OK, friends, thanks to two YouTube channels which I shall tell you about below, I have recently done a deep dive on Pride and Prejudice adaptations. (And, incidentally, have also re-read the book.)
And I have to tell you something that will surprise you, so prepare yourselves: the best, definitive Mr. Darcy is NOT Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen or even Laurence Olivier.
No, the definitive Mr. Darcy - up to this point - may, in fact, be a hippie Dutch singer with a comically implausible name.
I know.
I am as shocked as you are.
But, after extensive research, (lots of video watching, ahem) I am convinced this is the Correct View.
So, these are the YouTube channels you really must visit if you're intrigued by this list: Mistress of Pemberley (so much good Austen content here, not just P&P) and Darcyfied.
These are the Pride and Prejudice adaptations recently compiled by the Mistress of Pemberley page for comparison:
OK, my fondness for old black and white movies (which, according to my eight year old nephew, is one of the things you should know about me) may be blinding me here. But honestly, it's lovely and light.
The costumes are over the top and not at all Austen correct (Gone with the Wind ate up all of Hollywood's costume budget, I think. Some of these are obviously re-used from other films). But Olivier makes a compelling Darcy and Garson is, perhaps, my favorite Elizabeth. She's witty and fun and, obviously, beautiful.
If you haven't seen it in a while, do re-watch it. It's charming on its own merits.
2. 1957 Orgoglio e pregiudizio. An Italian version. Frankly, it's amazing that footage of this exists at all. It is...a trip, to say the least. Somehow meets every stereotype I might have had about Italian storytelling.
This Elizabeth Bennet is tolerable, I suppose, but the rest of the cast is, well, not quite up to scratch. (And Mr. Darcy is, in addition to not looking right for the part, called David. Which...what?!)
3. 1961 De vier dochters Bennet. Yes, the Four Daughters Bennet. (Kitty and Mary are kind of smashed up into one daughter here.)
But that change aside, this is remarkably faithful adaptation with some funny intros to the story on the various episodes.
And here is where the improbably named Ramses Shaffy comes into our tale. Apparently he was a very successful Dutch singer in the 70's (and lived a lifestyle of drink, drugs, and so on during that time) but he also did some acting. And he is SUPERB in this.
He is tall, handsome, slightly rude at the beginning, genuinely surprised when Elizabeth does not accept his first proposal (and, if I may say so, heartbreaking at that moment as well), and makes every scene that he's in interesting.
The supporting cast is good, too: I particularly enjoyed this version of Bingley, although Elizabeth took awhile to grow on me (by the last episode I thought she was great) and Jane is fine but too cute (instead of beautiful and serene like she ought to be). Shows the constraints of the time (as far as sets, costumes, etc. and the occasional trip over someone's line, such as you might find in a live theater version) but it's charming enough despite these drawbacks.
Anyway, this version anticipates 1995 because it actually shows Darcy being heroic, "rescuing" Lydia, and whatnot. I am low-key obsessed with it and do not care to check my stats as to how many times I have watched either certain scenes or the entire thing on YouTube. I wish I had it on a DVD. (I know the story so well I can watch without subtitles. Which is fun because now my kids are convinced I speak Dutch.) The story is adapted and squeezed a bit (due to constraints of television at the time) and the end is slightly over the top but in a good way.
It makes me happy.
4. 1967, the first BBC adaptation to survive. (There were earlier efforts, but still photos are all that remain. These include one, apparently, where Peter Cushing - Grand Moff Tarkin! - was Darcy. I love a crossover as much as the next girl but this Austen / Star Wars mashup would NOT work for me.)
This version has a somewhat Debbie Reynolds type as Elizabeth Bennet and an awkward Dr. Who type as Mr. Darcy. But a lot of the lines are straight from the book and it does have some moments of charm. The Darcy and Elizabeth are so off though, it just doesn't work for me overall. (And the supporting cast isn't all that great either.)
Rintoul is a rather severe Darcy. In my opinion, he's not quite handsome or winsome enough to explain why Elizabeth Bennet falls in love with him. He's just...around sometimes. (And has a big, beautiful house.)
Garvie as Elizabeth is excellent though. And this Jane is lovely. (Bingley is OK here but Mr. Bennet is mean instead of humorous. Judy Parfitt as Lady Catherine is perfect casting. Wickham is meh and Mr. Collins isn't quite cringe inducing enough.)
This particular version does take time to show some scenes that other adaptations skip (like Darcy coming to dinner when Elizabeth can't get a chance to him to talk to him. I wish more versions included this!) but the end feels abrupt. (No kiss or anything!)
Colin Firth is, well, Colin Firth. He's proud and aloof when he needs to be and heart breaking when he needs to be. (Which means this version of Wickham is just not quite good enough. It makes Elizabeth Bennet look particularly stupid to prefer this Wickham over this Darcy. I mean, is she BLIND? Not to mention hard of hearing and ignorant?)
I find Jennifer Ehle a good Elizabeth, though perhaps not quite as good as Elizabeth Garvie, but this supporting cast is stellar. (Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, Jane, Bingley, Miss Bingley, Lady Catherine, Col. Fitzwilliam, etc. are all very good. Just a picture of this Mr. Collins makes me shudder so, you know, well done all the way 'round.)
Truly rises above the rest because it takes the time to round out the story. (Obviously, this is the benefit of a miniseries over a movie.) And the budget for sets and costumes is obviously more than adequate.
Moreover, Keira Knightley is just not Elizabeth Bennet to me. Wrinkling your nose and biting your lip is not enough to develop a strong female character.
The liberties this takes with Jane Austen's dialog and text are painful, though I do appreciate the symbolism and gorgeous cinematography. (And the amazing soundtrack which I listen to often.)
The supporting cast is OK but not great (Jane is meh, Bingley is meh, Judy Dench is wonderful as ever, but calling on the Bennets in the middle of the night? I don't think so. Also, I don't like Donald Sutherland as an actor, ever, so his Mr. Bennet just grates on my nerves.)
But of course, nothing beats the book.
Whenever I re-read it, I discover something new. And I appreciate each of these adaptations for bringing little moments or lines of dialog to life. Because in the end, the story is more than all of them combined.
All that, and it's not even my favorite Austen novel!
I am so thankful for the genius behind these stories. And I think it's about time for another adaptation...
