To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, director Joe Wright has shed some light on Mr Darcy’s iconic “hand flex” scene.
Wright’s romantic-drama, which returns to cinemas to mark the milestone anniversary, stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett and Matthew Mafadyen as Mr Darcy.
The famous moment occurs in the early stages of their budding romance, with Elizabeth preparing to leave Netherfield after spending weeks nursing her sister Jane (Rosamund Pike) back to health.
When the carriage arrives to take her home, Mr Darcy gives her his hand to help her into it. The camera lingers on their hands and as he walks away, the camera zooms in on his hand, which he flexes as if to shake off the intense moment.
The so-called “hand flex” has caused a stir on social media where fans of the film praised the moment as a “perfect” encapsulation of Mr Darcy’s repressed feelings at the time.
Focus Features, the production company behind the film, is now selling merchandise of the hand flex, including T-shirts and badges, to commemorate the milestone anniversary.
In a new interview with People, Wright – who also directed films including Darkest Hour (2017) and The Woman in the Window (2021) – confirmed that the moment would not have happened without Macfadyen’s improvisation.
“It wasn’t in the script, but that was an important moment in the book,” Wright said. “This sudden realisation, as they were parting, of what they meant to each other or the kind of disturbance they caused in each other.”
Wright went on to explain that the moment shows that while Mr Darcy physically recognises his feelings for Elizabeth, his mind has not caught up yet.
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“Our bodies are so much smarter than our minds often. Although their conscious minds are fighting against each other, their bodies are two magnets drawn to each other,” Wright said. “As they touch, even that little hand lifting helping her, which is pure etiquette of the period, somehow creates this kind of electronic shock wave through them both, and he has to shake it away.”
In another interview with The New York Times for a piece solely focused on the “hand flex”, Wright said he has been “humbled” by the reception “because it feels like it’s taken on a life of its own.”
Elsewhere, Wright revealed to Mashable the origins of another beloved moment – the line spoken by Charlotte’s character, in which she says: “I’m 27 years old. I’ve no money and no prospects. I’m already a burden to my parents, and I’m frightened.”
Wright revealed that he and screenwriter Deborah Moggach approached Emma Thompson, who had previously won an Oscar for her adaptation of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, for some assistance with “a little bit of the dialogue”, which gave birth to the now iconic line.
Pride and Prejudice will return to UK cinemas next week.
