Anghraine

An anon said:

One of my biggest issues with 1995 P&P is that both Darcy and Elizabeth look too old. David Rintoul's Darcy was definitely too robotic for my tastes but I definitely got "young and fashionable" vibes from him.

I replied:

It’s not one of my biggest, in that there are a lot of other things that bother me more, but it does bug me, can’t lie. Just about everyone seems 5-10 years older than they should.

It definitely contrasts with the 2005 and 1980, where IIRC the ages are kind of all over the place, so some are spot-on or nearly so, and others are wayyyy off. If I recall correctly, the 1995 is more consistent but also almost always ‘off’ in that 5-10 year range.

I know this seems trivial to some people, but I think the ages do matter to their backgrounds and developments and general characterizations. Not just the young ones, either—Mrs Bennet would be barely middle-aged and Mrs Gardiner is almost certainly in her 30s. That affects the impression they give (to the audience and to the other characters) and their own experiences and personalities and dynamics with other people.

And I do think that Garvie and Knightley come across as early 20-somethings where other Elizabeths have a certain … hm, air of maturity about them that doesn’t fully work for me. Meanwhile, Darcy is literally introduced as a “young man,” is still in his 20s, and (like Elizabeth) has a character arc that rests on brand! new! experiences! And I think that the adaptations generally are—not interested in getting that across with him. But the 1995 is especially uninterested in that aspect IMO, so generally speaking, I’m with you there.

(I also agree that Rintoul is too far on the robotic end, but does come across as fashionable! It’s an interesting choice, because at first, Darcy seems to simultaneously resent ‘the world’ [i.e. the fashionable world] while also being judgy about people not being part of it. He’s not a fop by any means, but he is part of a certain world, and the ways in which he doesn’t fit aren’t visible, sometimes even to him.)

An anon asked:

Piggybacking off the Harker discussion, which Darcy actor best matches the standards of handsomeness of the time?

I replied:

It’s hard to say, tbh—they all seem really ‘off’ to me.

Tagged: #i'd like to have a more helpful answer but...

An anon asked:

Which movie adaptation of P&P do you like the best?

I replied:

Probably the 2005, for all its questionable choices as an adaptation. The 1940 is a procession of wtf (a charming one, but still) and Bride and Prejudice is cute but has a terrible Darcy. The LDS P&P is fine for what it is but meh. I never watched P&P&Z and have no regrets about that choice, lol. I’m trying to think of others … nothing really comes to mind.

(If you mean cinematic adaptations generally and not just movies as such, my answer would change to the 1980 P&P mini-series.)

An anon said:

Your mention of how P&P adaptations tend to lean toward making Elizabeth an introvert makes me curious. What do you think of the various adaptations' portrayals of Elizabeth? I remember you've said your favorite is Elizabeth Garvie in the 1980 BBC version, but what are your opinions on Jennifer Ehle, Kiera Knightley, Greer Garson and others? And what do you think tends to be most "off" about screen portrayals of Elizabeth compared to Austen's version?

I replied:

Hmm. At this point, it’s been a pretty long while since I watched any of them (thanks, grad school), but my overall impressions:

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I have a gazillion icons, but only made a few of them personally. But I thought I would share the ones that I did make!

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