Why oh why is Mr Knightley so darn ugly? I like Northam much better, even tough he's not really a hottie. Okay, if he was only plain, but he is really ugly. Disguisting! Why does pretty little Emma want him?
One other thing. Emma's supposed to be a blonde. Baaaad filmmakers!
after seeing both GP and KB, then read all the messages here. what you said hits the core for me. that man not only has eyes almost crossing but his hair or is it his forehead... is it too little of one or too much of the other? i can't stop thinking how ugly he is but thought it is not proper to state that. so good that somebody else said it for me.
GP's hair was much prettier and her clothes also. the KB one has almost nothing to look at.
i saw GP one first and thought mr. knightley smiled too much and had a too soft personality. not to mention being too short, but may be it was because GP was too tall?
it was to see if there is a better mr. knightley that i looked for the KB one. i wish i didn't find it. i say an easy going, handsome man who likes to joke and smiles a lot even if not towering tall is better than an angry, ugly man who is pissed all the time, tall or otherwise, any day.
i read the book in high school before and liked it a lot, but both movies are so boring and long i had to keep checking how much more to go.
wish they could get bruce willis to play mr. knightley, he can smile with his eyes good.
No, I think Mark Strong was a very handsome Mr. Knightly and I really liked the way he portrayed the character because that's exactly how I imagined him to be when I first read the book. I agree the hair style wasn't very flattery but it didn't have any effect on his performance.
share[deleted]
Mark Strong would have been o.k. if someone had cut his hair or something. It looked disgusting...it was fully receding and yet long. Ugh.
Also, his eyes are intense...but I found that he was always yelling of flying off the handle...and so the eyes moved away from the intense spectrum and just became kind of crazy.
I think Northam is handsome, but not very interesting. He just looks like thousands of other guys. Mark Strong is not handsome at first sight, but very attractive after a closer look.
sharePersonally, I think both men are attractive, but in different ways. Northam, however, doesn't exude "maleness" to me. Strong's physical stature gives him a handsomeness that fits the character. I don't think Mr. George Knightly was supposed to be "handsome" in features necessarily anyway. I think he was handsome for his character.
shareI agree; Mark Strong is a little off-putting at first, but has really intriguing features once you watch a little more. He's not typically handsome but he's at least constantly interesting.
shareI found Mr. Knightley quite handsome myself -- beautiful and intense eyes, distinguished nose, kind and dignified face, commanding air. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
shareBeing a Jane Austen Fan, I have read the books hundred times and saw nearly every version available and seeing Mark Strong really fascinated me, I do like him playing the role and I think he is as good as Jeremy Northam.
I think but were handsome enough to play the role.
----------------------------------------
You have bewitched me body and soul!
When I saw a bit of this on TV about two of years ago I thought he was terribly ugly, but this time I didn't think he was that bad. Back then when I was young and immature I still thought the Gwyneth Paltrow one was flawless, but I have learned better now. I think this is a fantastic version, and Mark Strong did have some great moments. But still, I prefer Jeremy Northam. This Mr Knightly is so mean and angry all the time. Mr Knightly is supposed to be brotherly, teasing, and funny. This one shouts all the time. "He's having his hair cut!". Every tiny little thing and the man explodes! I was literally getting stressed watching him. I actually spoke to the screen a couple of times, telling the guy to calm down. But I think the proposal scene was great in this version. He did well there. I don't think he's ugly. I could even, with a little effort, grow to find him handsome, but never could he be THE Mr Knightly for me, after seeing Jeremy Northam.
shareMark Strong's appearance is neither here nor there for me - what does bother me is how the character of Mr. Knightley has been turned into a brutish jerk. Whether the writer, the director, or the actor is/are to blame, I have no idea. However, since I've never yelled "What an *beep* while reading the book, I won't blame Jane Austen.
laurastuart, I agree - this adaptation is STRESSFUL to watch. And it's not enough that this Mr. Knightley a jerk - this adaptation's Emma not only is rich, she rhymes with it as well. The characther of John Knightley is a delight, but isn't enough to make up for spending 107 minutes with two deeply unpleasant people. O.
I agree! Not only did I find him unattractive, but his Mr Knightley was not likeable. I thought he was hateful to Emma in the movie. Jeremy Northam will always be "my Mr Knightley."
shareI think MS makes a fantastic Mr. Knightley. Sure, he isn't a prince charming pretty-boy but at least he's passionate about what he believes! :) JN's Knightley seemed too much of a cookie-cutter romantic interest to me. I like men with imperfections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I fancy you forgot to pedal."
You must be blind because Mr. Knightly is certainly NOT ugly. He's the complete opposite. I can see why Emma loves him.
Carry Me Higher Lord, Higher Jesus - Fly Like A Bird by Mariah Carey
I posted on this thread in 2005 and in 2009, I still think this man is handsome.
share