What Donald Sutherland Does in His Greatest Scene

And why it continues to touch me so deeply.

Donald Sutherland died yesterday, and I wanted to explore, from an actor’s perspective, what he does in what I perceive to be his greatest scene. (No I haven’t seen everything he’s ever done. Yes I am still confident of this.)

I’ve spent a lot of time with Pride and Prejudice in my life—I’ve read it many times and watched the many adaptations, yes even this one, many, many times. But despite the liberties taken with Joe Wright’s 2005 film version, written by Deborah Moggach, I still find it to be the most affecting. And, when it comes down to it, I think it’s because of Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of Mr. Bennett in his final scene with Keira Knightly. For context, Lizzie is seeking consent from her father for her marriage to Mr. Darcy. Watch it here.

Now let’s go back and see what this scene looks like in Jane Austen’s novel:

“Have you any other objection,” said Elizabeth, “than your belief of my indifference?”

“None at all. We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him.”

“I do, I do like him,” she replied, with tears in her eyes; “I love him. Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable. You do not know what he really is; then pray do not pain me by speaking of him in such terms.”

“Lizzy,” said her father, “I have given him my consent. He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare refuse anything, which he condescended to ask. I now give it to you, if you are resolved on having him. But let me advise you to think better of it. I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband, unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about.”

Elizabeth, still more affected, was earnest and solemn in her reply; and, at length, by repeated assurances that Mr. Darcy was really the object of her choice, by explaining the gradual change which her estimation of him had undergone, relating her absolute certainty that his affection was not the work of a day, but had stood the test of many months’ suspense, and enumerating with energy all his good qualities, she did conquer her father’s incredulity, and reconcile him to the match.

“Well, my dear,” said he, when she ceased speaking, “I have no more to say. If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy.”

The scene in the book is mainly remarkable for her father’s subtle admittance of the unsatisfactory nature of his own marriage, which Austen bears out in detail earlier in the novel. But it’s mostly about Lizzie’s powers of persuasion in argument with her father—her intellectual equal.

Enter Deborah Moggach, who, in keeping with cinematic tradition, changes the primary communication of the scene from hearing to seeing:

But there’s nothing here about steadily breaking down, laughing and crying at the same time, with one’s hand over his mouth.

I have no idea what Donald Sutherland’s process acting is, but, as I am myself a father of two young daughters who falls to pieces when my three-year-old says things like, “I should be kind, because then Daisy will want to be kind, too,” it seems clear to me that it’s an overwhelming experience to see your own child express such deep self-knowledge. And, on top of this, she acquired this self-knowledge through the transformational act of falling in love—a blessing he could have never even dreamed for his five daughters, given their primary goals for a financially beneficial match since none could inherit his estate by law.

What a scene he gives us: a cynical old man reawakened to a wonder he had long since written off as impossible. A joy he felt he had to right to feel surprising him and scooping him up and making him laugh like an idiot while blubbering like a baby.

What a beautiful scene. What an amazing actor. Here, watch it again.