What makes Mr. Darcy desirable? (Austen's fans thread)

[Anthea]

I have always hated beards until

NOW

Can Yaman is almost as good as Colin Firth coming out of the lake in his wet shirt



It is a tough choice but Can would win - not through looks alone - through intelligence

Can is a fully qualified practising lawyer - I like a man with a brain and a sense of humour

If a man is not intelligent - cannot cook - does not have a sense of humour - then he is not any good

[Anthea]

WOW

Not only does Can Yaman like chocolate but


HE ENJOYS COOKING

[Anthea]

Twitter user's debate over
who played Mr Darcy best

Which Mr Darcy is YOUR favourite? Furious debate breaks out on Twitter leading Colin Firth fans to fear he was DEAD after his name started trending

Colin Firth played Elizabeth Fitzwilliam Darcy in a BBC TV series adaption in 1995

Matthew Macfadyen portrayed the Pride and Prejudice character in a 2005 film

Twitter users largely suggested that it was Mr Firth who best played Mr Darcy

It's a near-impossible question for most to answer, but Twitter users have been trying their best to work out who portrayed Jane Austin's Mr Darcy better, Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen

British actor Colin played Elizabeth Bennet's love interest Fitzwilliam Darcy in a BBC TV series adaption of Pride and Prejudice in 1995, while Matthew portrayed the character in a 2005 movie opposite Keira Knightley.

And while both were critically acclaimed for their performances at the time, social media users have largely suggested that it is Mr Firth who should come out on top.

The debate was started after a woman from Washington, D.C. asked: 'Important scientific research!

Colin Firth played Elizabeth Fitzwilliam Darcy in a BBC TV series adaption in 1995, right, and Matthew Macfadyen portrayed the Pride and Prejudice character in a 2005 film.

Twitter users have been trying their best to work out who portrayed Jane Austin's Mr Darcy better, Colin or Matthew. The debate was started by a woman from Washington, D.C. (pictured)

'Please respond with your age and preferred Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen). I'll start: 45, Colin Firth.'

One person replied: 'Who's the better Mr Darcy? How is that even a question! #ColinFirth #AllDayEveryDay'

Another said: 'I like them both. Difficult, but for me I think Colin Firth,' as a third wrote: 'He just took a DNA test, turns out he's 100 per cent the one and only Mr Darcy.'

'They are both totally gorgeous but if I was to think of Mr Darcy I guess Colin Firth comes to mind,' another wrote.

However, one person said: 'I adore Colin Firth - but he's not Mr Darcy. The penultimate is and always will be Matthew Macfadyen.'

Social media users have largely suggested that it is Mr Firth who should come out on top as the best Mr Darcy

But some have complained that it is an impossible task to pick between the two British actors

Yet for some fans, seeing Colin's name trending on the social media platform sent them into a terrible fright as they wrongly suspected the actor had died.

'Just freaked out because Colin Firth was trending, thought he might have died. Phew he's fine. It's just a twitter argument over who the better Mr Darcy is,' one worried individual wrote.

Another said: 'Colin Firth trending? Why? Oh. For being himself. Beautiful.'

Since 1995, Colin has become a spy and the King of England, played gay and straight men and portrayed a family man as well as a bachelor.

Yet for some fans, seeing Colin's name trending on the social media platform sent them into a terrible fright as they wrongly suspected the actor had died

Colin's won countless awards, including an Oscar for the King's Speech, yet for many, he will always be Mr Darcy (pictured)

He's won countless awards, including an Oscar for the King's Speech, yet for many, he will always be Mr Darcy.

'I dare say if I did spend my waking hours reading my own fan mail I probably would feel Darcy was following me around,' he once told the Daily Mail. 'But I've got family and friends and children and none of them call me Mr Darcy.'

Previously reacting to the hype, Colin, told the Mirror: ‘I’ve spent years trying to figure out why Mr Darcy’s fully clothed swim in his breeches and shirt caused such a sensation.

'My wife certainly wouldn’t go weak at the knees if I came home in a sodden shirt.’

It would seem plenty of others would, however. The appearance as Mr Darcy has led to the actor featuring on several ‘sexiest man’ lists in recent years.

And People Magazine named him the ‘sexiest man alive’ in 2007

But in 2013, BBC bosses admitted Colin almost missed out on the Pride and Prejudice part because they didn’t think he was handsome enough to be Mr Darcy.

Fortunately for him, they overcame their misgivings and he was cast in what became a career-shaping role.

But while the part made him a household name, he admitted it wasn't always easy being constantly associated with a literary hero.

He said: 'In the years between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones, I don't think there was a single interview in any newspaper that didn't have Darcy in the headline.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... -best.html

[Anthea]

Every Mr Darcy Ranked

Lords and ladies, October 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the day Mr. Darcy first came out of the lake on the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice

Click image to enlarge:


You know exactly what I’m talking about. You may have worn your tapes through replaying it since then, but no one can forget their first time.

To celebrate this momentous day in literary history (I mean), and to be honest with you, because the news is bad and I need something nice to think about instead, I have decided to rank my favorite Darcys, and, when appropriate, re-pair them with more suitable Miss Bennets. Be warned that I cannot be bothered with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. (I’m in my mid-thirties.)

Traditionally, people who click on articles ranking various Mr. Darcys are one of two types: a MacFadyen through the mists person or a Firth in the drink person. Therefore, I must apologize now, as both are tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me. Don’t @ me, Firth-hive.

12. The “Real” Mr. Darcy, according to “Academics,” 2017

I understand the wig bit, but I don’t understand what is so “historically accurate” about that chin. Surely chins have always been varied, and whatever you think about this ranking, “the real” Mr. Darcy’s chin absolutely could have, and should have, and yes, without question did have a little dimple in it.

OTP: I would never.

11. This portrait of a randomer, 1809

According to the curators at Scotland’s National Gallery, Francois-Xavier Fabre’s Portrait of a Man is often likened to Mr. Darcy. The style “fits in perfectly with the fashion and period described in Austen’s novel,” they write. “While there is a partially legible pencil inscription that reads ‘M Camille’, no formal identification of the man in the painting has been made, which perhaps leads the identity of the sitter more open to imaginative interpretation. Indeed, it isn’t just visitors to our Gallery that have come to associate our painting with Darcy—it now appears as the book cover for numerous editions of Pride and Prejudice.” True enough!

OTP: Gotta be this gal, I daresay.

10. Mr. Darcy as life-size cake, 2020

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BBC miniseries, UKTV commissioned cake artist Michelle Wibowo to build a life-size cake in the shape of Colin Firth’s classic Mr. Darcy. It doesn’t quite look like him but hey, it’s edible (Victoria Sponge with vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache and fondant icing on the outside, if you want to know—hopefully not stodgy).

OTP: He could put this Lizzie right in his frosted pocket.

9. Mr. Darcy, portrayed by Soccer, voiced by Larry Brantley, in Wishbone, “Furst Impressions,” 1995

“Mr. Bingley’s rich and incredibly handsome friend, Mr. Darcy, is nervous at parties. So nervous he seems rude.” At least he has a little cheek though. And a little FACE.

OTP: Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel Flush, the other most literary dog I know.

8. Mr. Darcy statue in Serpentine Lake, 2013

The very scene from whence this list gets its raison d’être was also famously immortalized in a 12-foot fiberglass form in London’s Hyde Park, before making a tour of local ponds and winding up in Lyme Park, Cheshire, where the scene was filmed. Unlike Colin Firth, who could win any wet t-shirt contest, the sculpture is not the least bit sexy. (What’s going on with the face?)

It did, however, give . . . rise . . . to such hilarious headlines as “Giant Colin Firth Terrorizes London” and, rather more suggestively, “Huge Statue of Dripping Wet Colin Firth Erected in London Lake.” Points for effort, but there’s no denying that the look on his face says “let me die.”

OTP: He seems pretty at home with those swans.

7. Martin Henderson as Will Darcy, Bride and Prejudice, 2004

Henderson’s looks are about as close as you can get to Ken Darcy . . . and so is his acting.

OTP: This is clearly the Lizzie Bennet for him.

6. David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1980

I’ll be honest with you: I’ve only seen clips of Rintoul’s Darcy, but he seems almost as stiff as Henderson. At least he has the starched shirts to go with it—though despite the period dress there is something unquestionably 80s about him.

OTP: Bone structure wise, I think Greer Garson is the Lizzie for him. Imagine the chins of their children!

5. Matthew Rhys as Mr. Darcy in Death Comes to Pemberley, 2013

Matthew Rhys is kinda always good, in that nervous, swallowing way, but it’s hard to compare spin-offs to straight adaptations, mostly because you can’t compare them scene to scene. However, I will say that casting Matthew Goode as Wickham was really a mistake, because he rather overshadows, in terms of verve. And sex appeal. Still, there’s really not much to dislike about this series; it’s just relatively minor.

OTP: I think he’s matched up perfectly with Anna Maxwell Martin’s Lizzie.

4. Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1940

Olivier is extremely reliable, as actors go, and he’s a perfect, elegant snob as Darcy in the 1940 film, which was the gold standard adaptation until Firth came along in the 90s. I’m actually very fond of this version, particularly the archery scene, which like the lake scene, was imposed on the story by the filmmakers, to excellent effect.

OTP: Honestly, they should have let him cast Vivien Leigh, like he wanted.

3. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1995

Look, I know Firth is the widely accepted Premiere Darcy, and I am breaking with ironclad tradition here. I also understand why. He’s dashing, inscrutable, and he looks great in green. Plus, you get so much more in a miniseries than you do in a feature film. (There’s an argument that this makes it not fair.)

But for me, the choice is not really Firth or MacFadyen or Lake or Mist but Angry Mysterious Guy or Sad Mysterious Guy—so despite my fondness for Firth in all things, I have to rank his period Darcy below MacFadyen’s, the latter (sad mysterious) being my own preference, having myself dated primarily artists and filmmakers before marrying a writer. Plus, on second watching, the whole lake scene is actually . . . not that sexy. Go rewatch it and tell me I’m wrong.

OTP: I say, let Keira Knightley scare the pants off him.

2. Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 2005

Look, there are Firth people and there are MacFadyen people, and I love them both. But while I have no particular love for Keira Knightley’s toothy Lizzie Bennet (indistinguishable from her Elizabeth Swann, might I add), MacFadyen transcends his own mullet to be the sexiest of all the Darcys, if not the most dynamic. The terrible “Mrs. Darcy” thing at the end nearly ruins it, but I’ll be looking past it. (For those of you just joining us . . . yes, that is Tom.)

OTP: Sorry, but the sexiest Mr. Darcy should be blessed with the most attractive Lizzie, and that is clearly Aishwarya Rai.

1. Colin Firth as Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001

See, in the end you got Colin Firth at #1. I’m not a monster. Traditionalists will clutch their pearls, but it’s the age of turtlenecks, baby. Or at least it was, in 2001. Who knows what it’s the age of now. I think part of my love for this Mr. Darcy is that his Lizzie (ie Bridget Jones) is awkward enough to make his awkwardness (ie rudeness) a little more comprehensible, and dare I say, likable.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ever ... obal-en-GB

[Anthea]

This article is especially for Piling

Click Image to Enlarge:


Every Mr. Darcy* Ranked

Lords and ladies, October 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the day Mr. Darcy first came out of the lake on the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You may have worn your tapes through replaying it since then, but no one can forget their first time.

To celebrate this momentous day in literary history (I mean), and to be honest with you, because the news is bad and I need something nice to think about instead, I have decided to rank my favorite Darcys, and, when appropriate, re-pair them with more suitable Miss Bennets. Be warned that I cannot be bothered with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. (I’m in my mid-thirties.)

Traditionally, people who click on articles ranking various Mr. Darcys are one of two types: a MacFadyen through the mists person or a Firth in the drink person. Therefore, I must apologize now, as both are tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me. Don’t @ me, Firth-hive.

12. The “Real” Mr. Darcy, according to “Academics,” 2017

I understand the wig bit, but I don’t understand what is so “historically accurate” about that chin. Surely chins have always been varied, and whatever you think about this ranking, “the real” Mr. Darcy’s chin absolutely could have, and should have, and yes, without question did have a little dimple in it.

11. This portrait of a randomer, 1809

According to the curators at Scotland’s National Gallery, Francois-Xavier Fabre’s Portrait of a Man is often likened to Mr. Darcy. The style “fits in perfectly with the fashion and period described in Austen’s novel,” they write. “While there is a partially legible pencil inscription that reads ‘M Camille’, no formal identification of the man in the painting has been made, which perhaps leads the identity of the sitter more open to imaginative interpretation. Indeed, it isn’t just visitors to our Gallery that have come to associate our painting with Darcy—it now appears as the book cover for numerous editions of Pride and Prejudice.” True enough!

10. Mr. Darcy as life-size cake, 2020

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BBC miniseries, UKTV commissioned cake artist Michelle Wibowo to build a life-size cake in the shape of Colin Firth’s classic Mr. Darcy. It doesn’t quite look like him but hey, it’s edible (Victoria Sponge with vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache and fondant icing on the outside, if you want to know—hopefully not stodgy).

9. Mr. Darcy, portrayed by Soccer, voiced by Larry Brantley, in Wishbone, “Furst Impressions,” 1995

“Mr. Bingley’s rich and incredibly handsome friend, Mr. Darcy, is nervous at parties. So nervous he seems rude.” At least he has a little cheek though. And a little FACE.

8. Mr. Darcy statue in Serpentine Lake, 2013

The very scene from whence this list gets its raison d’être was also famously immortalized in a 12-foot fiberglass form in London’s Hyde Park, before making a tour of local ponds and winding up in Lyme Park, Cheshire, where the scene was filmed. Unlike Colin Firth, who could win any wet t-shirt contest, the sculpture is not the least bit sexy. (What’s going on with the face?) It did, however, give . . . rise . . . to such hilarious headlines as “Giant Colin Firth Terrorizes London” and, rather more suggestively, “Huge Statue of Dripping Wet Colin Firth Erected in London Lake.” Points for effort, but there’s no denying that the look on his face says “let me die.”

7. Martin Henderson as Will Darcy, Bride and Prejudice, 2004

Henderson’s looks are about as close as you can get to Ken Darcy . . . and so is his acting.

6. David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1980

I’ll be honest with you: I’ve only seen clips of Rintoul’s Darcy, but he seems almost as stiff as Henderson. At least he has the starched shirts to go with it—though despite the period dress there is something unquestionably 80s about him.

5. Matthew Rhys as Mr. Darcy in Death Comes to Pemberley, 2013

Matthew Rhys is kinda always good, in that nervous, swallowing way, but it’s hard to compare spin-offs to straight adaptations, mostly because you can’t compare them scene to scene. However, I will say that casting Matthew Goode as Wickham was really a mistake, because he rather overshadows, in terms of verve. And sex appeal. Still, there’s really not much to dislike about this series; it’s just relatively minor.

4. Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1940

Olivier is extremely reliable, as actors go, and he’s a perfect, elegant snob as Darcy in the 1940 film, which was the gold standard adaptation until Firth came along in the 90s. I’m actually very fond of this version, particularly the archery scene, which like the lake scene, was imposed on the story by the filmmakers, to excellent effect.

3. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 1995

Look, I know Firth is the widely accepted Premiere Darcy, and I am breaking with ironclad tradition here. I also understand why. He’s dashing, inscrutable, and he looks great in green. Plus, you get so much more in a miniseries than you do in a feature film. (There’s an argument that this makes it not fair.) But for me, the choice is not really Firth or MacFadyen or Lake or Mist but Angry Mysterious Guy or Sad Mysterious Guy—so despite my fondness for Firth in all things, I have to rank his period Darcy below MacFadyen’s, the latter (sad mysterious) being my own preference, having myself dated primarily artists and filmmakers before marrying a writer. Plus, on second watching, the whole lake scene is actually . . . not that sexy. Go rewatch it and tell me I’m wrong.

2. Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, 2005

Look, there are Firth people and there are MacFadyen people, and I love them both. But while I have no particular love for Keira Knightley’s toothy Lizzie Bennet (indistinguishable from her Elizabeth Swann, might I add), MacFadyen transcends his own mullet to be the sexiest of all the Darcys, if not the most dynamic. The terrible “Mrs. Darcy” thing at the end nearly ruins it, but I’ll be looking past it. (For those of you just joining us . . . yes, that is Tom.)

1. Colin Firth as Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001

See, in the end you got Colin Firth at #1. I’m not a monster. Traditionalists will clutch their pearls, but it’s the age of turtlenecks, baby. Or at least it was, in 2001. Who knows what it’s the age of now. I think part of my love for this Mr. Darcy is that his Lizzie (ie Bridget Jones) is awkward enough to make his awkwardness (ie rudeness) a little more comprehensible, and dare I say, likable.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ever ... obal-en-GB

[LtStarbuck99]

He's classy, aloof, has high standards but he's also kind, protective with great emotional intelligence. If you're the object of his affections, you would feel very special indeed. As someone else said, being played by Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth would also really help.