Favorite Scene Friday! Double Feature!

When thinking of what favorite scene I wanted to post on this fabulous Friday, I was faced with trying to decide between two very similar, very beautiful scenes.  This left me in a mess, a complete MESS, of indecision about which one I wanted to post.  So since the scenes have the same theme, I decided that I could just do both.  My choice is that I'm not going to choose.  Pretty cool, eh?

Both movies featured today are beautiful, breathtaking love stories.  Both are period pieces.  Both are set in the UK.  Both are directed by Joe Wright.  Both include the so-gorgeous-she-makes-my-brain-hurt Keira Knightley.  Both are pretty awesome films.  Both scenes involve hands.  And both scenes are about love.  And not just regular old love.  I mean good, real, pure, love.  One movie has the fairy-tale ending.  The other is tragic.

As a disclaimer, I will completely own up to being the opposite of a chick-flick lover.  Most romantic comedies bore me to tears.  But what I enjoy in a GOOD love story are the subtleties.  Those precious, quiet, sweet little moments that tell the story of falling and being in love.  And that's what both of these scenes provide.  In the Pride and Prejudice scene, our tormented Mr. Darcy grabs Miss Elizabeth's hand to help her into a carriage.  This is not much of a big deal in today's world, but I can assure you that back then, it simply was not the done thing!  And the way he flexes his hand after makes it even better (somebody turn the air on!).  In the second scene, from Atonement, there is something so riveting about the way James McAvoy looks at Keira when she comes out of that fountain.  That moment of silent realization between the two of them was so powerful.  I can just imagine that his breath was short and his ears were ringing.  This is probably why he is one of my favorite actors.  And who knew that a simple fist clinch could be so sexy? 

Happy Friday!