Colin Firth was nearly rejected as Mr Darcy in Pride And Prejudice for being 'too GINGER' [tr]

UK Daily Mail ^ | September 22, 2016 | Unity Blott

[Trumplican]

” Mr. Firth was brilliant as Darcy”

Best Mr. Darcy. Ever.

[Gay State Conservative]

Oh,forgot to mention...yes,homosexual men In Britain are called “fairies” and “poofters” *as well as* “ginger”.

[Trumplican]

“2005 movie is exceptional. Cast is outstanding”

Loved the soundtrack of 2005 but did not like Keira Knightley at all. Not nearly refined enough and overacted facial expressions and gasps. ugh.

[Trumplican]

Definitely a chick movie

[Trumplican]

“David Rintoul”

I will have to look for the 1980 BBC series.

“BTW, Austin’s Darcy never jumped in the lake!”

We know, but we got to see Darcy’s nipples and he was all wet and cute when he ran into Elizabeth. Haha.

[MD Expat in PA]

I can’t stand the 2005 version. All the girls giggle and squeal like 12 year olds. There’s no decorum at all... the whole family comes across as trashy. There’s nothing in the novel to suggest the poverty and decay the settings suggest. They aren’t desperate to marry because they are poor; they aren’t. They’re simply going to lose it all when the father dies because the estate is entailed. But all this giggling and squealing and running around in the mud and rain business... it’s like they took Jane Austen and tried to turn her into Charlotte Bronte.

I went to see the 2005 version with a friend of mine who is a big Austen fan as well as having a degree in English Lit and was at the time teaching English Lit at a private girls school.

She hated it and I mean she really, really hated it and said pretty much that same as you - that the film made the Bennet family out to be some sort of Regency era semi-trailer trash. I did think the fellow who played Mr. Darcy was rather nice to look at, but I was otherwise unimpressed.

After we left the theater she said she needed to go home to re-watch either the 1980 or her favorite, the 1995 BBC version to clear this version out of her head.

[georgiegirl]

That’s the downside of Firth’s Darcy. Austen’s aristocratic Mr.Darcy would never do something like that, the times he lived in would not dream of such a thing. The “sexual” tension between Darcy and Eliza is so appealingly understated, which is the beauty of Austen’s novel. Bringing our 21st C notions into the 18th C loses its charm and appeal (to me). I’m a hopeless originalist I guess.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I just found the 2-DVD set of this movie at St. Vincent’s for $1.00!

So excited to read that it’s going to be worth my $1 and my time. :)

[Albion Wilde]

it also means "queer" and comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang--> "ginger beer:queer"

I believe you are overinterpreting. That usage is equivalent to an American college student saying, "Ew, that's so gay" about Miller Lite Beer. The beer or its ingredients aren't gay; it's the drinking of it that is seen as uncool, and to insult it, Brits imply that drinking it is unmanly. Ginger beer is an actual drink made with ginger root, an alcoholic version of ginger ale. Also not gay.

[Gay State Conservative]

Well,I ain't no expert on Britain or British culture.I think we need a real Brit to weigh in on this.But consider this in addition to what I've already posted:

Two of my favorite Britcoms are Monty Python and Are You Being Served.One of Python's skits features three characters,one of whom is named "Ginger" and is as fruity as they come.In an episode of AYBS they're serving a woman who wants to buy a sweater for her husband.At one point,when discussing the color she should buy,the woman says that her husband is "ginger"...meaning,in that context,that he's fair skinned and has either blonde or red hair.But on hearing her say that Mr Humphries gets an excited look on his face and,in case you're not a fan of the series,Mr Humphries is as fruity as they come.

I could be wrong here but I'm inclined to think not.

Any Brits who want to weigh in on this feel free so to do! ;-)

Below is a photo of "Ginger" from the Python skit I mentioned.

[Gay State Conservative]

P.S.,I think this might wrap things up (pretty funny actually if you're a Python fan).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdCQwigh6H8

[A_perfect_lady]

If you haven't read the book, I can see why you like it. I'm not picking on you: when I first saw House of Mirth I loved it. Then I read the book and ... then I could see all its shortcomings.

[Albion Wilde]

Again, that is like a freeper calling a dark-complexioned feral youth “Amish.” It is a way that they show contempt against redheads, by likening them to gay people. But that doesn’t make redheads gay or make “ginger” mean gay.

[Intolerant in NJ]

A&E's "Pride and Prejudice" - great show - six half-hour segments - much longer than the movie versions but that's the beauty of it - you get a chance to watch the relationships shift and develop subtly - some of the dramas within the drama are priceless - here's Darcy's first ill-fated proposal to Lizzy - how could any girl refuse?....