeous
I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book. Jennifer Ehle is altogether more reserved and stately.
Jennifer wrote: "I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book..."I need to watch both of the old miniseries again! I don't remember Garvie's performance all that well; it's been too long since I saw it. But the urge has definitely struck since I finished rereading P&P.
Palindrome310 wrote: "About Elizabeth looks, I actually think Knightley is consider pretty by our standards but not for those of that period. Also, I haven't re-read P&P lately (the horror!) but I don't remember Elizabe..."Hmm, interesting point about Knightley's looks. We don't know a whole lot about Elizabeth's appearance from the book itself, except that (1) at one point, Darcy describes her dismissively as "not handsome enough to tempt me" (which comment arguably shouldn't be taken at face value; he wasn't in the best of moods at the time) (2) he soon after falls for her "fine eyes" and lively, intelligent expression, and (3) Caroline Bingley describes Elizabeth as having a thin face. That's pretty much it. Oh, and she has a fairly slim shape; that's noticed by Darcy at one point too.
Jennifer wrote: "I really like the 80s P&P with Elizabeth Garvie. Could be because I saw it before the A&E one came out and imprinted on it, but she captures the kind of lighthearted vivacity that I see in the book..." Great, term, "imprinted." That's me with the '95 version. I would like to rewatch the 80's version again, too to give it another chance. I have a strong memory of being repulsed by some of clothes they had the poor women traipsing around in - just godawful IMHO. (I wonder if they were more true to the period, but wow - ugly.)
One thing I remember clearly about that 1980 P&P version is just how good I thought the Mr Collins actor was. So smarmy!!
Judging from that photo, he seems to be the perfect Mr Collins!! Hahaha!
Tadiana, have you heard the news that ITV is adapting P&P as a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version. Not sure how I feel about this, the last ITV adaptations aren't great. S&S has some good acting but the script is a mess, same with MP and Persuasion. NA is the strongest of that group.Tom Hollander (2005) is my fav Mr. Collins because he understood that Mr. Collins takes himself seriously but ends up ridiculous but not in a stand-up comedy way.
I had not heard! I actually really loved ITV's 2008 version of S&S--but at the time I watched it, it had been many years since I'd read S&S, so maybe I was more forgiving of the script than I might be now.I don't particularly remember Tom Hollander's take on Mr Collins. I may have to go watch some clips to refresh my recollection. :)
Elizabeth Garvie is my all time favorite Lizzie too.
Jennifer Ehle is the best Lizzie I have seen. She's sparkling, witty and loving towards Jane, just as she should be. A mite old though. The one thing wrong with Jennifer Ehle is that she's a natural blond. Maybe they could have made Lizzie's hair a little lighter and more natural looking. That's a minor quibble.A a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version? What the heck? How? The book is supposed to be rather "light and bright and sparkling." Happily ever after and all that. What dark side of Jane Austen? Have they been listening to that person who goes on about "shadow stories"? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/...
I'm all in for Season 4 of Poldark though! There's one adaptation that has so far stayed true to the novels. I hope it continues to stay that way.
QNPoohBear wrote: "Jennifer Ehle is the best Lizzie I have seen. She's sparkling, witty and loving towards Jane, just as she should be. A mite old though. The one thing wrong with Jennifer Ehle is that she's a natura..."I've been trying for years to figure out exactly what bugs me about Ehle's look in P&P. The unflattering hairdo is part of it, and I think you've got a point about the unnatural darkness of her hair as well. Huh. And the lipstick looks unnatural and makes her lips look smaller and pursed, which is weird because she looks good in her normal (non-Lizzy) photos. Shallow, I know. :)
Not shallow. Appearance is everything in movies. Look at the muddy hem version-all that mud, pigs, Keira's teeth = all visual turn offs.
Palindrome310 wrote: "Tadiana, have you heard the news that ITV is adapting P&P as a "darker" and "less bonnet-y" version. ..." Is this really necessary?! There is already "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" which couldn't be more dark or bonnetless. (I hated it. Despite my love of both Jane Austen and zombies, I guess I don't love them as a mashup.)
Yes! Yes! Yes! Great review of the book and totally agree with your ratings of the different Elizabeths and Darcys, include the honorable mention of "Bride and Prejudice" which I also enjoyed watching. This also is my favorite book of all time. It is the gold standard.
Agree and Disagree. I loved both Garvie and Ehle as Elizabeth. Loved both Firth and Macfayden as Darcy. Pretty much equally. The one Darcy that really bothers me is Rintoul. To me, he is a major problem in an other wise superb version. He is as stiff and expressionless as a board. And that would have been absolutely fine, had he unbent at the end. Had he finally softened and shown some emotion, the contrast would have even been thrilling, and maybe pushed the version to be equal to the Ehle-Firth production. But nope. So frustrating.
Hmm, you may be right about Rintoul. It’s been a lot of years since I watched that particular version of P&P. I do remember being especially impressed by the Mr. Collins in that version, but the ending is mostly forgettable compared to others.
Loved your review and your rating of actors portraying Lizzie and Darcy.I agree with you on most of the actors. Maybe because my first movie experience of P&P was the Knightley/MacFayden version, I actually like those two. But I will say that MacFayden does have a constant worried look. Lol.
And I love Bride and Prejudice. That's one of the cutest adaptations of P&P.
