Yet another one!

I thought I had seen all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I hadn't. Hiding in our library's database was a Mormon-produced modernized version that looked—well, it was Pride and Prejudice!!! How else could it look but interesting?

It was cute, fun, almost clean, and low budget. It also held pretty closely to the storyline, and was quite reverent towards Miss Austen. What do I mean by reverent? All the names are the same as the book, even Fitzwilliam and Kitty, even though the movie is modernized. (Georgiana is changed to Euphemia-Anna, and known as Anna, while Fitzwilliam is known as Will, but it was nice to see the original names at least mentioned) Lizzy attends a class on Jane Austen, visits Chatsworth (Pemberley in the new P&P), and looks at a portrait of Austen; Lydia has a pet Pug (a nod to Mansfield Park) named Austen; an important restaurant is named Rosings, and almost every scene starts with a quote from the original novel (to hilarious effect; "Those who never complain are never pitied" is used right before Lizzy rants about Darcy).

The story is simplified, of course, and it is a lot more of a girl's movie than other adaptations. Mostly because the five main girls are no longer all sisters, but renting a house together voluntarily. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are nowhere to be seen, and neither are Lady Catherine de Bourgh and most of the other minor characters. But you don't miss them. This movie works quite well without them.

In this version, life is a little simpler for women. They are no longer out hunting for husbands—that is, other than Kitty and Lydia. But Jane and Lizzy are quite content in their lives...until Charles Bingley and Will Darcy show up. It's interesting that the very arrogant Will Darcy in Bride and Prejudice (which I greatly enjoyed) was an American in India, but this Will Darcy is a snobby Englishman in America. Bingley is adorably dumb but nice, Jane is Argentinian and a little too sweet, Lydia is bossily annoying (but reforms at the end), Anna (Georgiana) is wonderfully nice and sweet (though not shy), and Lizzy is—well, not especially Lizzy-ish. She's outspoken and a little hasty, but not very witty. I did enjoy her daydreams about throwing books at Mr. Collins, and splashing Darcy with her cup of water after he "insults" her.

Because it's produced by Mormons, there is a nice religious feel. Mary tells Lydia that her outfit is "not appropriate for church", says that "Everything I need to know is in the Scriptures!", and Lizzy chides Kitty and Lydia for listening to rap music "on the Sabbath". When categorizing Bingley's virtues, Jane says: "He is the kindest, gentlest, most spiritual man I have ever met!" (he owns an orphanage in Brazil); and when Wickham asks Lizzy if she intends on marrying, she responds: "Marriage is very sacred, important, and very final. I don't think I'm ready for it." How often do we hear that in a contemporary movie?

Like most P&P adaptations, it tells the story from Lizzy's point of view, and therefore leaves Darcy mostly out of the picture. This makes the usual problem. Because of his limited screen time, every screenplay writer feels that they have to make Darcy "nicer", otherwise the audiences won't fall for him. Grrrrrrrr. These writers have obviously never heard of the multiple book-Darcy fanclubs. I do not like these nicened Darcys. This modern version is snobby, but hardly proud, and introverted, but not reserved. I did like the "Netherfield Ball" scene where he hides off in the garage to read rather than socialize, but other than that, he's not that proud. Like all but one of the other adaptations, the "Pemberley" scene (which was great in this version, btw) is all about Lizzy getting over her prejudice, not about Darcy being hospitable and kind.


Where is the real Darcy?

Let's run over the past ones, shall we?


First there was Laurence Olivier in 1940. This Darcy was snobby, which is much different than proud. Book-Darcy may have known he was rich, and he may have been perfectionistic about character, but he was not snobby. He was also not flirty. LO is. Yuck.

Next was David Rintoul in 1980. Here was a Darcy that wasn't nicened, at least! He also had no emotion (other than a brief smile at Pemberley) and walked like a robot. Nope. The book-Darcy smiled no less than 10 times and was very full of emotion.

Then there is the much-hailed Colin Firth in 1995. He had the arrogance, but a little over the top, and a bitterness and anger to many of his speeches that just didn't fit. I suppose he wasn't nicened up, but 1 smile and a angry look all the time is just not Darcyish.

After him would come the 2003 version that is the subject of this post, where Darcy was played by Orlando Seale. Too charming. He gets two "first proposals". One is where he asks Lizzy out to dinner, and says that her "friends are an embarrassment" and that she's "disorganized". But when she simply refuses, he walks off with a shyness attack and a quiet "Ok". The real showdown is when he is revealed as the head of the publishing company that Lizzy hopes will publish her book. He criticizes the book, she gets very mad, he doesn't say anything, and writes a very conciliatory email. Nope, not book-Darcy.

Then is Martin Henderson of Bride and Prejudice (2004). He's arrogant all right, but never very dislikable, and far too charming before his first proposal. Not reserved, either.

My favorite Darcy is the most recent, Matthew Macfadyen. Unfortunately, he too is nicened, and is given insecurity along with his pride (although some of his scenes work very well).

I've also read A. A. Milne's play version of P&P. This Darcy is the worst. He is given many extra lines that are way too cutting or witty or charming (more Henry Tilney than Darcy).


*long sigh* I want to see the real Darcy. I want the pride, the reserve, the lack of charm, the intelligence, the kindness, the smiles and the seriousness, the inner goodness, and the change of manner when he realizes his mistakes. Will he ever be realized? Will a screen writer ever have the guts to give us a person who is only charming after he changes? Will it ever be really Pride and Prejudice instead of just Prejudice?

Or, will I just have to write a movie of P&P from Darcy's point of view. Hmm...now that would be interesting. Instead of Pride and Prejudice being about Lizzy's prejudice (with Darcy's pride as a side plot), Darcy's Pride would be mostly pride with Lizzy's prejudice as a subplot. We could see Darcy's childhood with Wickham and Georgiana, and how he was "almost taught" to be contemptuous of people beneath him, and the way he handled taking charge of Pemberley at a young age. Also his relations with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Charles Bingley, and the further encounters with Wickham. Some movies are about a nice guy who doesn't gets what he deserves (It's a Wonderful Life). Some are about unpleasant people who end up learning a lesson (Gone With the Wind). Darcy's Pride would be sort of both. After all, Darcy is a really good man, but he does have many things to learn. And that would be the focus. Instead of feeling sorry for Lizzy when he first proposes, we would be wincing at our hero exposing his faults so completely, and watching anxiously to see if he learns anything. Watching a man overcome his faults and become worthy of the woman he loves might end up being more interesting than seeing another form of Lizzy's prejudice. I'd go to see it.