Posted by kathleen (elder) on June 18, 1997 at 11:25:48:
In reply to Re: What does Mr. Knightley say?-"Objective" view for jj & sarah2 posted by Kathy F. on June 16, 1997 at 19:18:09
] I thought MS very desirable!
I quite agree -- I especially liked his eyes and his voice.
] (As for "stiff"--I saw once where he said that the clothes were cut in such a way that everyone had his shoulders back, and that's why in those old portraits we see that everyone looks stiff and starched.)
I guess I found his Mr Knightley a bit formal, but certainly at ease with his friends (and himself, for that matter).
]I think that with any 2-3 hour version of Emma, the people in charge will leave out some certain developmental characteristics. The scenes which would have shown Mr. Knightley more "cheerful" were not necessarily applicable to the development of the Emma3 storyline. Emma2 made him more cheerful, at the expense (due to time, I hope) of the Jane/Frank story-line, etc. Most of Mr. Knightley's (Emma3) scenes are when he is grave because he's gravely concerned about Emma, or other people he cares about. But I will say there is one cheerful (pre-engagement) scene, and that is when he is playing with his nephews when they come down for Christmas.
The scene with the children is one of my favorites, including the part with Emma and the baby (little Emma). There was another scene which was filmed but edited out of the final version. When Emma and Mr Knightley meet as they arrive at the dinner party (the Coles, I think), and Mr Knightley calls her a nonsensical girl. This scene was originally followed by a scene that shows them entering the house, Emma looking around for Frank, smiling at Frank, and Mr Knightley feeling left out. I would have liked to have seen that.
] Perhaps the mood seems darker to the observer because there was less light than in most movies, including Emma2. Many of the scenes were filmed indoors, and fit my idea of what the nights were like in those times--light from fireplaces, candles, and lanterns. But it did make it seem dark.
It's a little bit like Persuasion, isn't it, with the low level of lighting in the houses at night. The evening carriage scenes were also well done in this respect -- both going to ancdcoming back from the Westons' Christmas dinner, for example.