28
Dec
2009
Pride & Prejudice 2005 Movie
I’m going to be bold here: There has been no more perfect Mr. Darcy than Matthew MacFayden.
I watched this movie when I was about a third of the way through the book. I had already noticed that I had trouble picturing Darcy as Colin Firth. In fact, Professor Snape kept coming to mind. I know, I know, but it’s true.
Really, my only complaint about MacFayden is that they put way to much make up on him, which made his skin look weird.
As for Kiera Knightly, I thought that she did well enough. Her ridiculously skinny body was not distracting in period clothes. And they heightened her eyes into more of an almond-shape, so that it always looked like she was wearing too much eyeliner, but since her eyes are described as such in the book, and it is what Darcy first admires about Elizabeth, I didn’t mind.
Of course in a movie that’s based on a book, you have to mush some things together. Elizabeth seems to stay at Netherfield taking care of her sister for only one night, but it works out all right. Some various conversations between Elizabeth and Darcy are made into one, for example in the scene where he proposes to her and she bitches him out, dialogue from other conversations in the book is included.
I also thought that the cinematography was wonderful. We first start to see Mr. Darcy’s view of Elizabeth change noticeably, though perhaps not clearly, when he helps her into a carriage early on. The camera shows a rather startled Elizabeth, who takes his hand and gets into the carriage, and then Darcy abruptly turns around. But then! Then the camera drops down to Darcy’s hand, now at his side. He does this little thing with it, almost like a flinch, where he spreads his fingers out wide, just for an instant. It’s the littlest of things, but it conveys what Darcy is thinking. He has no idea why he just offered his hand to Elizabeth, and it freaks him out. He doesn’t caress his own hand, which she has just touched, so obviously he is not being all sentimental. Nor does he ball his hand into a fist so he’s not really angry with himself. It’s sort of like an “ew, gross, cooties!” type of action. More of a reaction, really.
I also liked the part right before that where Mrs. Bennet and Lizzy’s three younger sisters show up at Netherfield to pick her up and check on Miss Bennet. The foursome fall into a sofa together, Mrs. Bennet, Lydia, and Catherine sighing, wearing bright colors and frilly petticoats, and Mary, looking bored, in drab colors. Because we don’t have all of the asides of the narrator in the book explaining their characters, it’s little things like this that bring their quirks to light.
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This is my favorite of the P&P movies…and I agree with your assessment of MacFayden!
This is the only P&P movie I saw. I actually would not see any of the movies until I read the book, which was only a year or so ago. I loved this adaptation, and thought both Darcy and Bingley were spot-on. Great review!
Next up? Sense and Sensibility!
Love this movie. The chemistry between Knightley & Macfadyen, the music, the cinematography… everything about this movie is lovely.
I agree with you on Macfadyen making a better Darcy than Colin Firth. Firth is adorable and all… but he wasn’t brooding enough as Darcy for my tastes. I greatly prefer the 2005 movie over the 1995 BBC adaptation!
Hands down my favorite and Matthew MacFadyen was the perfect choice for Mr. Darcy. And the music…just beautiful. I saw the movie, read the book, then watched the movie again and again and again…I will always picture in my mind Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy.
I loved this movie too!
I like this movie too! I annoyed all my BBC miniseries-loving friends by liking MacFadyen better than Colin Firth, and Keira Knightley better than Jennifer Ehle. (Was it just me or was Ehle kind of…bland?)
Oddly enough I re-watched this movie last night when I couldn’t sleep. I enjoy it too. MacFadyen is very close to how I picture Darcy. I’ve never seen the BBC adaption, bur Colin Firth just isnt Darcyish to me.
I almost completely love this adaptation especially MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy, didn’t really care all that much for Knightley as Elizabeth, though she was fine
I do also love those little details, as you mention, the hand gesture and also MacFadyen’s eyes are quite appealing and certainly not so bad to look at
I like that they change the setting for the proposal to a rainy exterior instead of inside one the houses – it certainly adds drama plus it adds urgency to the scene since Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are sort of in a screaming match
I recently just finished reading this book for the first time and have been wanting to watch a movie version, just didn’t know which one. Now I know!! Thanks!!
Absolutely agree with you and this is one of my favorite movies!! The hand flinch was one of the BEST parts in the movie by far. I found your blog through the Kindle giveaway and have been enjoying your newsletters and book reviews. You have a very nice blog.
I am doing a project for one of my classes on Pride and Prejudice the movie and I was wondering if anyone else noticed the importance of Darcy’s hands in the film. I know this sounds ridiculous, but there is the part where she takes his hand as she steps in to the carriage. When she appears at Pemberly right before they cut to the scene of her walking by ruins we see his empty hand. In the end Elizabeth makes a comment about how his hands are cold. I was told if it appears more than three times in a film the director has a reason… What do the images of his hand mean. Like hand in marriage??? Any ideas would be amazing because I’m at a loss.