Mr. Darcy's Shorts?

Two weeks ago I took a lengthy trip to see my nephew as Mr. Bennet in a high school production of Pride and Prejudice. Thus, I was more than ready to compare it to the latest big screen production, a movie starring Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench and Michael MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy.

I am one of those Colin Firth fans, a loyal patron of the BBC production which goes on for hours and features the ravishing Mr. Firth, over the top performances by some well-known British actors and a long, drawn out dance of attraction between the leads.

This movie was jarring for me in the beginning, with a foppish looking Mr. Bingly and the unshaven Mr. Sutherland looking well out of place. But just when I thought it was over, and the tears were leaking out of my eyes at the thought of true love finding its way after all, there we were looking at Mr. Darcy in his shorts.

WHAT?

I do NOT want to see Mr. Darcy in his underwear. As he and Lizzie exchanged lovie talk that I knew was not originally penned by Jane Austen, I could feel my whole body rebelling. Mr. Darcy must remain clothed.

On the way out, I overheard people saying that this ending had been tacked on for American audiences and was not being shown in Britain where Austen purists would have booed the way they do in Parliament when Tony Blair supports more troops going into Iraq or announces that George W. is coming over for a visit.

Does anyone know why the makers of this film felt we Americans needed to see Mr. Darcy's shorts? Am I the only one who wants Mr.Darcy to stay in his clothes?