Darcy on Film: A Conversation with Colin Firth - Sue Birtwhistle and Susie Conklin
- Very difficult for Firth to act in role of Darcy because he had to act but not act: because Darcy is not big with emotion and does not seem to be affected by anything, Firth had to play that ostensibly. However, at the same time, Darcy was internally 'hurt, angry, annoyed, irritated, amused, horrified, and appalled,' so Firth had to work to keep that all on the inside while still conveying the emotions. He never reveals his inner turmoil, which is very difficult for an actor.
- Jane Austen's work is very fluid and she herself created the justifications for the way the characters behave; however, she did not have the 'arrogance' to write them down on paper. She writes the outside behavior in such a logical manner that the inside 'plays.'
- Darcy first becomes interested in and fascinated by Elizabeth right after he insults her to Bingley when she gives him a cheeky look, thus signaling rejection. Darcy is so used to looking at others that way, but he is not used to being looked that way. He immediately notices her out of bewilderment and curiosity, and then becomes increasingly intrigued by her.
- Darcy is bored in life and he has never looked at a woman with 'real eyes.' Firth recalls old saying: "A man who is eligible needs to entertain no one." And then Elizabeth comes along and makes him pursue her (he is used to being pursued himself) and 'gives him a chance to respond.'
- Darcy resents his vulnerability and this makes his behavior very confusing and paradoxical because he is 'pursing and rejecting Elizabeth at the same time.'
- For scheduling purposes, many of the later scenes in which Darcy is nice were shot first, so it was difficult for Firth to work backwards. Also difficult was the proposal scene, which was shot in only the second week of filming. It was extremely nerve-racking not just for Firth, but for everyone involved in the filming because it felt inappropriate to film the scene so early and it required great attention and adrenalin from everybody. Firth approached the scene asking several questions, the main one being, 'How is Elizabeth going to make it difficult for me and how am I going to make it difficult for myself?" Darcy enters the scene very arrogantly with the assumption that Elizabeth would not say anything but yes and that of course, she would want to marry a higher-standing man, so it hurts him and his ego tremendously when she rejects him.
- Darcy's primary flaw is foolishness/silliness. Firth believes his falling is 'foolish, superficial, social snobbery, and that's the bitter lesson he has to learn.' Darcy is fearful of everything outside his immediate experience and for that, he is ignorant.
- Over the course of the novel and the BBC production, Darcy learns to criticize himself. However, he does not know yet how to laugh at himself.
Very interesting post. The article hones in on things I had never really thought about, such as the difficulty of translating Darcy's complexity that is given to us on paper via Jane Austen onto a cinematic format. The proposal scene is a pivotal moment(perhaps the letter scene even more so) in the work, so Firth really did have to completely nail that one. Overall, great job in your summary. Seems like a very interesting article.
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ReplyDeletehe extent that a visual adaptation can alter written work is incredible. I feel as though this BBC production would further emphasize the romantic aspect of the novel. I think this would actually remove and dilute Austen's various social critiques. Also, aside from information in the book's dialogue, we really don't know Darcy's exact emotional state; therefore, it is difficult to create a visual character in accordance with the literary character. Indeed, the writer of this BBC adaptation had to add a lot of personal opinion to create these film personalities.
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