Pride and Prejudice: Take Two

Since Jael and I watched the 1995 BBC version together all in one setting, I think I messed up the last blog post we did on Pride and Prejudice by talking about things that happened in the second half of Pride and Prejudice when technically we weren't supposed to be that far ahead yet so I apologize for that. In that blog I jumped the gun by talking about Elizabeth and the Gardiners first view of Pemberley but since I already discussed that aspect of the movie I won't talk about it again. Instead, I'd like to talk about the way Georgina Darcy is portrayed in this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. In both the novel and in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice the reader/viewer are given preconceived ideas about what Miss Darcy is like. These notions are put into the reader/viewers head mainly through what Caroline Bingley has to say about her. From the information we gather, Miss Darcy is presented to us as a stuck up, haughty girl who has been given anything and everything. While the last part may be true, the viewer is in for quite the shock when we are first introduced to Georgina on screen. Instead of being presented with a stately and snobbish woman like Caroline Bingley, we see a young girl with a gentle face and a shy and quiet temperament. This portrayal of Miss Darcy is almost identical to what I pictured in the novel. I was extremely impressed by the choice of actress and by the acting done by said actress.

Discussion Question:

Mr. Darcy is one of Colin Firth's most well known roles as an actor. Did you like or dislike his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the film? Do you think he did the Mr. Darcy that we see in the novel justice? Why or why not?