reasons why i am now in love with johnny flynn as mr. knightley in emma (2020), in chronological order:
our first glimpse of knightley is as an independent person, completely separate from his relationship to emma, and though those first minutes of his screen time have very little dialogue, we see him (*ahem* all of him *ahem* *chef’s kiss*) and bits of his character shining through in how he carries himself during vulnerable moments, how he interacts with his servants and banters with them, how he is clearly an energetic, against the grain, down-to-earth man, from his clear familial intimacy with the housekeeper to his desire to walk everywhere rather than taking a carriage. we also get a simple establishing shot of him walking through empty covered rooms that sets up the importance of the relationship with the woodhouse family in his presumably lonely bachelor life
(but also, god bless autumn de wilde for truly directing this movie in the female gaze, BLESS YOU)
just…the way he’s always soft and familiar with emma - they banter and argue passionately, but also sit close together and laugh in private moments together showing how kindred they are
the DANCE at the BALL - the way he carefully takes her hand before the dance, the way you can literally see him get drawn into the dance and staring into her eyes, the way he forgets the steps and does the WRONG MANEUVER at the end so that she is in his arms, the HANDS the hands ok i’ll stop now
the way he seems so stricken and confused and desperate and longing as he gets left behind after the dance, and then runs after her?! and then stares at her when she runs out to meet him?! the restless pining is just ungghhh
and THEN he’s adorably bumbling and thinks emma wants him to stay but then emma asks for frank to stay instead and he does that adorable scrunched up face like …”really? him? in front of my salad?”
also, taking off the uncomfortable bits of his period costume so he can starfish sprawl on the floor in romantic frustration what a mood
i liked how, in the box hill fight, you get a sense that he’s not so much straight angry at her but more viscerally disappointed in emma because he loves her so much and knows that she should know better and that she is capable of being better and he just desperately wishes that she could find the empathy he knows she possesses underneath her societal mask of superiority
him running and hopping over walls to meet emma before The Scene was absolutely adorable
he gets teary-eyed not ONCE but TWICE at the end of this movie because he loves emma so much and he’s so EARNEST as he bares his heart to her - he is definitely the most emotionally moved and visibly in love mr knightley of all the adaptations, and i just…MY HEART
he’s bumbling for most of the movie but THEN at the end he’s suddenly smooth and sneakily like “oh mr. woodhouse maybe you are right maybe there is a draft in the room oh no i must go sit next to emma” and then he’s so SWEET and he looks so fond and even more in love when she gives him the adorable little peck of a kiss… and they do the forehead touch!! as he gazes at her and slowly leans back in?! i was SWOONING i tell you
basically, johnny flynn was just a really SOFT mr. knightley and i love him thank you for coming to my TED talk
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