Husband and I are in the midst of Jane Austen immersion therapy. We enjoyed the older BBC version (1985, without Colin Firth) Pride and Prejudice on Sunday and Monday, and last night we watched the 2005 version with Keira and the MI5 guy. Why can I watch this story over and over again and still get excited when Elizabeth finally accepts that she loves Darcy--that he is the ulitimate honorable man--and then lets him know of her affection. I first experienced P&P at my grandparents' house, with Husband. I believe we watched the colorized Laurence Olivier version. I was completely ignorant of the story (even though I had just graduated from college with a degree in English! Some day I will write a list of all the books I didn't read in college but have since found and enjoyed) and I was absolutely delighted with the storyand the characters and the ridiculous costumes, and frankly I found Sir Laurence very amiable. Then I must have read the story and then saw the 90s BBC version, with the diehard's favorite, Colin Firth. I loved it, loved it, loved it. It is one of my greatest joys that I was able to introduce the story and movie to one of my young friends from church, who had been babysitting for me. When she returned the DVDs we talked about it and I told her my favorite part was when Darcy gets out of his pond and is dripping wet as he comes across a very humbled Elizabeth. Perfect. Her favorite part was when he was in the bath, by the way.
We saw the 2005 version in the theater with my brother and sister and their spouses and my parents. I was prepared to be loyal to Colin, but I was wonover by the beautiful music and the extra dramatic license--how he stands in the rain and confesses he loves her and then how they walk towards each other through the misty dawn and he stumbles with his words as he tells her her loves her again, and then finally the Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy kissing scene at the end... (don't mention it in front of my daughters--they will try to ruin it for you). I know dear Jane didn't put any of that in the book, but hey, it works for me.
Husband puts up with all of this very well. It doesn't hurt him that he's extra handsome and adorable and will share ice cream with me as I'm in raptures over lines like, "She is tolerable , I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me," or "I defy Sir Lucas himself to produce such a fine son-in-law," etc.
Well, Husband requires the use of his computer and unfortunately mine is not working so I must be off.