Drat! Foiled again!
Baldrick Dorothy, our cunning plan to poison the minds of America against P&P3 clearly did not succeed, as it pulled in an impressive $2.8 million at the box office this weekend despite being on only 215 screens nationwide. Damn you! Damn you all to hell!
For those of you in the U.K. whose diet is a trifle cheese-deficient, there’s an online petition demanding the Return of the Snog, at least for the DVD. The BBC says the scene was taken out because the British test audiences hated it. USAToday reports what the Evil Editrix heard from several independent sources but scrupled to post previously as she thought it a bit inflammatory: many in the audience at the JASNA AGM laughed out loud at the scene. (Thanks to Alert Janeites Lorraine and Sumita for the links.)
Clearly we’re just a bunch of purist cranks, so those of you who lurrrved the film, hie yourselves to Rotten Tomatoes, a site that syndicates many film reviews from all over. The current ranking is 91% Fresh. Wallow in the mushy tomato goodness.
And thanks to Alert Janeite Kirsty for sending us a link to so much Darcy you’ll probably pass out from it.
November 14th, 2005 at 10:16 pm
Mags, i loved the movie, yet snickered at its American ending. It looked to poor me like some piece of inept fan-fic the producers wrote, attached to an otherwise fabulous film. No offense to anyone who liked it, it’s for sure a matter of taste. I don’t like champagne either, ’cause it’s too sweet!
It may be of some comfort that Wright himself and at least part of the cast disowned the Mrs Darcy ending.
November 14th, 2005 at 11:50 pm
Adding my 2 cents, I also laughed out loud at the scene. I almost cried “What the…?” Oh, I love Matthew to pieces, and I’m in a serious love-hate relationship with the film, but the ending! Ugh. I could really do without it. A screen full of Matthew smiling would have been a heavenly ending for me.
November 15th, 2005 at 12:54 am
That article linked at the end of this post was fabulous. The importance of being Darcy. So much Firth. heh
I enjoyed the film, just hated it whenever they deviated away from Jane’s dialogue. Even my non-P&P educated friends said it got cheesy at parts, which I attribute all to the terribly written screenplay. It’s a good introduction to P&P when one is not willing to sit through 5 hours of Firthiness or take the time to actually read.
November 15th, 2005 at 9:22 am
Heh, I guess I’m alone in this, but I really liked the ending! We never get to see the two together at Pemberley in the movies. Yes, it may have been a bit cheesy, but good GAWD, at least we got to see Matthew MacFadyen half-undressed.
November 15th, 2005 at 9:34 am
I wouldn’t have minded a little canoodling and/or snogging if they had used, say, the “You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less” scene. Wouldn’t that have been SO much better than “my pearl” and “divine goddess?”
November 15th, 2005 at 9:52 am
For those who don’t have the book handy, or who haven’t read it, the dialogue from the scene I mention above:
November 15th, 2005 at 10:28 am
Ah. The dialogue never tires. Thank you, Mags.
November 15th, 2005 at 11:08 am
Yes- it’s beautiful to read this excerpt by JA as well as the Persuasion Letter one *sigh*
November 15th, 2005 at 1:58 pm
Oh, I love, love, LOVE that dialogue. And I’ve always imagined a kiss or two (little tentative ones) sprinkled throughout. Such a wonderful indication of the relationship to come! (SIGH…) Much as I love the ‘95 P&P, I’ve always been upset that they didn’t include this little jem.
November 15th, 2005 at 4:06 pm
I always thought the second proposal in P&P 1995 was terribly prefunctory and unromantic, and there was nothing of Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship afterwards to make up for it. I too would have loved something along the lines of the dialogue quoted above.
Did they really say “my pearl” and “divine goddess” in the current P&P? Ye gods!
November 15th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
To accept the ending with Mr. Bennet is just too abrupt. Even JA gives us a look into the future. After 2 hours of smolder, I wanted to see a little flame. After all, I am a child of my time. However, the scene as it is now reeks of being tacked on. Plus, the scene setup is just plain awkward. Snogging with your knees planted on marble is not my idea of flame. Plus, the dialogue was just plain awful. I liked the idea stated earlier of taking a JA scene and putting in some early on tenative kissng. I am into JA, so no need for fevered bra snapping.
November 15th, 2005 at 6:37 pm
PS
Why on earth do Janeites think snickering at a screening makes on iota of difference to the filmakers? Talk about pride
Why on earth would anyone ever expect a movie to be true to a book? or even try to? As far as faithfulness, this one outshines the 1940 Garson version. I think it is unfair to compare it to the BBC version which had over twice the time to tell the story.
For me, I’ll take my Darcy anyway I can, even watching Bridget Jones sliding down a fireman’s pole.
November 15th, 2005 at 7:27 pm
She was kidding when she said ‘goddess’ and ‘my pearl’! I’m with desta elliott. Any Darcy is better than no Darcy!
November 15th, 2005 at 9:04 pm
Well I have to say the ending was cheesy put I liked it in a way. But you’re right, it would’ve been better if the excerpt above had been used.
Oh well.
November 15th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
Yeah, it was a cheesy ending. But I was ok with it. It certainly would have been better if they’d used some JA dialouge, but at least they didn’t leave us with nothing.
November 15th, 2005 at 11:47 pm
Don’t say it was a cheesy ending! I haven’t seen it yet! The nearest theater is three hours away!!!
November 16th, 2005 at 7:57 am
I read this in the UK Times Newspaper yesterday. It talks about the difference in endings and also mentions that ITV are going to produce Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. Should be interesting!
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14929-1872408,00.html
November 16th, 2005 at 9:46 am
Why on earth would anyone ever expect a movie to be true to a book?
I repeat, for the thousandth time: when the film is advertised as “FROM JANE AUSTEN” then maybe it, you know, should be? Instead of some dreck that would embarrass the lamest and most immature fan fiction writer?
And for the thousandth and first time: my comments about this movie stem only from comparison to the book, not to any previous adaptation.
I agree that the ending would have been too abrupt just after Lizzy leaves her father, but the final scene could have been SO much better.
Imagine Lizzy and Darcy walking arm-in-arm on the lovely grounds of Pemberley, she teasing, he enjoying being teased, (using the words that Jane Austen provided for the purpose, naturally) and then he draws her into his arms for a kiss…and fade out.
It would have been easy to make this film worthy of the work upon which it is based. Very easy. I think that’s why I am so frustrated about it.
November 16th, 2005 at 11:17 am
Oh, to be stuck in an American city where the movie has not yet opened is truly frustrating!!! After reading comments and viewing some clips, I should have known the cinematic world would alter such a perfect story to meet the demands of the popular world (I bet Ms. Austen would be miffed). I have an entire week to wait . . . and wait. I agree with Mags, I believe your fantasized ending would have been lovely; however, it probably wouldn’t have been enough for the American audiences.
November 16th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
Mary, just so you know, some Americans who consider themselves to be devoted Janeites LOVED the ending.
November 16th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
Although I can be a purist, I will probably love the movie AND the ending because I also love American cheese!!!! I guess I’m just bitter and envious because I haven’t gotten to see it yet and all of you have. Is the “chance encounter” at Pemberly as wonderful and heart stopping as in P&P2?
November 16th, 2005 at 3:03 pm
It’s completely different. Without blowing it, I’ll just tell you that it happens indoors. Lizzy gets lost in the house and stumbles upon Georgiana and Darcy.
And I am not the world’s biggest fan of P&P2 (I have loved P&P1 for years), so I cannot speak to its “heart-stopping-ness.”
November 16th, 2005 at 5:21 pm
“‘A man who had felt less might.’”
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. I’d be thrown into silence if a man said that to me…I LOVE that dialogue.
“Imagine Lizzy and Darcy walking arm-in-arm on the lovely grounds of Pemberley, she teasing, he enjoying being teased, (using the words that Jane Austen provided for the purpose, naturally) and then he draws her into his arms for a kiss…and fade out.”
OHH! With that dialogue, that would have been PERFECT. *sighs*
November 16th, 2005 at 6:49 pm
Thanks Mags for reminding us why we LOVE P&P. Reading those words gives me goosebumps.
I feel any adaption of the book, need not necessarily be a carbon copy ,and I thoroughly enjoy all the adaptations as a bit of fun.
We always have the book itself to return to, when we want to feel the emotion that JA’s words deliver.
November 16th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
Can hardly wait to see the film. Indeed, any adaptation would feed my need for more JA. By the way, this is a lovely site, Mags. I’m just sorry it took me so long (and a link from an over-publicized movie) to stumble onto it!
November 17th, 2005 at 5:23 am
I have heard that the “pearl” comment is an in joke - a nod to Keira’s next film. I haven’t seen the last 8 minutes so don’t know what transpired in the infamous US closing scene. The Austin Society is giving Joe Wright publicity he could only dream about. A spokeswoman for the Society appeared on Channel 4 News here (a very serious programme usually) and Sky News also did a piece on “the kiss”. You can see the clips on KeiraWeb.com
November 17th, 2005 at 10:37 pm
if you expected a cunning plan to work…
November 18th, 2005 at 8:50 am
Oh, your cunning plan couldn’t work… honestly, you should have been dishonest… you should have told your readers that this movie is the bloody best movie you’ve ever seen!
So, we would all have been quite suspicious, thinking… is she honest??? Or is it ironical?
Naaaa…. this can’t be true! She’s dishonest and you can always trust an dishonest person to be dishonest!
So we wouldn’t have gone to the cinema…
November 23rd, 2005 at 5:43 pm
hiding the beard and the stones behind her back
We, the rest, haven’t said anything yet!
November 26th, 2005 at 2:24 pm
Phew, I just love this site! No way one can feel like a know it all here, ever.
Just saw the movie for the second time. Re-read the book, just prior, and I am also one of those “watch the BBC version all day long when the mood strikes” kinda gals. You know, it struck me like a lightening bolt that the movie just may send people out to grab. . . the BOOK!
And puleeze, Matthew McF, seemed to me, able to capture the shyness, sadness and vulnerability of Darcy. He was just wonderful in my humble opinion. I admit that I thought he wouldn’t live up to Colin especially after seeing him in “the Reckoning” and MI5. I was soooo impressed with his performance.
Kiera K was lovely and yes, her age being more appropriate was refreshing. Her ability to express the witty and the wounded part of Elizabeth was wonderful. KK seemed to just bring off the feisty and smart Elizabeth that I love dearly.
The ending was a bit cheesy but it felt truer than having it end at the wedding.
You know, I saw it last night at a theater in the East Bay. My sister and I are SF snobs so we pictured the theater empty. It was packed and the audience applauded at the end. There were people of all types, ages, sizes and shapes who were enthralled by Jane Austen. How wonderful is that? Most of the time I leave the theater thinking that dialogue in film will be lost forever. This gave me, for one, hope.
Coming on this site and finding out that they may make Northanger Abbey into a film makes me palpitate. Oh Henry. . . my own personal favorite male character. Persuasion???? Oh be still my heart. Life just doesn’t get any better than reading these factoids.