Colin Firth, as mentioned in the last post, is the standard against which other Mr. Darcys are measured. One of the most famous moments in Jane Austen film is the following clip. It's not actually in the book, but the suggestion of Mr. Firth stripping down and getting wet is a very subtle way of sexing the book up. (I say subtle cuz other directors for Jane movies, such as Mansfield Park, have gone overboard with trying to make things sexier and have ruined everything). Here it is:
But a few months ago I received an Austen adaptation through Netflix called Lost in Austen. Amanda Price is your normal, average Jane Austen fan who is dealing with a rather insensitive boyfriend and who has read Pride and Prejudice so many times that she knows the characters intimately and her copy looks like it is about to fall apart. Perfectly normal. Then one night she hears a noise and finds Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom, having traveled through a time/reality portal in the wall behind Amanda's tub. Also perfectly normal. So Amanda tests the portal, and finds herself in the world of the novel. Elizabeth shuts the wall/door, leaving Amanda in Pride and Prejudice and Elizabeth in modern day London. In this world, Elliot Cowan is Mr. Darcy. Of course I wasn't prepared to admit that he was the character, since that title belongs to Colin Firth. But about halfway through I started accepting him as Mr. Darcy, at first reluctantly. But Amanda, being a true Pride and Prejudice fan, is very much aware of one of our favorite moments in Jane Austen film. So she asks him for a favor, and after this moment Elliot Cowan is truly a contender for the Mr. Darcy crown. And I had to shut my mouth, which had fallen open. Here's the clip. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment