I'm not really one to defend PP2 because I think the movie had problems. It also created incidents that did not happen in the book in order to further the notion of Darcy's interest in Elizabeth, to wit, the way he rises from the water and greets her at Pemberley instead of the book version where he runs into her and her relatives at the stables (and we assume Austen meant him to be dry though maybe a little sweaty from his ride.; and the way we see him vigorously swinging his sword in his effort to overcome his fascination with Elizabeth. Neither of these movie moments were in the book.
But that said, I still think PP2 did a good job of capturing Austen's intent. The places in the book that Lisa mentions as evidence of Darcy's niceness and interest in Elizabeth were in the movie. We see him commenting to Caroline about Elizabeth's fine eyes at the Lucases' houseparty, and we see him refusing to join in with Caroline's criticism when Elizabeth arrives with heightened color after her walk to Netherfield--we know in the movie he liked what he saw. What we do not know then is how far his liking goes. But then we see him in the movie at the Netherfield Ball asking her to dance and bearing her hardly veiled criticisms of him. If we had never read the book and did not know the story, we would have to think at this point, he likes her and she does not see it. Do we as viewers like him at that moment?
Probably not. But we are not supposed to, I think. Not even when he asks her to marry him. In fact, a joy of the story both in the movie and the book is our feeling as viewer/reader that yes, we were right, he did like her and we're still not sure whether that is a good thing. Certainly, he is wealthy and can take care of her. But is he a nice man?
We don't know any sooner than she does. She sees him at Pemberley and then she sees what he does for her sister. But, please note, too, that in the PP2 before she sees him in his fabulously (!!!) wet shirt, we see her looking at his portrait in the family gallery. Her gaze is caught by his image. We do not hear her thoughts, but we can read in her face the idea that perhaps she should have given this man a second look. In the book, we are more privy to her thoughts than we can be in the movie. A voiceover here would have been intrusive, I think.
In the movie, as in the book, we feel Elizabeth's rush of excitement when she beholds the man in the flesh. The movie has set us up for this.
As others have already said and I repeat, no movie can perfectly duplicate the experience of reading where we each create pictures in our own mind based upon our life and past experiences. For example, if you are a woman of India, your handsome Mr. Darcy may well not look quite like the Mr. Darcy a woman of Norway might imagine. Perhaps many women see a little of themselves in Elizabeth -- or, maybe even a lot, ha! But PP2 does a good job of hitting the main points Austen laid out upon the journey to realize Mr. Darcy is quite something.
If you start by telling us he is quite something (instead of making us wonder is he really stuck up, self-important, dismissive of the unfashionable Elizabeth Bennet), then there is no journey, no surprise, no story.
But that said, I still think PP2 did a good job of capturing Austen's intent. The places in the book that Lisa mentions as evidence of Darcy's niceness and interest in Elizabeth were in the movie. We see him commenting to Caroline about Elizabeth's fine eyes at the Lucases' houseparty, and we see him refusing to join in with Caroline's criticism when Elizabeth arrives with heightened color after her walk to Netherfield--we know in the movie he liked what he saw. What we do not know then is how far his liking goes. But then we see him in the movie at the Netherfield Ball asking her to dance and bearing her hardly veiled criticisms of him. If we had never read the book and did not know the story, we would have to think at this point, he likes her and she does not see it. Do we as viewers like him at that moment?
Probably not. But we are not supposed to, I think. Not even when he asks her to marry him. In fact, a joy of the story both in the movie and the book is our feeling as viewer/reader that yes, we were right, he did like her and we're still not sure whether that is a good thing. Certainly, he is wealthy and can take care of her. But is he a nice man?
We don't know any sooner than she does. She sees him at Pemberley and then she sees what he does for her sister. But, please note, too, that in the PP2 before she sees him in his fabulously (!!!) wet shirt, we see her looking at his portrait in the family gallery. Her gaze is caught by his image. We do not hear her thoughts, but we can read in her face the idea that perhaps she should have given this man a second look. In the book, we are more privy to her thoughts than we can be in the movie. A voiceover here would have been intrusive, I think.
Quote
At last it arrested her -- and she beheld a striking resemblance of Mr. Darcy, with such a smile over the face as she remembered to have sometimes seen, when he looked at her. She stood several minutes before the picture in earnest contemplation, and returned to it again before they quitted the gallery. Mrs. Reynolds informed them that it had been taken in his father's life time.
There was certainly at this moment, in Elizabeth's mind, a more gentle sensation towards the original than she had ever felt in the height of their acquaintance.
In the movie, as in the book, we feel Elizabeth's rush of excitement when she beholds the man in the flesh. The movie has set us up for this.
As others have already said and I repeat, no movie can perfectly duplicate the experience of reading where we each create pictures in our own mind based upon our life and past experiences. For example, if you are a woman of India, your handsome Mr. Darcy may well not look quite like the Mr. Darcy a woman of Norway might imagine. Perhaps many women see a little of themselves in Elizabeth -- or, maybe even a lot, ha! But PP2 does a good job of hitting the main points Austen laid out upon the journey to realize Mr. Darcy is quite something.
If you start by telling us he is quite something (instead of making us wonder is he really stuck up, self-important, dismissive of the unfashionable Elizabeth Bennet), then there is no journey, no surprise, no story.