Everyone has a preferred Mr. Darcy. Maybe your character is Colin Firth in 1995's Pride and Prejudice , or Matthew MacFadyen in the 2005 film, or maybe it's Firth again but in Bridget Jones "Diary" . Let us not forget the spiritual Darcys who carved themselves into brooding heroic figures, such as Jonathan Bailey, who explicitly quoted Pride and Prejudice in his portrayal of Anthony Bridgerton.
These period fetishists weren't just beloved for their bow ties and steely eyebrows, something Hallmark's Love with Jane Austen, a four-film event inspired by the author's work, is keenly aware of. . For Lisa Hamilton-Daly, the network's executive vice president of programming, the character's enduring appeal has a deeper reason.
"I feel like Darcy is the lens through which to look at the state of romance," she told Busy. "[To me], it shows that no matter how awkward your family is, men will still see through the real you and fall in love. It's the ultimate fantasy, to be loved for who you are."
This month’s film lineup includes Paging Mr. Darcy; Love and Jane, An American from Austin, and Sense and Sensibility — lean into this fantasy.
This isn't Hallmark's first foray into Austen's work, but it is its first concerted effort to engage with her work on a large scale. It's delightfully meta, designed for those who understand the allure of crooked hands and a soaked white shirt.
For example, in Austen's An American, a young woman wakes up from Pride and Prejudice and comes face to face with Mr. Darcy. "Wow," she said. "You're hot."
Austin's pieces are not overly enthusiastic, which makes them perfect for the family-friendly Hallmark. The network's movies promise a passionate kiss or two, leaning heavily into what Daley calls "trembling to the extreme," expressing romantic tension through passionate gestures, glances and dabs. "These things can be as exciting as anything when you're really in love," she said.
Indeed, they can. In "Paging Mr. Darcy," Eloise, a skeptical academic, meets Sam, a Darcy impersonator, at a Jane Austen conference. Sam (played by Will Kemp, a trained dancer and beloved Hallmark Brit) helps Eloise with various tasks, such as preparing Regency food. In between peeling lemons and rolling out dough, he took time to make her an omelet. "You look hungry," he said, not realizing that the snack made him more attractive.
The Hallmark baking scene is a time-honored trope, of course, but it's also Austenian, according to Arizona State University professor Dr. Devoney Luther, who has written extensively about Austen (and Darcy). "In a way, it's kind of similar to the dance scene," Luther said. “It’s an opportunity to have meaningful physical contact, talk and work together with someone.”
Luther, the author of the forthcoming "Austin Goes Wild, " liked how Lovery's film interpreted Austen's work in a fun, self-aware way. In "Paging Mr. Darcy," for example, the traditionally taciturn hero is friendly from the start. "It's been a real transformation," she said. "It's really more like Elizabeth Bennet's character Eloise needs to grow up, [rather than Darcy's character]."
These films, Luther said, "take things from the past that people might have appreciated, perhaps too positively, and put them into conversation with things in the present that are more in tune with our own tastes, preferences and relationships."
While the first three Loveuary installments dealt with modern women's love for Austen, the fourth, Sense and Sensibility, is a true adaptation: a gorgeous period piece produced under Hallmark's Mahogany banner, Celebrating black voices.
Ahead of the film's Feb. 24 premiere, more than 80 fans gathered on Zoom for Hallmark's virtual book club. They answered questions about the values in the book's title, its association with the Dashwood sisters, and whether they would marry Colonel Brandon or Edward Ferrars. Some attendees were encountering Austen's work for the first time.
“I think this will bring new readers to Jane Austen’s original novels,” Luther said of Lovery. “As a professor, I don’t feel sad that we’re reading more books or thinking more deeply about the past.”
Luckily, more literary crossovers may be on the horizon — especially since the Austen movie was the top performer in its Saturday night time slot, according to SpoilerTV ratings. “It’s fun to have a well-known piece of work that helps you attract an audience,” Daly said. "So there's a good chance we're going to do more."
