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"Bride and Prejudice," the
new Bollywood take on Jane Austen's classic "Pride and Prejudice,"
has a lot going for it.
It has big, bold colors. There's singing and
dancing. And it stars the world's most beautiful woman (for today,
at least).
But, for many of us, all the splendor and beauty
goes for naught because there is only one Mr. Darcy - British actor
Colin Firth. So instead of heading to the movies to see "Bride and
Prejudice," I pulled out my DVD boxed set of the 1996 BBC production
of "Pride and Prejudice" ($39.99, A&E Home Video) that aired here as
an A&E miniseries and remains the network's most popular program.
I've been a fan of Firth's since his first movie,
"Another Country," and have watched a long list of his great
performances including "Valmont," "A Circle of Friends,"
"Shakespeare in Love," "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and "Love
Actually," among others. But there is just something extraordinary
about his portrayal of Mr. Darcy.
To oversimplify Austen's beautiful and humorous
1813 novel, it's the story of two headstrong people from different
classes and backgrounds - Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy - who
fight their mutual attraction for each other.
The Darcy character is complex: He's proud,
arrogant, often brusque and even displays "shocking rudeness." In
fact, he's just plain not likable. "He is such a disagreeable man
that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him," Elizabeth's
mother says.
Yet Firth's performance makes us want to be
liked by Darcy.
He allows us to see an appealing air of
vulnerability that cuts through his aloofness. We watch as his Darcy
quietly takes in everything around him, baring his reactions almost
imperceptibly with a quick flutter of the eyes or slight shake of
his head.
He scowls relentlessly, but his super-seriousness
nature only makes us wonder what's really going on beneath that icy
exterior. Perhaps it's the way Firth holds his head so high, yet
lets his eyes wander and burrow into Elizabeth. Who wouldn't want to
be so intently gazed upon - even if it's accompanied by a scowl?
And the movie needs only an intense look or touch
from Firth for this remarkably chaste film to become sensual. Take
note, for instance, on how absorbed he is when watching Elizabeth
play the piano. Or when he dives into a lake to cool down and
emerges fully clothed, to basically take Elizabeth's - and our -
breath away.
To be honest, Firth is quite attractive. So to
have him portray one of those darkly handsome and brooding
Brontesque romantic heroes is an irresistible piece of casting.
Even if you're unfamiliar with Austen's story or
its many film adaptations, you may still be aware of another
Darcy-Firth connection thanks to the success of both the book and
film adaptation of "Bridget Jones's Diary." After seeing the
miniseries, author Helen Fielding says she "fell in love with his
Mr. Darcy." She named Bridget's "Mr. Right" Mark Darcy and even
described him to look like Firth. Still, she says, "In my wildest
dreams, I never thought he would actually play Darcy in the movie.
But a girl can dream."
And we do dream of our own Darcy - but darn if
he doesn't always have Colin Firth's face.
- Toni Ruberto |
