Posted by jj on June 17, 1997 at 21:02:03:
In reply to Re: What does Mr. Knightley say?-"Objective" view for jj & sarah2 posted by Archer on June 16, 1997 at 14:44:39
] ] As Kali would say alternative realities. Mr. Knightley is supposed to have a cheerful manner which always did him good. He is kindness personified... There are not "one and a hundred with gentleman so plainly written."
] ] And as for JN being too charming to be Mr. Knightley.."Being charming is not quite enough to induce (a person) to marry. One "must find other people charming-one other person at least."
] Thank you for restoring my faith with actual evidence from JA herself. After I saw Mark Strong's portrayal of Mr. Knightley (which I couldn't stand--he was such a stiff) I had to search through my copy of the book for well over an hour with trembling hands just to reassure myself that Mr. Knightley was supposed to be somewhat desirable. (And I was able to find quite a bit of evidence).__
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Amen! JN played Knightley as a real charmer, while Strong's Knightley was not particularly charming at all (quite stiff, I agree). It's been my experience that people who have that certain something, which I'll call charm, seem very attractive, even if they aren't particularly good-looking. Since Northam is fairly attractive on his own, when you add the charm of his portrayal, it's not surprising that so many people are drooling over him! My view of Knightley from the first time I read Emma (and on all subsequent readings) was that he was handsome, kind and definitely charming. Northam played the part perfectly.