Pride and Prejudice Media

Macfadyen shows off his Mr. Darcy side

McFADYEN SHOWS OFF HIS MR DARCY SIDE

Evening Standard (London), Jun 23, 2005

EMILY BARCLAY obviously hasn't recovered from the buzz of acting with Matthew McFadyen, her co-star in the thriller In My Father's Den which premiered at the UGC Cimena in Piccadilly."He was amazing to work with," gushed the teenaged Kiwi (pictured with McFadyen). "But to be honest I hid in a corner most of the time. I was awestruck." Another guest last night was Colin Firth. Sadly he wouldn't compare his performance as Mr Darcy in a BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with McFadyen's, who plays the same role in a soon to be released film of the Jane Austen classic. "I'm just here with my wife to see the film," was all Firth said. "I think Matthew's a great actor."

 read more »
  • 12213 reads

Where "Pride" goeth before (USA Today)


Where 'Pride' goeth before

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY
Posted 11/7/2005 9:36 PM Updated 11/10/2005 7:44 PM
TORONTO — Keira Knightley may have been only 19 when she signed on for the coveted role of headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, author Jane Austen's most cherished heroine, in the sprightly new film version of Pride & Prejudice that opens in limited U.S. release Friday. But she was all too aware of what she faced.
 
Director Joe Wright made his version, with Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley, sexier, livelier and more realistic while staying true to the book.   Director Joe Wright made his version, with Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley, sexier, livelier and more realistic while staying true to the book.  
Focus Features

Constant comparisons. To the 1813 novel. To the 1940 big-screen version. To the hugely popular 1995 BBC miniseries. And to the society-driven world of Austen that exists in the imaginations of those who adore her work.

 read more »
  • 10803 reads

JASNA: Behind the Times


The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) has put out the following release:

Call For Papers for a special issue of Persuasions On-Line

Persuasions On-Line announces a special issue on the most recent film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice: the 2005 Focus Features film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen.

 read more »
  • 8181 reads

Dirty Dames and Mr. Darcy for X-mas (2005)

Pride & Prejudice

Lisa Hope King

Issue date: 12/7/05 Section: Inside Beat

Dirty Dames and Mr. Darcy for X-mas
Thursday, December 8, 2005



Having a significant other meet the parents during the holidays is a benchmark for any couple. Take this: cut to class-conscious England near the close of the 18th century, and you've got Jane Austen's Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Darcy from her novel, Pride And Prejudice.

Mrs. Bennet, played by Brenda Bleythn (Secrets And Lies) is the eager parent of five daughters waiting to meet the eligible and rich bachelor Mr. Darcy, (Matthew MacFayden, MI-5).

Though the movie boasts an esteemed cast consisting of Donald Sutherland, an Officer of the Order of Canada, Dame Judi Dench, Keira Knightley, Hollywood Film Award for Best Breakthrough Actress in 2005 and Brenda Blyethn, two time Academy Award nominee and an Officer of the Order of Britain, inside beat picked up on some surprising facts from MacFayden and Blyethn about the actors - especially of the Dame.

Matthew MacFayden is no stranger to strong romantic roles. In 1998, he played Hareton Earnshaw in the UK television version of Wuthering Heights. Having never read Pride And Prejudice or seen the BBC movie version, MacFayden had a clean slate to work with in his role as Mr. Darcy.

"I think there's a little bit of Darcy in everyone," he admitted. "I find him very sympathetic and I find it kind of heartbreaking at times. Nobody's just arrogant and cold without reason. He was a young man who had to grow up to find out who he was."

MacFayden's Darcy had a love-hate relationship with Bleythn's on-screen daughter, Lizzie, played by Keira Knightley.

"It's terribly attractive when your pomposity is noticed and then punctured in public," he says. "It's infuriating and embarrassing and you hate that person [but Darcy] found it incredibly funny. It's one of those things where he goes home afterwards, locks all the doors and laughs hysterically into the pillows."

When asked if there were any women in his life who tortured him like Lizzie, he laughed and replied, "my wife."

 read more »
  • 10763 reads

Pride & Prejudice for a new generation

Pride & Prejudice for a new generation


Mr Darcy & Mr Bingley turn heads in Working Title's new Pride & Prejudice

Tue, 6 Sep 2005

Designed to show an audience of filmmakers and film fans that there are a million ways to make a movie, The Script Factory, in cahoots with our colleagues at the National Film & TV School, stages regular preview events and masterclasses with some of the finest filmmakers working today. Just last week we presented Jim Jarmusch in a conversation about creating some of the greatest US indie films; next up it’s the turn of the Brits to show what we do best as we showcase Working Title’s brand new Pride & Prejudice, and hear from its screenwriter, the award-winning novelist Deborah Moggach.

Based on the beloved Jane Austen novel, the classic tale of love and values unfolds in the class-conscious England of the late 18th century. The five Bennet sisters - including strong-willed Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and young Lydia (Jena Malone) - have all been raised by long-suffering father (Donald Sutherland) and interfering mother (Brenda Blethyn) who has one purpose in life: finding a husband for her girls. When a wealthy bachelor takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of friends, surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the Bennet sisters. But when Elizabeth meets up with the handsome and - it would seem - snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), the battle of the sexes begins.

With its all-star cast and a warts-and-all feel for its 2005 incarnation, Pride & Prejudice is directed by Joe Wright, a newcomer to film who cut his teeth in Brit TV, and is scripted with relish by Deborah Moggach, whose ‘Tulip Fever’ found fans the world over and whose previous screen credits include the celebrated BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford's Love In A Cold Climate.

  • 7871 reads
Syndicate content