Pride & Prejudice 1995 Darcy's Gentler Side

I also love that we only see small, closed-mouth smiles from Darcy up until after his wedding to Elizabeth. There, I can imagine the director saying, "Alright Colin, now you can grin to your heart's content!" He's so happy there. And he really does have a beautiful full-on smile.

I also think that moment when Lizzy and Darcy are looking at each other when G is playing the piano was special because when G heard them talking about Wickham she messed up and Lizzy protected her by claiming it was her fault because she had forgotten to turn the page for her, Darcy then realized she had protected his sister and her smile let him know she believed him.

In the scene at Pemberley when Caroline makes the Wickham comment, Elizabeth deflects it and immediately returns to Georgiana as if to shield her; I feel that simple sisterly act helps solidify
Darcy’s feelings for Lizzie in the way she instinctively protects his sister. It shows she can be trusted with Georgiana and with family secrets. His relief, thanks, and love are right there in his eyes.

There is only one other moment I should like to call out, but it does not show a lighter side of Darcy except to show further that he is human. I feel that many watch the famous first proposal scene and only notice the anger Darcy portrays, and perhaps I could be wrong and others have noticed too, but Firth gives such a beautiful performance in that there are small moments where I believe you can almost visually see Lizzie's words cutting him deeply. I think of these moments as Darcy with his puppy dog eyes. He genuinely seems hurt by what she has said, but it is so subtle, masked by the anger. Yes at one point he faces away and leans against the mantel to easily show his agitation and frustration, but when he faces the camera I believe I can surmise a slight mist in his eyes and for a couple brief moments before he responds to her refusal, he looks as if he may be about to cry. Refusal was the last thing he expected to hear, and I believe you can see the moment where it sinks in, and then again when she explains her reasoning. I believe two things are happening in his mind alongside the anger, one that he has discovered how much he hurt his friend Bingley by misreading Jane's behavior, and secondly that he hurt Elizabeth by extension, and the anger is not only at her refusal but that his own actions are the cause to her denying him. I believe his anger is two-fold, both at hearing no and at himself. At times I re-watch with this in mind, and it affects my viewing so much that I believe you can see a layer deeper into Darcy's actions throughout the rest of the story. An example would be when he is saying "I shall conquer this. I shall." The words take on a double entendre: that he shall conquer his love for Elizabeth and reconcile himself to her refusal, but that he shall conquer his guilt and embarrassment as well. It all leads to those famous lines in the second proposal "...had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner. You know not how those words have tortured me." I believe this is his true admission of guilt, and not the letter itself, as well as his admission that he has been trying to do better. The truth we all know is that he actually didn't need to change much at all, but simply to be more open and honest and revealing of his true self, most especially to Lizzie. This is why the scenes at Pemberly are so satisfying, because it is the first time we truly see Darcy as he really is through Lizzie's eyes. The fact that the acting in this series was so masterful that here we are so many years later scouring the footage for details and analyzing it to this point is beyond any compliment I could give, it speaks for itself. Yet none of this is possible without the masterpiece that Austen wrote.

One of the comments to which you referred mentioned Lizzy's "Sharp Tongue." The commenter misspoke. Elizabeth has a sharp wit, but her tongue is quite mild. Austen makes it clear that all her comments are said with such a sweetness that no one can take offense. This is where Keira Knightley's portrayal of Elizabeth completely misses the mark. Her Elizabeth indeed has a sharp tongue and gives offense. She misses Lizzy's charm completely. Ehle is brilliant.

The main thing I love about this adaptation is the undercurrent of passion throughout. Wonderful.

The scene with Georgiana, the hug was not perfunctory. Not a quick hug of her shoulders and a pat but he cradles her head against his shoulder. It was a comforting, loving gesture.

I love the scene where Darcy is comforting Georgiana like the loving brother that he is. It shows his tender side.

I also enjoy watching Darcy hold Lizzie's hand as he is listening to her explain why she is upset.

I had no complaints about the other video. Where a thing is not explicitly stated, it’s subject to interpretation. I appreciate both views of Darcy’s look after she confirms that indeed, she walked… but I offer a third. I thought he looked faintly embarrassed. He asks if she came on foot, she responds with a gentle form of “I mean… yeah… obviously… you just saw me walk up,” and for a moment he thinks, “Right. Stupid question…” accompanied by a slightly pained expression. Then he recovers and tries to look a bit more competent. It’s very human and rather humble.

I like exploring his gentler nature. I remember this subject coming up when I found out a new friend had enjoyed this version herself. We discussed an article I read in which the author had assumed women fell in love with Colin Firth in this adaptation because of his oh so sexy exit from the pond looking like a drowned rat. I guess the soggy shirt was supposed to have made us swoon. Some might enjoy that but it’s a bit of a red herring. It seems like the cause because of its proximity to the truth.

The truth of it was that the scene showed a humbler view of Mr. Darcy. In walking up to the house in this unkempt state and seeing the girl he loved looking at him, his pride could not really cover anything. He was entirely thrown off of his usual stoicism and his feelings were plainly visible. Follow that with him leaping inside to dress and gallop down to catch her before she left, his hair still wet and sloppy and his face bright and eager, and then his frank delight in knowing she liked the house that he hoped to make her mistress of, and there’s really no resisting him. In fact, I hadn’t considered him handsome on first viewing until his expressions made him so. This was the first thing I saw him in and he just seemed stiff and unappealing… until he chose to look otherwise. Honestly, I came away most impressed with Colin Firth’s acting.

When Darcy and Elizabeth are sparring over the piano at Rosings, and Lady C rudely interrupts. Darcy’s intent and engaged gaze suddenly freezes and his eyes almost imperceptibly roll upward. That is one of my favorite moments.

I noticed tears welling up in his eyes after Elizabeth's affirmative answer. he tried to hide them. I think that's why she started to move on. she was so discreet!

I always thought the look in the corridor had to do with the memory of the unspoken interaction with Elizabeth in the piano scene, and had nothing to do with Caroline. The piano scene is one of the best love scenes I've ever seen.

When Lizzy says her feelings are quite the opposite the look on Darcy's face says "Thank you God. She wants me as I want her." He was relieved because he was afraid she might turn him down again, although deep down I think by this point he knew she loved him back, but... he was still clearly a ball of nerves and her admission of love lifted a weight off of him instantly. He breathed a sigh of sweet relief. Darcy is a stoic, masculine man but he's a sweetheart deep down and Lizzy has his heart.

The scene were Darcy claims to find Lizzy tolerable... when she walks by, Darcy looks so shy and a touch wounded..it makes me giggle

Thank you for these sharp observations. To me the most pivotal part of the whole series begins with Darcy meeting Elizabeth after his swim in the pond. Both are taken completely aback by the unexpected appearance of the other, Elizabeth especially, by the "not quite so formally attired" Darcy that she looks over in amusement. This scene opens us to Darcy's vulnerable side which is then further amplified by his repeatedly asking Elizabeth about the health of her parents, to which she responds with a chuckle. We also see this vulnerability in the hesitant way he invites Elizabeth to meet Georgiana. Finally, if you look at his facial expression in saying goodbye to Elizabeth and Gardeners and declaring his hope that they will see each other again soon, there is nothing of pride or standoffishness, just a wishful longing that this parting will soon be followed by a subsequent meeting. The whole sequence culminates with Elizabeth looking fondly back at this now vulnerable and yet hopeful man receding from view. From that moment on, we know the tide has turned for both of them.

Pride and Prejudice is such a masterpiece. The characters, the dialogues, the way it deals with very serious matters and has such comedic moments, at the same time...I don't think, I'll ever get tired of it.
Jane Austen was a great study of human nature. There are no two people, who relate to each other or treat each other in the same way. Every relationship is unique and beautifully fleshed out. I do love, that the friendships between Darcy and Bingley and Elizabeth and Charlotte are real relationships. They feel real and serve a point in the development of the story and the characters. The side characters may be side characters, but they are very much not unimportant.
And Darcy's 'Mona Lisa' like 'almost a smile' certainly helps to make and keep his character interesting. Colin Firth plays him so well. I don't know if it was intentional, but the fact that he isn't easy to read at times works perfectly. Every viewer can and should interpret his 'smile' the way they want. There is no right or wrong interpretation, necessarily, since we aren't told the story from his point of view. We'll never know, what he thinks about Elizabeth and her muddy hems....but gosh, is it fun to speculate!

I love that in the 1995 version, all of the actors played their characters with such perfect nuances that it made each character interesting and complex, even the “annoying” ones. I always thought Darcy was incredibly tender, and playful inside, but restrained it. That’s one of the reasons that he finds Elizabeth so attractive, she has an incredible wit, mixed with a bit of cheeky naughtiness that matches his own sense of humor.
I think that this “hidden” side of Darcy is why so many people love his character, and the subtle reveal of it by Firth’s portrayal is the closest to the book. (And more masterful in my opinion.) Thank you for your insights!

One of the purest joys of this version (for me, the ONLY one) of "Pride And Prejudice" is watching, with fascination, the intricate subtleties of Colin Firth's superlative performance as Mr Darcy. You have to pay attention, you have to watch him with care, or you might miss something.....something very important in what's going on, you have to learn to read him, to really see him, to understand him. In the intricate code of behavior in that society, in its time, there is so very much that you have to read, and try to understand, and it amazes me in its subtle complexities. For me, Colin Firth's Darcy is the one, the only, the very best of them all. I just got the fully restored bluray edition of this production, and it is one of the true jewels of my film collection. You have to pay attention in watching it, you have to understand what's happening, you have to come to know these wonderful characters, their time, their culture, their social rules, their ways, and use that framework to truly appreciate and understand these fascinating characters, what's going on. I love the book, I love this production of it. For me, there is no other. Thank you!

I think my favorite scene in the film is at Netherfield after Darcy emerges from his bath and looks out the window down to see Elizabeth playing with the dog on the lawn (is it his dog or Bingley’s? I’ve always pondered this) The look of pure adoration on Colin’s face is just exquisitely portrayed. His soul is bared, he’s vulnerable and you know at that point he’s lost.

I always disliked that they froze the kiss too soon at the end! 😂