When it comes to Jane Austen’s characters and their parents, most relationships are more frustrating than they are heartwarming. Save for Emma Woodhouse and her father, a lot of the other relationships make it easier to root against the parents. At the same time, the film adaptations rarely dive into the details of these relationships and choose to focus on friendships and love stories instead. However, one film in particular beautifully highlights the relationship between fathers and daughters, and it’s Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice. It gives us what might be the most sincere moment in any film between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet, which is now even more heartbreaking after the late Donald Sutherland’s passing.Â
Unlike his wife, we know that Mr. Bennet simply wants to ensure that his daughters are not only secure but that they’re happy. And this is especially the case with Elizabeth, the kid we could safely assume is most like him in more ways than one. The books give us enough context clues to understand that her relationship with her father is more open than the one with her mother, but it’s the 2005 adaptation that takes the words on the page and brings them to life in indescribable ways.
To start, it’s essential to acknowledge that the warmth in this scene is a testament to Donald Sutherland’s mastery as an actor in that he takes an expected moment and imbues it with tremendous heart. It’s the vulnerability he shows as a father when he allows himself to cry at his daughter’s happiness because there, we see his strength as a man, too.
Men struggle with showing emotion even in the 21st century, but men in Regency England were a completely different story. They didn’t have safe spaces to be vulnerable in how much of their heart they put on display. They needed to be caretakers first and foremost, everything else second. But Mr. Bennet is more than just Elizabeth’s father—he’s a true parent. It’s apparent in that final moment between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet that so much of what she’s learned comes from the love her father has shown. Her honesty, resilience, stubbornness, and, most importantly, the bravery in knowing that it’s okay to admit when she’s wrong. We can tell at that moment that his blessing is everything she needs because she knows he’s the parent who truly sees her.Â
In some versions of Pride and Prejudice 2005, the programming cuts right after this moment. The last thing viewers see in the gorgeously picturesque film is a father tearfully celebrating his daughter’s happiness. We bear witness to a father glowing with adoration as he realizes that his daughter is doing the one thing he’s always wanted her to do—to choose for herself. In many ways, the story is about the lengths adults will go to secure their standing, but for Mr. Bennet, it’s about ensuring true, incandescent happiness instead.
So much of this scene between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet is as beautiful as it is because of how simple and honest it is. The conversations feel universal, and the performances are entirely genuine. The location matters, too. It’s a sincere moment between fathers and daughters that looks into what it looks like to truly know your children and care for them the way they deserve—to show unconditional, limitless love in a moment that will shape their future.Â
There’s also something to be said about how this occurs after she shares the truth about everything Mr. Darcy has done. It’s at this point when Mr. Bennet realizes that even while no one could fully deserve Elizabeth, this man comes closer than anybody else. It’s his wholesome chuckle upon realizing that his little girl will be in a relationship with an equal—a man who’ll view her as a true partner as opposed to property. It’s the way she thanks him and how he remains seated afterward, chuckling heartily at the joy of knowing that his daughter will be with someone worthy. It’s the tears in both their eyes that make it impossible for viewers not to cry from happiness right alongside them. The morning brightness in his study, the exceptional performances, the words spoken aloud and in silence, along with the idyllic score from Dario Marianelli all depict what being at leisure truly looks like.
In truth, this isn’t an easy scene to write about. It’s one of the few moments in cinema that’s so pure words can’t do it justice. It’s one of those scenes that always makes me sob because even though I’ll never have the chance to experience a moment like it with my late father, seeing Elizabeth Bennet experience it brings me indescribable comfort.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Focus Features