Gather round, fellow cultured film fans, as we extoll the greatest virtue of period dramas: the brooding hero. If there is one thing you can count on a period drama to provide, it will be the guaranteed presence of a tortured man who lets his eyes do the talking.
He could be a spurned lover in an Emily Brontë adaptation (hello, Heathcliff), or a proud man at war with his instincts in a Jane Austen film (yes, Mr Darcy, your name has reared its head once more). Whatever internal conflict our hero may be afflicted with, his suffering is displayed in glorious technicolour on his wretched, tortured face, sending hearts aflutter for generations to come. The period drama hero is the male equivalent of a magazine cover girl. There is a fine balance between looking pained and looking constipated, but these three period drama heroes walked the right side of that line. Never once did they falter on screen. May their thrall never cease.
Heathcliff (Ralph Fiennes)
Long before he took on the role of Harry Potter’s nemesis, Ralph Fiennes set hearts pounding as he embodied Bronte’s embittered anti-hero, Heathcliff from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. No woman in her right mind would ever want to be joined in matrimony to this obsessive, vindictive man. However, that same woman may temporarily slip out of her right mind upon espying Fiennes’ take on this tragic character. According to IMDb, Fiennes was so committed to staying true to Heathcliff that he insisted on banging his head against a tree for a scene, exactly like his literary counterpart. So committed was he that he ended up drawing blood, not that that stopped him. Whilst we do not at all endorse such questionable behaviour, it is difficult not to swoon before that tortured face and those haunted eyes.
Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis)
In his heyday, Daniel Day-Lewis was never a slouch in the looks department. No director is ever going to say no to the wonderful combination of dark hair and expressive eyes, especially if the owner of that hair and those eyes can depict internal conflict on his face. If The Age of Innocence taught us anything, it is that Day-Lewis is (was?) an expert in the internal conflict department. His understated, nuanced performance as Newland has ensured that his face will live rent-free in the minds of shallow period drama fans, regardless of how they feel about the actual plot. For anyone interested in learning how to ferociously stamp internal struggle upon one’s face, look no further. Behold a torn man conflicted between personal desire and societal obligation. Observe the dictionary definition of emotional restraint. Swoon over the tortured eyes, which are far more effective than the spruced-up muscles of Marvel heroes.
Mr Darcy (Colin Firth)
How can we pay tribute to soulful period drama hotshots without bringing up Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy? Unlike Heathcliff, who had actual problems, and Newland, who also had very real problems, Mr Darcy’s biggest problem is battling internal pride. He does not have to battle decades of feeling unwanted, nor is he stuck with a wife he does not love. No, he is just ardently in love with Elizabeth Bennet against his will. Luckily for us, such inconvenient feelings cause him immense pain and turmoil, all of which are beautifully displayed on his scowly face. If you have only ever seen Firth in the Mamma Mia! films, do yourself a favour and find the BBC 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Go to the ends of the earth if you must. Gaze upon Mr Darcy as he in turn gazes upon Elizabeth playing the piano, and tell your heart to be still. Keep the smelling salts handy.
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