Mary is playing the piano during the ball and her father comes along and tells her she can stop now, Next, we see Mary crying. Why?
shareI think it is partially because she spent so much effort practicing and was embarrassed at the way her father shut her down in front of everyone, especially Mr. Collins. It is hinted that she likes Collins, although never stated. In the movie, she sees him walk by as her father tells her to stop playing.
shareIn the book it is implied that Mary isn’t a very good pianist or singer, and overstays her turn at the party piano. The father and Elizabeth notice this, so Mr. Bennett taps her on the shoulder to stop. Like any teen, Mary gets overly embarrassed by the humiliation, (like said above) probably worsened by being shamed in front of her crush (Mr. Collins) too. Also, Mary is just one more socially awkward Bennett who Darcy sneers at, which makes him all conflicted about falling for the socially charming Lizzie.
shareThis is why I hate this movie, it was NOT DONE to cry in public in those days, even if you were a teenaged girl. The upper classes and middle classes looked down on open displays of feeling or loss of personal control, Austen's writing is full of disdain for emotionalism.
But then, the people who made this particular film couldn't care less about Jane Austen or historical accuracy.
I get the objections but I think this film, unlike the more paced out mini series, was adapted to appeal to a broad, modern audience. In the book this scene plays out more subtly
She looked at her father to entreat his interference, lest Mary should be singing all night. He took the hint, and when Mary had finished her second song, said aloud, "That will do extremely well, child. You have delighted us long enough. Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit."
Mary, though pretending not to hear, was somewhat disconcerted; and Elizabeth, sorry for her, and sorry for her father's speech, was afraid her anxiety had done no good.”
Yeah, in the book Mary seems pathetic enough that Austen later wrote that she'd found a husband - a clerk. So the girl seems to have married down, but at least she got away from her mother's constant complaints about her nerves. (Still, I totally ship Mary and Mr. Collins! What a missed opportunity for farce that was...)
As to appealing to broad audiences... it's possible to appeal to broad audiences and still be historically accurate. Like I said it simply wasn't done among the upper classes (or upper-adjacent) to cry in public, or to physically run away from socially awkward situations. It's possible for good actors to express a world of feeling while still keeping their cool, but, but we're talking Kiera Knightley here.
Mary didn’t marry in the book. Did Austen write about Mary in an autobiography or something? This is the last chapter on Mary:
“Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet's being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters' beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance.”
I think it was in one of Austen's letters.
shareHer crying doesn't bother me here. It emphasizes just how awkward and socially inept she is. It helps us understand later when Darcy yells at Lizzie later for the social travesties her family has committed.
Although I could be giving the film writers too much credit, here. The mini-series handles this particular scene much better.
I agree. I didn't mind it here. Especially after just re-watching the film. The scene where she cries is shot in a more distant secluded corner so not a ton of people would have noticed it. It was a private scene and I actually really liked Mr. Bennet here. If this had been a 4 hour movie, they could have done the scene a little less intense but they had a lot of emotions and plot to get through in such a short amount of time it was just easier to go the more dramatic route here to indicate how Mary, Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth felt through the night.
sharemany a heart is broken, after the ball.......
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