I'm watching the 1980 adaptation of P&P that Amy Patterson mentioned in her Gala talk as including one of the most faithful portrayals of the Darcy character (puh-puh-puh-poker faced David Rintoul). The scene when Mrs. Bennet finds out Mr. Collins is engaged is ah-may-zing. She reminds me of Miss Piggy in A Muppets Christmas Carol.
And in searching for the date for this movie (series?), I read this post talking about a new movie called Longbourn, which tells the story from the servants' point of view. It's based on a book by Jo Baker, who says that if she had lived in Austen's time she wouldn't have been going to the ball, she'd be home sewing. Servants remain invisible in Austen's literature, as far as I know, so this must bring a new perspective. As long as it isn't just a Downstairs/Abbey sort of thing.
But back to P&P: Though some of the acting is just atrocious (Mr. Collins--seriously?) I am totally charmed by Elizabeth Garvie's portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet, and it is fun to see the story externalized. There are some things I could not have pictured, and so it's helpful to see in film. Like how dark it was at night, and how frizzy their hair was, but how lovely they still are.
Actually I prefer this Mr Collins. He's such a FOOL. :) The 1995 one is a creep, and that just bugs me.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'm saying I prefer this Mr Collins to another one - that's the problem - when there are different versions it becomes less about whether a certain portrayal is *good* and more about whether it's *better* than another one. :)